Publisher
source

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

PhD in Brain Circuits of Threat and Real-Time fMRI Neurofeedback in Humans Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Netherlands

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Psychiatry

Funding

The PhD project is funded for four years. Salary is stated as €3,204 to €4,051 gross per month for a full-time appointment, plus vacation allowance, year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance, pension accrual, and other secondary benefits. Some travel/movement allowance is budgeted for collaboration between Amsterdam and Maastricht.

Deadline

Nov 23, 2026

Country flag

Country

Netherlands

University

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

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Keywords

Psychiatry
Psychology
Biology
Neuroimaging
Optogenetics
Neuropsychology
Medical Science
Neurofeedback
Mouse Model
Work Stress

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About this position

PhD opportunity in neuroscience, neurobiology, neuroimaging, and psychiatry at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and Maastricht UMC+ in the Netherlands.

This project, From brain circuits of threat to neurofeedback in humans, is a collaborative translational neuroscience PhD focused on how the brain controls responses to threat and stress. The work bridges fundamental systems neuroscience in mice with human real-time fMRI neurofeedback, aiming to identify brain regions that causally regulate defensive behavior and then translate those findings into a human neurofeedback paradigm.

In the first phase, you will work in Amsterdam in the laboratory of Prof. Alexander Heimel at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience. You will use mouse models of innate defensive behavior and methods such as behavioral analysis, TRAP2 activity-dependent tagging, viral and monosynaptic rabies tracing, optogenetics, fiber photometry, and quantitative analysis of neural and behavioral data.

In the second phase, you will work with Prof. David Linden and colleagues at Maastricht UMC+ to translate the circuit findings to humans using 7T fMRI and develop a real-time fMRI neurofeedback paradigm. The long-term goal is to build biologically grounded neurofeedback approaches for stress-related psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, PTSD, and depression.

The position is funded for four years. The post includes salary and standard employment benefits, plus some travel/movement allowance to support collaboration between Amsterdam and Maastricht.

Applicants should have or soon obtain a master’s degree in neuroscience, biomedical sciences, medicine, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or a related field. Strong scientific curiosity, interest in neural circuits and behavior, willingness to learn both animal and human neuroscience techniques, quantitative/data-analysis skills, and good English communication are important. Experience with animal behavior, optogenetics, viral methods, microscopy, programming, MRI, or human experimental research is helpful but not required.

To apply, use the AcademicTransfer application link and submit a motivation letter, CV with grade list, and contact details for two academic referees. The vacancy closes when a suitable candidate is found; no fixed deadline is given in the post.

Funding details

The PhD project is funded for four years. Salary is stated as €3,204 to €4,051 gross per month for a full-time appointment, plus vacation allowance, year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance, pension accrual, and other secondary benefits. Some travel/movement allowance is budgeted for collaboration between Amsterdam and Maastricht.

What's required

Applicants should have or soon obtain a master's degree in neuroscience, biomedical sciences, medicine, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, or a related discipline. Strong interest in neural circuits and behavior, enthusiasm for both animal and human neuroscience, willingness to learn experimental and computational methods, quantitative/data-analysis skills or willingness to develop them, good communication and collaboration skills, and good spoken and written English are required. Experience with animal behavior, optogenetics, viral approaches, microscopy, programming/data analysis, MRI, or human experimental research is an advantage. The candidate must be comfortable working with laboratory mice.

How to apply

Apply via the Apply Now button on AcademicTransfer. Submit a motivation letter, a detailed CV including a grade list, and contact details of two academic referees.

More information can be found here

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