PhD candidate 'Neuroplasticity of Brain Stimulation in Depression'

Radboud University Medical Center; Nijmegen; On-site; EUR 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Radboud university medical center invites a highly motivated PhD candidate to join a multidisciplinary program exploring how electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) restores neuroplasticity in depression. The project combines MRI, EEG and TMS-EEG with computational modelling within a national consortium.

Based at Nijmegen, you will coordinate longitudinal studies, recruit patients, perform neuroimaging and neurophysiological analyses, and integrate data with clinical and cognitive measures.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a numerate discipline (e.g., statistics, mathematics, neuroscience, psychology).
• Strong analytical skills and experience with statistics or programming (R, Python or MATLAB) are essential.
• Affinity with MRI and/or (TMS)-EEG research, and genuine interest in psychiatry and brain stimulation.

Responsibilities

• Recruit and assess patients undergoing ECT.
• Coordinate longitudinal MRI, EEG and TMS-EEG measurements in these patients.
• Perform neurophysiological and neuroimaging analyses.
• Integrate clinical, cognitive and neurophysiological data.
• Present your work at international conferences.
• Publish in leading journals in psychiatry and neuroscience.
• Complete a PhD thesis within four years.

Skills

Analytical skills

Programming experience

MRI/TMS-EEG affinity

Willingness to learn

Education

Master's degree in a numerate discipline

Tools

R

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Job description

Join a unique translational neuroscience project! We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious PhD candidate to join a new multidisciplinary research programme investigating how ECT restores neuroplasticity in depression. The project combines advanced neuroimaging, electrophysiology and computational neuroscience within a national consortium involving Radboudumc, Amsterdam UMC, UMC Utrecht and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) has negative impact on daily functioning and quality of life and has been associated with profound alterations in brain plasticity and network functioning. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment for severe depression, yet the neurobiological mechanisms underlying its therapeutic and side-effects remain poorly understood.

At the Nijmegen site, you will coordinate a prospective longitudinal study of patients with unipolar depression undergoing ECT. Participants will be assessed before, during and after treatment using Structural and functional MRI, EEG and TMS-EEG.

You will work closely with clinicians, neuroscientists and computational modelers at the Donders Institute. Within the consortium, your data will be integrated with PET imaging, post-mortem neuroscience and advanced multiscale modelling to identify biomarkers of therapeutic neuroplasticity.

What will you do?

• Recruit and assess patients receiving ECT.
• Coordinate longitudinal MRI, EEG and TMS-EEG measurements in these patients.
• Perform neurophysiological and neuroimaging analyses.
• Integrate clinical, cognitive and neurophysiological data.
• Present your work at international conferences.
• Publish in leading journals in psychiatry and neuroscience.
• Complete a PhD thesis within four years.

Place of work

You will become part of an internationally recognized research environment at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour and the Department of Psychiatry of Radboud university medical center.

The Department of Psychiatry at Radboudumc and the Donders Institute are internationally recognized for their work in neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience and biological psychiatry. The successful candidate will become part of an ambitious research programme aiming to understand how brain stimulation restores neuroplasticity in depression and to develop biomarkers that enable personalized treatment.

This project is conducted in close collaboration with Amsterdam UMC, UMC Utrecht and the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, providing a unique opportunity to work at the interface of clinical psychiatry, neuroscience and computational modelling.

Profile

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a Master's degree in a numerate discipline, such as statistics, mathematics neuroscience, psychology, medicine, biomedical sciences, cognitive neuroscience or a related discipline.

Moreover you have:

• Strong interest in psychiatry and brain stimulation.
• Affinity with MRI and/or (TMS)-EEG TMS research.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Experience with statistics or programming (R, Python or MATLAB) is essential.
• Eagerness to learn; a PhD is a next step in academic education, your willingness to learn and gain experience is more important than the skills you may already have.

Good to know

• The salary depends on education. Scale 10 will be offered to MSc medical graduates. Those holding degrees in other disciplines will be offered scale 10A.
• The first job interviews will take place on 28 September 2026. Please take this into account.
• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).