PhD Student - Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy

... you are in the centre of it

The Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy at the University Hospital Frankfurt (Director: Prof. Andreas Reif) invites applications for a fully-funded PhD position (3 years, TV-H E13 65%) in our innovative PSYCH-GPT project, starting Q3 2025. This position is embedded in our comprehensive early career support program and is founded by the Reiss Foundation.

Project Description:

The PSYCH-GPT project (Psychiatric Symptom Characterization Using GPT Technology) explores how large language models (LLMs) can advance psychiatric research and clinical applications. The study investigates whether GPTs can model cognitive-semantic disruptions in disorders like mania, depression, and schizophrenia by analyzing behavioral and fMRI data. Additionally, it develops AI-driven tools for diagnosing and predicting treatment outcomes through automated analysis of therapy sessions. By bridging neuroscience and artificial intelligence, PSYCH-GPT aims to uncover disorder-specific neural patterns while paving the way for personalized digital psychiatry solutions. The interdisciplinary project combines:

1. Naturalistic fMRI experiments (Speech)
2. Computational modeling of brain-language alignment
3. Clinical language data analysis
4. AI-assisted psychiatry applications

Your Role:

• Design and conduct fMRI experiments using naturalistic language stimuli
• Develop innovative brain-language model alignment analyses
• Implement computational methods for clinical language data
• Present findings at international conferences
• Publish in high-impact journals
• Collaborate with clinical researchers and AI experts

Our Structured Early Career Support:

As part of our institutional commitment to researcher development, you will benefit from:

• Enrollment in the GRADE Brain Neuroscience PhD program (degree: "PhD Neuroscience")
• Participation in the LOEWE-DYNAMIC curriculum "Computational & Digital Mental Health"
• Annual career development planning
• Presentation training and grant writing workshops
• Clinical shadowing opportunities (optional)

... your profile is needed

• Excellent Master's degree in Neuroscience, Cognitive Science, Linguistics, Psychology, Computer Science, or related field
• Good programming and data analysis skills (at least basic knowledge in Python essential; experience with NLP/ML a plus)
• Keen interest in computational psychiatry research
• Experience with neuroimaging analysis (preferred, but not required)
• Fluent English (German beneficial for clinical interactions)
• Due to legal regulations, valid proof of measles immunity / measles vaccination is required.

... you are offered a lot

• Collective agreement TV-UKF
• 30 days holiday, 38.5 hours / week, annual bonus, company pension scheme
• Free State Ticket Hessen
• Uniklinik-Campus, Canteen, Cafés
• Work-Life-Balance
• Health Promotion
• Childcare in our daycare center, child care during holidays (Infos from Familienservice)

Join our team

Contact: Dr. Oliver Grimm
E-Mail: O.Grimm@med.uni-frankfurt.de
Application deadline: 16.05.2025

Women are underrepresented in these positions at the University Hospital Frankfurt. Applications from women are therefore particularly welcome. Disabled applicants are preferred if they have the same personal and professional qualifications.