PhD position in Condensed-Matter Theory of Magnetic Topology

This project consists of a theory-experiment collaboration in which a PhD candidate in Condensed-Matter Theory based at Utrecht University, supervised by Prof. Rembert Duine, collaborates closely with a PhD candidate in Experimental Nanomagnetism, supervised by Prof. Bert Koopmans, based at Eindhoven University of Technology.

In this project, we aim to develop an optical pen using laser-induced magnetization dynamics and switching to write topological magnetic periodic structures that consist for example of skyrmions, topological magnetic whirls in the magnetization. Along the edges of such structures, a topologically-protected fluctuation of the magnetization will propagate without scattering and loss of energy. Such structures could potentially be a novel building block for future computer chips and more sustainable IT technologies.

Your research will be to develop the theory for the dynamics of laser-induced creation of magnetic skyrmions and other magnetic structures. You will also create the theoretical description of magnetic excitations on top of such structures. In doing so, you will develop both analytical theory and perform numerical simulations.

You will collaborate closely with your experimental partner in Eindhoven, exploring opportunities and open questions that arise from the experiments, as well as suggesting new directions for the experiments to explore. You will publish your findings in research articles and by giving talks and presenting posters at national and international research conferences. During the four-year period of the PhD position, you will grow into an independent researcher who can conduct research in a collaborative environment.

Postdoctoral Researcher - Proteomics

The primary objective of this position is to perform experimental proteomics work, including sample preparation and data analysis, and to establish and manage a service infrastructure within the BioMS group, enabling fee-for-service access for external collaborators. You will independently design, plan and perform full projects, followed by the analysis, interpretation and reporting of data and results. You will pro-actively promote proteomics services and acquire new collaborative projects.

The projects will vary in duration, workload, topic and methodology, depending on the request of the collaborator. They will be carried out with both academic and industry partners. You will independently plan and perform projects in a broad area of quantitative proteomics, including plasma proteomics, glycoproteomics and PTM analysis. You will work in a collaborative environment within the BioMS group, liaising with the PIs about the incoming projects and making use of the group’s expertise and technology to execute the projects effectively.

While many of your projects will be initiated by collaborators, there is space and need to take the lead in shaping their direction and to add your own ideas and creativity to each project. You will also assist collaborators with data analysis and structuring results into a paper or other type of output.

In addition to executing the projects, you will maintain the relationships with collaborators and manage the regulatory (IP rights, data safety etc.) and financial aspects of the project. You will collaborate with support staff in the group and within the department, including the Research Support Office (RSO) and financial and legal controllers, to ensure successful execution of projects.

PhD position in AI and Human Centered Decision Making

AI systems increasingly inform decision-making across organisational contexts, yet their representational role remains underexplored. Rather than functioning as neutral tools, algorithmic models translate complex realities into scores, rankings, classifications, and predictions. In doing so, they shape how problems are defined, which options become visible, and how agency is distributed between humans and algorithmic systems.

In this PhD project, you will study AI-supported decision-making from a representational perspective. You will investigate how algorithmic models are designed, how they come to stand in for aspects of the world, and how they are interpreted, contested, and revised in practice. Decision-making is approached as a situated process emerging through the interaction of data, models, professional judgement, and organisational context.

Depending on your interests and empirical setting, the project will involve collaboration with external partners working on applied AI systems. Possible domains include geospatial analytics (for example in collaboration with a startup), as well as decision-support applications in legal and public-sector contexts such as law enforcement or the judiciary. These settings provide opportunities to study how algorithmic representations interact with institutional norms, evidentiary standards, and professional expertise.

Against this background, several research avenues may be explored, depending on your interests and the empirical settings of the project. These may include work on explainable AI (XAI), approached as a socio-technical rather than purely technical challenge, examining how explanations function in practice, how they relate to discretion and accountability, and how AI systems can remain responsive to contextual knowledge in real decision environments. Another possible avenue concerns theorising with data, focusing on how inductive machine learning, deductive modelling, and abductive interpretation interact in practice, and how AI systems participate in cycles of sense-making within organisations. In addition, the project may engage with the role of spatial representations and embeddings, exploring how spatial abstractions and learned representations structure similarity, proximity, and relevance in decision-making processes.

The PhD will be conducted in collaboration with external organisations, providing access to real-world datasets and decision contexts. Throughout the project, you will be encouraged to publish in interdisciplinary venues, contribute to educational activities, and develop as a researcher who is comfortable operating at the intersection of computational modelling, organisational decision-making, and Human-Centred Computing.

Klinisch Docent Neuropsychologie

Als Klinisch Docent verzorg je onderwijs binnen de Nederlandstalige bacheloropleiding Psychologie met een accent op klinische vakken in de Neuropsychologie (NP) én binnen het Engelstalige masterprogramma Neuropsychology. Het gaat om onderwijs met direct contact met studenten zoals het geven van werkgroepen bij de verschillende vakken,, het toetsen van kennis en vaardigheden door het maken en nakijken van opdrachten en tentamens, tutortaken en het begeleiden van (klinische) stages en thesissen. Ook zal je als coördinator onderwijsonderdelen (mede) coördineren en bijdragen aan ontwikkeling.

Daarnaast ben je als Klinisch Docent voor een kleiner deel betrokken bij onderwijsactiviteiten binnen andere opleidingen waaraan de afdeling Psychologische Functieleer bijdraagt. Denk hierbij aan het begeleiden van werkgroepen, practica en theses binnen de opleidingen BSc Kunstmatige Intelligentie, Utrecht University College, MSc Applied Cognitive Psychology, MSc Artificial Intelligence en MSc Neuroscience & Cognition. Samen bekijken we welke onderwijstaken binnen deze opleidingen het beste aansluiten bij jouw achtergrond en expertise.

GZ-psycholoog voor studenten en promovendi

In deze functie help je studenten en promovendi met uiteenlopende psychische klachten, zoals stress, angst of somberheid, en (in het geval van promovendi) werk-gerelateerde problematiek. Dit doe je binnen een beperkt aantal sessies (maximaal 5) of in groepsverband. Dit betekent ook dat je ervoor zorgt dat zwaardere of complexe problematiek wordt doorverwezen naar de reguliere of specialistische GGZ.

Ben je onze gedroomde kandidaat? Dan begrijp je dat sociale en culturele achtergronden een rol kunnen spelen bij de beleving van de universiteit als werk- en/of studieomgeving, en weet je hier goed mee om te gaan. Je brengt immers een uitgebreide set kennis en behandelvaardigheden mee en kan deze doelgericht inzetten bij verschillende soorten problematiek en verschillende doelgroepen.

Voor ons team zijn we op zoek naar iemand die naast de behandeling van cliënten ook in staat is om verder te kijken dan naar individuele klachten. We zoeken iemand die in staat is om deze problemen vanuit de visie van de universiteit te analyseren en signalen uit de doelgroep kan vertalen naar advies of verbeteringen voor de organisatie, omdat we als onderwijsinstelling juist ook willen werken aan preventie.

Je herkent jezelf in dit profiel en werkt graag zelfstandig binnen een sociaal en collegiaal team van psychologen, beleidsmakers en studentbegeleiders.

Jouw werkzaamheden:

• Je gaat je bezighouden met kortdurende begeleiding en behandeling van studenten en promovendi: individueel of in groepsverband.
• Je bent verantwoordelijk voor het signaleren van complexe problematiek, trends en knelpunten. Je zorgt voor passende doorverwijzing en/of doet voorstellen voor verbeteringen voor de organisatie.
• Je werkt samen met collega’s binnen de universiteit (zoals studieadviseurs, Graduate Schools, beleidsmedewerkers en studentendecanen) en externe partners.
• Je levert een belangrijke bijdrage aan preventie, psychoeducatie, welzijnsinitiatieven, en sociale veiligheid binnen de universiteit.
• Je bent medeverantwoordelijk voor de werkbegeleiding van de basispsychologen en PIOG’s (psychologen in opleiding tot GZ-psycholoog) in het team.