PhD in Gut-Brain Axis, Eating Behavior and ADHD at Radboud University Radboud University in Netherlands

Radboud University is recruiting two PhD candidates for an interdisciplinary project on the gut-brain axis, eating behavior, ADHD, obesity, and nutritional neuroscience. The project is based at the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging within the Food & Cognition group of Professor Esther Aarts, and it combines neuroscience, psychology, nutrition, and medical science.

The research investigates how gut hormones, the microbiome, and metabolic processes influence hunger, satiety, impulsivity, reward sensitivity, emotional regulation, and cognitive control. One PhD project focuses on an acute intervention with a GLP-1 receptor agonist; the other focuses on an intervention with prebiotic fibers. Participants are adults with ADHD and overweight or obesity, and the study includes MRI scans (functional and neurochemical), cognitive testing, and analysis of behavioral and metabolic data.

This is a hands-on PhD position with involvement in all stages of the project: study development, ethical and administrative preparation, participant recruitment, MRI scanning, data analysis, scientific writing, and presentations. The team includes another PhD candidate, a research assistant, interns, the principal investigator, psychiatrists, diabetes specialists, and microbiome experts. Collaboration also involves Radboudumc and a Dutch company for the prebiotic intervention.

Eligibility highlights: a completed master’s degree in cognitive neuroscience, biomedical sciences, psychology, nutritional sciences, or a related field; strong interest in the gut-brain axis and eating behavior; Dutch language skills for participant recruitment and testing; excellent English communication; affinity with ADHD research; and programming/data analysis skills in R, Matlab, or Python.

Funding and employment: this is a salaried PhD employment contract at Radboud University, initially for 1.5 years and extendable after positive evaluation. The salary starts at €3,059 gross/month and increases to €3,881 from year 4, plus holiday allowance, year-end bonus, and additional leave benefits.

Application deadline: 29 June 2026. First interviews are planned online in the week of 6 July, with possible second-round interviews in Nijmegen. Applicants should apply via the vacancy page and address the cover letter to Esther Aarts.