About the Role
Our client, an innovation-driven research organization operating at the intersection of AI, cognitive science, and wearable technologies, is seeking a Principal Investigator to lead its neuroscience and cognitive modeling direction.
This role combines scientific leadership with hands-on research, focusing on the development of cognitive intelligence systems that transform multimodal wearable and behavioral data into structured models within a knowledge-grounded digital twin framework.
The selected candidate will define and advance the organization’s strategy in multimodal cognitive data fusion and Human-AI modeling, enabling real-time inference of cognitive states such as focus, engagement, and cognitive load. The work includes designing compact AI models capable of running locally on wearable or edge devices to interpret user states and deliver privacy-preserving adaptive feedback.
The broader objective is to establish robust frameworks and benchmarks for cognitive-state modeling, privacy-aware personalization, and ethically aligned human-AI collaboration.
The ideal candidate bridges cognitive neuroscience and computational modeling, with strong expertise in AI-driven data analysis and experimental research.
Key Responsibilities
* Define and lead the research direction in neuroscience and neuropsychology
* Develop multimodal data fusion models integrating physiological, behavioral, and contextual signals (e.g., EEG, heart rate, motion data)
* Design and conduct laboratory and field experiments to validate cognitive inference models
* Contribute to the development of an Agentic Personalization Engine for adaptive, context-aware user feedback
* Guide integration of cognitive models into wearable and edge environments, balancing accuracy, interpretability, and energy efficiency
* Supervise postdoctoral researchers, PhD candidates, and junior team members
* Collaborate closely with AI and engineering teams to ensure scalability, robustness, and ethical compliance
* Publish research findings in top-tier journals and conferences and represent the project in academic and applied research communities
Required Qualifications
* PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, Computational Cognitive Science, AI/ML, Data Science, or a closely related discipline
* Demonstrated expertise in neurocognitive, physiological, or multimodal behavioral data analysis
* Strong understanding of machine learning, statistical modeling, and/or computational cognitive modeling
* Proven experience designing and conducting human-subject experiments
* Track record of publishing in high-impact journals or leading conferences
* Ability to translate cognitive theory into computational models
Preferred Qualifications
* Experience working with wearable sensing technologies (EEG, ECG, smart rings, motion trackers, etc.)
* Background in Human-AI Interaction or affective computing
* Familiarity with edge AI or real-time processing in resource-constrained environments
* Experience developing data fusion frameworks or benchmarking systems
* Knowledge of privacy-preserving machine learning, dynamic consent mechanisms, and GDPR-compliant workflows
* Prior experience leading or coordinating research projects
What We Offer
* Relocation support to Germany, Serbia, Singapore, or other regions where the organization has established offices and research hubs or remote work opportunity
* A clear and structured academic growth trajectory, with the opportunity to develop toward a professorship-level position
* Flexible career pathways: the option to combine research with teaching or to focus exclusively on fundamental research
* A high degree of academic freedom in defining research direction and shaping scientific strategy
* Access to one of the most innovative university and laboratory ecosystems in the field
* An interdisciplinary environment at the intersection of neuroscience, AI, and wearable intelligence