Gene-environment interplay on reading ability, disability, and recovery

A 3-year PhD or a 2-year postdoctoral position is available to do research with Dr Franck Ramus on Gene-environment interplay on reading ability, disability, and recovery, at the Department of Cognitive Studies, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL University, Paris, France.

Project:

Current interventions for reading disability (dyslexia) show variable effects: they are often effective for some but not all of the children. It is difficult to predict which children will respond well to an intervention and why. It therefore remains difficult to optimise referral to different types of intervention. This project takes genetic factors into account to enrich our understanding of individual differences in reading trajectories and responses to intervention.

Questions addressed will be: To what extent is the home literacy environment confounded with genetic factors? To what extent do they interact? What are the genetic, environmental and cognitive predictors of reading progress, in normal-reading and in dyslexic children? What are the genetic, environmental and cognitive predictors of dyslexic children’s response to educational or speech and language therapy?

Tasks will include:

• computing polygenic scores for reading ability/dyslexia, educational achievement, and other relevant phenotypes;
• modelling cognitive and educational trajectories;
• performing analyses of educational, cognitive, genetic and environmental variables in several cohorts;
• working together with other team members and collaborators;
• presenting the work at local, national and international meetings;
• writing up and publishing research articles in English in international scientific journals.

Context:

Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL University is one the top higher education and research institutions in France. Its Department of Cognitive Studies in one of the leading research centers in cognitive science in Europe. The Laboratoire de Sciences Cognitives and Psycholinguistique is a laboratory with 8 principal investigators and 6 teams, including the Cognitive development and pathology team led by Franck Ramus.

Profile:

The candidate should have a Masters or PhD degree in one or several relevant disciplines (statistical/behavioral genetics, cognitive science, psychology).

Position:

3-year French doctoral contract. Gross monthly salary: 2075€ (1667€ net). The student will be registered at the ENS doctoral school.

or

2-year postdoctoral position. Gross monthly salary: 2942€ (2364€ net) or more according to experience.

Benefits include health insurance.

Starting date: between December 1st 2023 and April 1st 2024.

Apply:

Send a letter, CV and contacts of two referees to franck.ramus@ens.psl.eu with QIM in subject. Evaluation of the applications is open and will continue until the position is filled.