Research Associate — Digital Mental Health

Mhinnovation; Mannheim; Hybrid; EUR 52,000 - 70,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Internal and external training

Career development

Workplace in Mannheim

Job summary

The Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim invites applications for a Research Associate in Digital Mental Health. The role focuses on a digital detox app to reduce problematic smartphone use and loneliness, with JITAI principles and potential LLM-based chatbot integration.

The position is 37.5% FTE, fixed-term until 31 May 2028, starting 1 January 2027. You will develop intervention content, specify JITAI rules, coordinate feasibility studies, analyze EMA and mobile sensing data,

Qualifications

• A Master’s degree in psychology, public health, epidemiology or a related field.
• Strong interest in digital mental health, behaviour change and loneliness.
• Experience with quantitative research methods and data analysis (Stata, R or Python).
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work independently and in a team.
• Very good written and spoken English; German at CEFR level B2 or higher is required.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the scientific development of a digital detox app addressing smartphone use and loneliness.
• Develop and adapt evidence-based intervention content and exercises supporting mindful technology use and social connection.
• Specify and evaluate JITAI decision rules using EMA and mobile sensing data.
• Explore integration of an LLM-based chatbot and assess usability, acceptability and safety.
• Coordinate feasibility studies and manage participant communication and data quality.
• Prepare and analyse EMA, mobile sensing and intervention data; present findings at conferences and in journals.

Skills

English proficiency

Quantitative research

Data analysis

Teamwork

Independent work

Communication skills

Digital mental health interest

Education

Master’s degree in psychology

Tools

Stata

R

Python

Job description

Research Associate — Digital Mental Health

The Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) stands for cutting-edge international research and ground-breaking treatment concepts in psychiatry, psychotherapy, child and adolescent psychiatry, psychosomatics and addiction medicine.

The Department of Public Mental Health (led by Professor Ulrich Reininghaus) develops and evaluates new mobile Health (mHealth) interventions, with the goal of translating evidence from epidemiology into mental health service innovations.
The position is based in the Research Group Precision Digital Mental Health, led by Dr. Christian Rauschenberg, within the Department of Public Mental Health.
Within the SENSED-MH and EMERGE-MH projects of the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), we investigate mental health in everyday life and develop personalized digital interventions. SENSED-MH combines Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), mobile sensing and clinical assessments to examine how everyday experiences and behaviour relate to mental health. EMERGE-MH builds on this research by translating these approaches into adaptive interventions.
A particular focus of this position is the development and evaluation of a digital detox app that supports healthier smartphone and social media use and addresses loneliness. The app will use Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention (JITAI) principles to tailor the timing and content of support to users’ individual needs, current experiences and everyday contexts. We will also explore the potential use of an LLM-based chatbot to provide personalized conversational support.
The Research Group Precision Digital Mental Health is looking for a motivated research associate (m/f/d) to join our team from 1 January 2027. This part-time position (37.5% FTE) will be offered on a fixed-term contract until 31 May 2028.

• Contribute to the scientific development of a digital detox app addressing problematic smartphone and social media use and loneliness, in close collaboration with a technical development team and project partners.
• Develop and adapt evidence-based intervention content, including exercises supporting mindful technology use, behavioural activation and social connection.
• Specify and evaluate JITAI decision rules that adapt intervention timing and content to users’ needs and contexts, drawing on EMA and mobile sensing data.
• Explore the potential integration of an LLM-based chatbot, including the design of conversational content and the evaluation of its usability, acceptability and safety.
• Contribute to participatory development through interviews, co-design workshops and usability tests with members of the target population and people with lived experience.
• Support the coordination and implementation of the feasibility study, including participant communication, study procedures and monitoring of engagement and data quality.
• Prepare and analyse EMA, mobile sensing and intervention data from SENSED-MH and EMERGE-MH.
• Present findings from research projects at scientific conferences and publish papers in international peer-reviewed journals.
• An excellent Master’s degree in psychology, public health, epidemiology, mental health services research or a related field of the social or health/life sciences.
• A strong interest in digital mental health, behaviour change, problematic smartphone and social media use, and loneliness.
• Experience with quantitative research methods and statistical data analysis, ideally using Stata, R or Python.
• Experience with EMA, mobile sensing, digital interventions or participatory research is desirable.
• An interest in adaptive interventions and the ability to translate scientific concepts into practical requirements for app development. Familiarity with conversational AI or LLM-based chatbots is an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Very good written and spoken English. German language proficiency at CEFR level B2 or above is required.

We offer

• An exciting position at a leading research institute and clinic
• Collaboration in an excellent international network of experts in the field of experience sampling methodology
• Internal and external training and career development
• A workplace in the heart of Mannheim
• Salary in accordance with the German public sector collective agreement for the federal states (TV-L); Pay group E13. Placement in levels 1-6 depends on personal qualifications.