(M/F) Reorganization of visuocognitive functions associated with peripheral vision and oculomotor behaviour during aging

Role: (M/F) Reorganization of visuocognitive functions associated with peripheral vision and oculomotor behaviour during aging
Organization: CNRS - National Center for Scientific Research / Gipsa-lab / Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition
Location: ST MARTIN D HERES, France
Contract Type: Temporary, Full-time (35 hours/week)
Start Date: 1 Oct 2026
Application Deadline: 26 Jun 2026 - 23:59 (UTC)

Job Overview:
This PhD project is part of the ANR RePer-AGE project and falls within the priority research themes of the Vision & Emotion team of the Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition (CNRS UMR 5105) and the MOVE team of the GIPSA-lab (CNRS UMR 5216). The main objective is to significantly advance the understanding of the reorganization of visuo-cognitive functions and abilities in older adults during object and scene recognition. This involves considering, for the first time, cognitive processes based on peripheral vision and saccade programming, while taking into account their evolution with age. The project addresses the public health challenge of age-related visual impairments, focusing on how peripheral vision interacts with central vision and its role in programming saccades required for visual exploration.

Responsibilities:
- Investigate the reorganization of visuo-cognitive abilities during aging, particularly in scene perception and object recognition.
- Focus on peripheral vision and its role in the programming of eye saccades, including the identification of relevant regions, selection of fixation targets, and anticipation of visual events.
- Integrate two theoretical frameworks: evidence accumulation models and predictive mechanisms, to understand how peripheral vision contributes to fixation target selection and decision-making dynamics leading to saccade generation.
- Conduct behavioral studies with young and older participants, combining scene and object recognition tasks with the recording of manual responses and eye movements (fixation duration, latency, amplitude, and saccade dynamics) using an EyeLink 1000 eye tracker (SR Research).
- Investigate neural mechanisms underlying these visuo-cognitive processes using EEG.
- Contribute to understanding older adults' ability to interact efficiently with their visual environment and clarify the potential compensatory role of peripheral vision in normal aging and pathologies such as age-related macular degeneration.
- Provide perspectives for clinical practice by facilitating the distinction between normal and pathological aging and guiding the development of rehabilitation strategies.

Requirements and Qualifications:
- Research Field: Mathematics, History (History of science)
- Education Level: PhD or equivalent
- Years of Research Experience: 1 - 4 years
- Languages: French (Basic level)
- Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
- Note: Beginners welcome

What They Offer:
- A multidisciplinary research environment at the interface between the human, physical, and digital worlds.
- Access to platforms and partnerships in fields such as health, environment, energy, geophysics, embedded systems, mechatronics, telecommunications, and human-computer interaction.
- Training opportunities at the level of universities and engineering schools on the Grenoble site (Grenoble Alpes University).
- Collaboration within Gipsa-lab, a joint research laboratory of the CNRS, Grenoble-INP -UGA, and the University of Grenoble Alpes, with agreements with Inria and the Observatory of Sciences of the Universe of Grenoble.
- Work within a team of approximately 150 permanent staff, including teacher-researchers and researchers, alongside guest researchers, post-docs, and Master's trainees.