PhD Position: Neuroscience, AI and Medicine – Exploring Neural Mechanisms of Movement

1. Introduction

Are you an enthusiastic young scientist eager to work at the intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and medicine? Do you hold a Master’s degree that has equipped you with strong skills in mathematics and programming, and do you have a keen interest in neurobiology? If so, we invite you to apply for a fully funded PhD position within our team.

2. Job description

Losing the ability to precisely time movements can lead to debilitating motor disorders. Our research addresses this challenge in two ways:

1. We investigate the fundamental neural mechanisms that control movement.
2. We explore engineering-based solutions to restore function when these pathways are disrupted.

As a PhD candidate, you will contribute to both aspects, from studying the brain’s control of movement to applying these insights in the development of closed-loop brain–computer interfaces aimed at restoring motor function in models of motor disorder. Some part of the role may involve teaching and up to 0.1 FTE of your time may entail teaching activities.

A fully funded PhD position is available starting in January 2026. You will receive comprehensive training and mentoring within an interdisciplinary and international research environment. This position offers excellent opportunities to present your work at academic conferences, engage in collaborative research projects, and actively develop both your academic and professional profile.

Would you like to learn more about what it is like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate.  

3. Profile

• You hold a Master’s degree in neuroscience, electrical engineering, computer science or a related discipline.
• You have experience in empirical research in neurophysiology or computational neuroscience/machine learning.
• You possess solid programming and software engineering skills.
• You have excellent written and spoken English skills.
• You are a proactive team player, who enjoys engaging with others at network-wide training events.

4. We are

At the Narain lab, we study the neural mechanisms underlying time perception and motor control using an intersection of electrophysiology, computational models, genetics and machine learning. We also leverage mechanistic principles that we discover to develop effective brain-computer interfaces for movement restoration. Furthermore, we develop machine learning tools in the domain of unsupervised learning to support rapid closed-looped solutions for neural interfaces.

Our team is located at the Erasmus Medical Center (Rotterdam, Netherlands) and the Donders Center for Neuroscience (Nijmegen, Netherlands). This enables us to dynamically switch between fundamental brain research and medical applications. We also have strong international collaborations that provide our students with opportunities to work in international teams around the world. We have attracted substantial external funding from Dutch and EU funding agencies and are looking forward to welcoming new members into the fold.

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,881 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Devika Narain. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application. We look forward to receiving your application.

The first interviews will take place on 20 and 25 October. You will preferably start your employment on 1 January 2026.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.