PhD Position: Brain, Computation and Technology at the Donders Institute Radboud University in Netherlands

The Donders Institute at Radboud University is offering a fully funded PhD position in Brain, Computation and Technology, embedded within the sensorimotor research group led by Professor Pieter Medendorp. This opportunity is part of the consortium project ‘MultiSens‑1.0: Towards a Home‑Based Assessment of Multisensory Disorders’, a collaboration between Radboud University, two hospitals, and two technology partners. The project, funded by the NWO Open Technology Programme, aims to develop, validate, and implement a novel remote assessment tool for measuring multisensory integration, enabling high-quality perceptual data collection outside traditional laboratory settings.

The research combines human perception, psychophysics, user-centred design, and digital health innovation. Patient studies will be conducted to advance understanding of human functioning, characterize multisensory disorders, and evaluate emerging technologies in real-world settings. As a PhD candidate, you will play a central role in scientific investigations and the development of the MultiSens application. Responsibilities include establishing and managing an end-user participation programme, contributing to application design and development (stimulus design, human factors, calibration requirements), and evaluating MultiSens prototypes by benchmarking their performance against standard laboratory methods. You will collaborate closely with colleagues at the Donders Institute and partners across the consortium, and your appointment includes a research secondment at one of the partner institutions. Additional duties may involve mentoring BSc and MSc students and limited teaching.

Applicants must hold an MSc degree in Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, or a closely related field. Applied backgrounds such as Human Factors, Biomedical Engineering, or Human-Centred Design are also suitable if they include rigorous training and experience in human perception research and quantitative methods. Proven experience with quantitative data analysis (e.g., MATLAB and/or Python) is required. Candidates should have affinity for experimental research in human participants and/or computational or mathematical modelling of behaviour, strong collaboration and communication skills, and motivation for interdisciplinary empirical research at the intersection of perception science, technology, and health.

The position offers a full-time PhD contract (1.0 FTE) for 4 years, with a starting salary of €3,059 gross per month rising to €3,881 in the fourth year, 8% holiday allowance, 8.3% end-of-year bonus, extra days off (30 or 41 annual leave days), pension plan, sports/cultural discounts, flexible working hours, and training/development schemes. The Donders Institute provides a collaborative, multidisciplinary, and supportive research environment with state-of-the-art facilities and a diverse international staff. English is the working language.

Applications must be submitted online via the provided link. Address your letter of application to Prof. Pieter Medendorp and include all required documents as specified in the application form. The application deadline is 17 May 2026. Interviews will be held in June, and the preferred start date is 1 September 2026. For further information, contact Prof. Medendorp at [email protected].