Postdoc in Computational Neuroscience of Adversity and Mental Health

The Department of Clinical Psychology at Utrecht University has a job opening for a Postdoctoral Researcher. You will analyse and publish findings from a large multimodal dataset including fMRI, salivary cortisol, behavioural tasks, and questionnaire data from young adults (age 18–24 years) with a history of childhood adversity (Buimer et al., 2025, preprint https://europepmc.org/article/ppr/ppr1071622). The project examines how adversity affects social learning and self-esteem, and how these processes contribute to mental health outcomes. You will apply advanced statistical and computational modelling approaches (e.g. reinforcement learning models, hierarchical modelling) and contribute to high-impact publications. You can present your work at national and international conferences and collaborate with researchers in experimental psychopathology, computational psychiatry, and clinical science. You will spend approximately 20% of your time on teaching, either through lecturing or supervising student research projects. Students may support your research by collecting pilot data for grant applications or preprocessing datasets. You will also be supported in developing your own research line and writing grant applications.

This position is initially offered for one year. Within this period, you will:

1. Analyse an fMRI dataset using a social evaluation paradigm developed by Dr Will (Will et al., 2017; eLife). You will apply computational models to investigate how experimentally manipulated self-esteem influences social learning in individuals with a history of childhood adversity. This work is intended to result in a first-author paper;
2. Analyse a second dataset collected by members of our department (e.g., Dr Gerritsen & Dr Krypotos) aligned with your expertise and interests, for example on computational modelling of avoidance (see Krypotos et al., 2022, Pain), ecological momentary assessment data on avoidance and pain, and intensive longitudinal data on sex hormones and mental health (see Doornweerd & Gerritsen 2025, Psychological Medicine). This work is intended to result in a second first-author paper.;
3. Prepare grant applications in collaboration with researchers in our department working on depression, trauma, anxiety, CBT, and hormonal influences on mental health, with the aim of securing follow-up funding and extending the position.

Postdoctoral Researcher “Eating Disorders"

As postdoctoral researcher you will contribute to research on eating disorders and teach in our Bachelor and/or Master Psychology program. In this role you will be working with dr. Lot Sternheim and be part of the Clinical Psychology: cognitive and emotional processes research group (Chair: Prof. Elske Salemink). You will also have the opportunity to work together with eating disorder researchers from both the Utrecht University and clinical eating disorder institutions.Fifty percent of the research time will be allocated to research projects on eating disorders in Southern African countries and their correlates (i.e. body image, trauma, globalization and food insecurity). The other fifty percent of research time can be used by the Postdoctoral Researcher to set up or establish their own research line, as long as this research is eating disorder related and in agreement with dr. Lot Sternheim. The core tasks of the Postdoctoral Researcher include (jointly) designing and conducting studies, analysing data, preparing manuscripts, and presenting findings at international conferences. Twenty percent of the position involves teaching responsibilities, to be agreed upon jointly with the department and the postdoc; these may include supervising BA and MA thesis students, supervising MA internship students, and teaching working groups.

This role provides a unique balance of mentorship, collaboration, and research autonomy, ideal for early-career scientists eager to advance their academic eating disorder profile in a supportive, innovative environment.

Institute Program Manager for the Casimir Institute (0,8 - 1,0 fte)

As an Institute Program Manager, you will be engaged in a diverse range of activities related to research funding acquisition, proposal and project development, strategic thinking and stakeholder management to meet industrial needs, and providing support to a wide variety of researchers. In your role as a Program Manager, you will assist researchers in identifying attractive funding opportunities, refining their research ideas, and funding strategy, coordinating (inter-)national consortia, linking researchers' competencies with industry needs, and articulating their research vision with clarity and precision. You will collaborate closely with researchers, other Institute Program Managers and Project Development officers (PDOs) from the TU/e departments involved in the Casimir Institute, as well as industrial fellows and the research centers, and colleagues in supporting roles such as finance, legal, and HR. The focus of your activities will be part of the foundational technologies domain, which is one of the four research domains within the Casimir Institute.

The Research Support Office (RSO) is the central Research Support Office of TU/e and consists of a small, close-knit team of professionals who support the scientific staff in applying for European and national grants for research. The RSO team further consists of research funding advisors, grant consultants, corporate lawyers, and project managers.

As Institute Program Manager Casimir you will be embedded in the RSO and from there be allocated to work for Casimir. You will become part of a larger team of Institute Program Managers and Research Support staff for other TU/e institutes such as EAISI, EIRES and ICMS. This allows knowledge exchange and team building with colleagues with a similar role, albeit for a different institute. See also https://www.tue.nl/en/research/research-support-network/research-support-office

You will be positioned in the Casimir Institute and be part of the TU/e-wide research support network. This is a position that offers lots of freedom and opportunities to define and shape your role, and ample space for personal development and growth. Your daily activities consist of:

• Proactively supporting researchers in the acquisition of research projects.
• Matching opportunities to the expertise and research interests of researchers in the institute by communicating the current and future developments in both the national and European funding landscape.
• Helping build consortia, by enriching the researchers’ network with internal or external collaborators.
• Be an influencing member in relevant (NL and EU) networks.
• Have deep understanding of specific collaborative programs in the national and European funding landscape
• Form, build and maintain communities around foundational technologies where researchers from various departments collaborate.
• Manage the proposal development of complex, multi-disciplinary projects proposals, in good cooperation with departmental research support (PDOs and others).
• Initiate and create research programs directly with industry.
• Strategic networking and lobbying to increase funding opportunities.
• Support the head of science for foundational technologies in creating and developing all the activities related to that domain.

Personal Grants Advisor

We are looking for an enthusiastic colleague to support our academic staff in writing and submitting proposals for personal grants, such as those for the NWO Talent Program, ERC, and Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions. You will work centrally within the Grant Support team of the Research Support Office, a supportive and approachable team. Your daily work will be part of the Personal Grants team, which focusses on providing information and feedback on proposals. In addition, the Personal Grants team also offers various information sessions and training modules to researchers. The position of Personal Grants Advisor offers a high degree of diversity, flexibility, and independence within the team.

Your responsibilities and activities as a Personal Grants Advisor

• Informing researchers about funding opportunities related to personal grants.
• Supporting, advising, and encouraging researchers in writing proposals.
• Reviewing proposals and providing feedback.
• Co-developing, organizing, and delivering courses, workshops, and information sessions.
• Serving as a discussion partner for applicants.
• Interacting with other support staff in the areas of grants, finance, and HR.

PhD in Mining Simulation Models for Circular Supply Chain Processes

We are seeking a highly motivated research assistant to develop innovative methods and tools for process mining and supply chain simulation, culminating in a PhD. This position is part of the STRIDE project (Strategic Design for Circular High-Tech Manufacturing), which aims to embed circularity in both product design and supply chain design for high-tech systems. STRIDE consists of three interconnected work packages: circular product design and multi-criteria evaluation (WP1), circular supply chain network design (WP2), and data-driven simulation of designs (WP3, this position), which together enable integrated decision-making for circular high-tech manufacturing. For the position in WP3, the candidate will

• Innovate and Develop: Create novel methods and tools for mining supply chain processes from data.
• Collaborate with Industry Leaders: Work closely with ASML, Neways, Prodrive, KMWE, and Eriks to understand their circular supply chain, understand the data they have on supply chain process execution, mine supply chain simulation models based on that data, and validate your methods, tools, and simulation models in real-world settings.
• Design for Collaboration: Develop shared modeling and simulation frameworks and visual decision-support environments that enable supply chain partners to collaboratively explore network configurations, responsibility allocations, and circular flow strategies (e.g., repair vs. replace, reverse logistics) based on real-world data.
• Engage with the Research Community: Collaborate with university colleagues and the international research community, discussing your findings and insights on the (inter)national stage.
• Present Your Work: Report your developments at prestigious international conferences, in leading journals, and at industry events.
• Achieve Academic Excellence: Contribute to the field through your research and ultimately write a PhD thesis.

This position offers a unique opportunity to work on impactful projects that bridge the gap between circularity ambitions and day-to-day supply chain realities, develop your skills in both fundamental research and practical application, and contribute to advancements in circular supply chain design. If you are driven by innovation and eager to make a difference in the transition toward a circular economy, we encourage you to apply.