PhD Candidate: Integrating Biopsychological Data to Capture Individual Differences at the Donders Centre for Cognition - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

1. Introduction

Do you have a strong interest in developing and studying new tools to integrate neurobiological and/or psychological information to better capture individual differences? Do you have strong communication skills and see yourself working at the intersection of psychology, cognitive neuroscience and computational science? If so, the SAMBA research group has a position for you as a PhD candidate.

2. Job description

The project is embedded in Dr Inti Brazil’s SAMBA research group, part of the Donders Centre for Cognition, which in turn is part of the Donders Institute. The main focus of the group’s research programme is on combining approaches from experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience (e.g. neuroimaging), computational modelling and statistical modelling methods to study how impairments in neurobiological and psychological functioning underpin antisocial and maladaptive behaviours. The project targets individuals from the general community, psychiatric patient populations, incarcerated offenders, and forensic psychiatric populations. It will be conducted in close collaboration with the UICS group led by Dr Max Hinne.

This multifaceted position offers excellent possibilities for career development. You will be involved in the development of a novel toolkit for fusing cognitive performance and neuroimaging measures to capture individual differences, using advanced Bayesian statistical methods.

One of your tasks will be to contribute to finalising the development of this methodological toolkit. You will then apply the toolkit to existing datasets containing various cognitive performance and/or neuroimaging variables from different populations to conduct empirical research. You will publish the results in scientific journals. The research project will be focused on improving the characterisation of populations at risk of engaging in antisocial behaviours.

This position also encompasses dissemination activities, in which you will play an important role in building a bridge between scientists and national societal partners. You will also be given the opportunity to gain experience in providing training to other researchers in the application of the toolkit.

As part of your duties (10%) you will assist in, for example, teaching courses in the Psychology Bachelor’s and Master’s Pprogramme.

3. Profile

• You have a Master’s degree in Mathematical Psychology, Human Cognitive Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, Biology, Computer Science or a related field.
• You have experience in quantitative analysis of cognitive performance data.
• You have a demonstrable affinity with using mathematical models and/or machine learning methods.
• You are experienced at programming in Python and R.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English (C1 level).
• You have a good command of written and spoken Dutch or the willingness to learn Dutch within a short period of time.
• You have the capacity to work in an interdisciplinary and translational research environment.
• You possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• You are proactive and have a goal-directed attitude, good organisational skills, and the ability to get things done.

Non-essential but desirable skills:

• You are well acquainted with mathematical modelling (particularly Bayesian modelling).
• You have experience with programming in MATLAB and/or Javascript.
• You have experience with analysing large datasets with cognitive, behavioural and neuroimaging data.

Excellent candidates who only partially meet this profile are nonetheless encouraged to apply.

4. We are

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre, that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and neurotechnology. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as ‘excellent’ and recognised as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

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 €2,770 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,539 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service. The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• 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 dr. I.A. Brazil. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on 11 June. Any second interview will take place on 20 June.  You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2024.

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.