Junior Researcher AI for Youth Interventions Research

University of Amsterdam; Netherlands; On-site; EUR 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Amsterdam invites applications for a junior researcher to co-develop a GenAI-assisted data extraction pipeline within the MetaSCED lab at RICDE. You will work with clinicians, information scientists, and a software engineer to transform PDFs into structured data for treatment policy.

You will build a Shiny app, benchmark outputs against reference data, and contribute to an open-access paper and conference presentation.

Qualifications

• Master's degree required.
• Interest in data science, research methodology, clinical psychology, or related field.
• Affinity with coordinating research projects and collaborating in a team.
• Ability to translate a complex technical plan into concrete steps under supervision.
• Experience with R or Python and large language models is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement a GenAI-assisted pipeline to extract study and case characteristics from published PDF articles using large language models.
• Develop prompting strategies to reconstruct symptom trajectories from graphs embedded in publications.
• Benchmark automated GenAI outputs against a high-quality manually coded reference dataset.
• Build an interactive Shiny application to inspect and validate extracted data alongside original figures.
• Present findings at a conference and contribute to an open-access paper.

Skills

GenAI

Data science interest

Team coordination

Critical thinking

Clear communication

Education

Master's degree

Tools

R

Python

Shiny

Job description

Building a methodologically sound pipeline from raw data to treatment policy

You will coordinate and (co-)develop the design, implementation, and execution of the GenAI-assisted data extraction pipeline, including coding structure, benchmarking GenAI outputs against the reference data set, and integration into a Shiny app. This pipeline uses large language models to automatically extract case characteristics and information on symptom changes from single-case experimental design (SCED) studies. In SCEDs, treatment effectiveness is studied on a level of a single client using repeated observations of symptom change.

You will work closely with several investigators (clinical researcher, information scientist), a software engineer and a student assistant. Next to building a pipeline, you will share your findings with the research community through open-access code, a Shiny web application, a scientific article and a conference presentation.

What are you going to do

Under supervision, with input from the team and with a student assistant:

• Design and implement a GenAI-assisted pipeline to extract study and case characteristics from published PDF articles using large language models.
• Develop and refine prompting strategies to reconstruct symptom trajectories from graphs embedded in scientific publications.
• Benchmark automated GenAI outputs against a high-quality manually coded reference dataset to assess accuracy and identify error patterns.
• Build an interactive Shiny application that allows researchers to inspect and validate extracted data alongside original figures.
• Present findings at a conference and contribute to an open-access paper.

What do you have to offer

• You have a master-level degree.
• You have a critical thinking level, preferably with affinity for data science, research methodology, clinical psychology, or a related field.
• You have affinity with coordinating research projects and collaborating in a team or you would like to further develop your skills in these areas.
• You can translate, under supervision and in team collaboration, a complex technical plan into concrete steps.
• You have experience with R or Python and feel comfortable working with large language models or you would like to develop your skills further in these areas.
• You ask critical questions about AI output rather than taking results at face value.
• You communicate clearly — with your colleagues, the student assistant, and in writing for a scientific audience.

What else do we offer you

We offer a stimulating and interdisciplinary working environment, with a diverse range of tasks within an inspiring organization. Working at the University of Amsterdam means working in a dynamic, independent, creative, innovative, and international environment, characterized by an open atmosphere.

In this department, you will work

The Research Institute of Child Development and Education (RICDE) is part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Dedicated to advancing knowledge on the development, learning, and well-being of children, the institute integrates cutting-edge research with real-world applications to impact education and care. We offer a dynamic environment paired with an informal and supportive atmosphere. You will work in an enthusiastic and warm team where initiative and input are highly valued.

The junior researcher will become part of MetaSCED lab. The lab is embeded in the Clinical Child and Family Studies group at the Research Institute of Child Development and Education (RICDE). Check out the program group via https://cde.uva.nl/research/child-development/clinical-child-and-family-studies/clinical-child-and-family-studies.html

For questions about the vacancy, you can contact: Marija Maric, [e-mail].