PhD Position - Translational Neuroscience

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres; Deutschland; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Forschungszentrum Jülich invites applications for a PhD candidate in the Multimodal Imaging in Clinical Neuroscience department (INM-4). You will work on translational neuroscience and precision psychiatry, using multimodal imaging and computational methods to identify biomarkers and track disease trajectories.

You will integrate MRI, PET, EEG, and fNIRS data, develop graph-theoretical analyses, and apply machine learning to predict outcomes.

Qualifications

• Master degree in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, medical physics, psychology, cognitive science, computer science, physics, data science, or a related discipline.
• Strong interest in translational psychiatry, neuroimaging and computational neuroscience.
• Programming experience in MATLAB and/or Python; strong analytical skills.
• Experience with MRI and neuroimaging tools (SPM/FSL/FreeSurfer/AFNI/MRtrix/CONN) desirable.
• Knowledge of preprocessing, graph theory, connectomics, or machine learning is an advantage.
• Excellent written and spoken English; German at B1 level desirable.

Responsibilities

• Integrate multimodal neuroimaging datasets from MRI, PET, EEG, and fNIRS.
• Characterize brain networks using graph theory and connectivity analyses.
• Apply multivariate statistics and machine learning to multimodal data.
• Identify imaging biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring.
• Coordinate longitudinal studies involving patients and healthy controls, including recruitment and assessments.
• Coordinate and supervise MRI data acquisition and maintain standardized protocols.
• Manage and curate imaging data in accordance with BIDS standards.

Skills

Translational neuroscience

Neuroimaging

Machine learning

Education

Master's degree in neuroscience or related field

Tools

MATLAB

Python

SPM

FSL

FreeSurfer

AFNI

MRtrix

CONN

Job description

Organisation/Company Forschungszentrum Jülich Research Field All Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 15 Nov 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Germany Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Other Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Area of research:

PHD Thesis

We are looking for a PhD candidate to join the Multimodal Imaging in Clinical Neuroscience department at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine – Medical Imaging Physics (INM-4). You will work in the field of translational neuroscience and precision psychiatry under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Irene Neuner and Dr. Ravichandran Rajkumar.

The brain mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders are poorly understood, and treatment choices are largely symptom-based. In this project, you will use multimodal neuroimaging and computational neuroscience to study how brain networks change in these disorders. The aim is to identify imaging biomarkers that could support earlier diagnosis, predict disease trajectories at an individual level and help match treatment to the patient.

A key resource is our MINDset platform (Multimodal Imaging Infrastructure for Neuroscience Data Science), which consolidates over 1,000 multimodal datasets from clinical studies, including structural and functional MRI, PET, EEG, fNIRS, neuropsychological and clinical measures, and digital phenotyping.

Your Job

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to combine prospectively acquired data with existing multimodal datasets and contribute to replication studies, biomarker development, machine learning applications, and analyses of individual disease trajectories. Your tasks will include:

• Integrate multimodal neuroimaging datasets from MRI, PET, EEG, and fNIRS studies
• Characterize brain networks using graph-theoretical methods and structural and functional connectivity analyses
• Apply multivariate statistical modelling and machine learning to multimodal datasets
• Investigate individualized imaging biomarkers relevant to diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring
• Coordinate longitudinal studies involving psychiatric patients and healthy controls, including recruitment, scheduling, and neuropsychological and psychopathological assessments
• Coordinate and supervise MRI data acquisition; maintain standardized acquisition protocols and data quality
• Manage and curate imaging data in accordance with established standards (e.g., BIDS)

Your Profile

• Excellent university degree (Master) in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, medical physics, psychology, cognitive science, computer science, physics, data science, or a related discipline
• A strong interest in translational psychiatry, neuroimaging and computational neuroscience, and a motivation to work in an interdisciplinary research environment
• Programming experience in MATLAB and/or Python, alongside strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience with structural and/or functional MRI; familiarity with packages such as SPM, FSL, FreeSurfer, AFNI, MRtrix, CONN, or similar tools is desirable
• Knowledge of neuroimaging preprocessing, quality control, graph theory, connectomics, multivariate statistics, or machine learning is an advantage
• Very good command of written and spoken English with extensive vocabulary is required (at least B2 level according to the CEFR

), ideally supported by a certificate confirming the language level

• German language skills at B1 level are desirable

Our Benefits for You

• Team & Environment: You will work in a motivated and interdisciplinary team including psychiatrists, neuroscientists, physicists, engineers, and data scientists
• Research & Infrastructure: You will have access to advanced neuroimaging infrastructure and training in structural and functional MRI, multimodal imaging, connectomics, and computational neuroscience
• Networking & Exchange: You will participate in (international) conferences and project meetings, actively building your scientific network through collaborations involving Forschungszentrum Jülich, RWTH Aachen University, Ulm University, Bezirkskrankenhaus Günzburg and LVR-Klinik Cologne
• Supervision & Support: We will accompany your doctoral studies with continuous, expert guidance from your academic supervisors Prof. Dr. Irene Neuner and Dr. Ravichandran Rajkumar
• Work-life balance: Optimal conditions for balancing work and private life, as well as a family-friendly company policy. The option of flexible working (in terms of location) is generally available after consultation and in line with upcoming tasks and (on-site) appointments
• Annual Leave: You get 30 days of annual leave
• Fixed-term: The position is limited to 3 years
• Fair remuneration: Depending on your existing qualifications and the tasks assigned to you, you will be classified in pay grade 13 (65 %) of the TVöD-Bund (Collective Agreement for the Public Service). In addition to the basic salary, there is an additional year-end bonus under the collective pay agreement amounting to 75% of a monthly salary, as well as capital-forming benefits. All information on the TVöD-Bund collective agreement can be found on theBMI website

. The monthly salaries in euros can be found on page 74 of the PDF download

• Support for international employees: Our International Advisory Service makes it easier for international employees to get started

In addition to exciting tasks and a collegial working environment, we offer you much more:

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.

The following links provide further information on diversity and equal opportunities:

**Start Date:**To the next possible date

Application Deadline: 2026-11-15

Index number: 2026D-0814

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.