Joost Lumens

CDTnet PhD Fellowship F3 at Maastricht University focuses on the early detection of arrhythmia and heart failure using wearable-derived biosignatures. Hosted by the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), this doctoral project sits at the intersection of biomedical engineering, cardiovascular physiology, signal processing, and computational modelling. The project addresses a major clinical challenge: atrial fibrillation and heart failure often co-exist and reinforce one another, yet their early progression can be difficult to detect outside the clinic. The successful PhD candidate will develop methods that combine wearable biosignals such as photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrocardiography (ECG) with echocardiographic imaging and advanced modelling. A key platform in the project is CircAdapt, used to build personalised virtual representations of cardiovascular function and to study the mechanisms linking arrhythmias and heart failure. The research goal is to identify novel biosignatures that can predict future clinical events before symptoms become severe, moving from simple detection toward mechanistic understanding and prospective validation in patient cohorts. The project leverages access to large-scale datasets including the ISOLATION and TeleCheck-AF registries, as well as international resources such as UK Biobank and the National Sleep Research Resources databases. The position is a full-time temporary PhD role funded through Horizon Europe / MSCA (Grant Agreement No. 101312147). The post is based in Maastricht, Netherlands, at Maastricht University / Maastricht UMC+ within CARIM. Planned secondments include the University of Bordeaux, France, for integrated smartwatch ECG/PPG data collection and analysis, and Qompium NV, Belgium, for validation of wearable-based methods in real-world patient data. Applicants should hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in a relevant technical or scientific field such as Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Technology, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, or Cardiovascular Science. Prior interest in cardiovascular physiology, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, imaging analysis, wearable technologies, signal processing, and computational modelling is highly desirable. Excellent English and strong analytical, organisational, and writing skills are required, together with MSCA mobility eligibility and PhD enrolment eligibility at Maastricht University. The application deadline is 30 September 2026 at 23:59 (Europe/Brussels). Applications are submitted online via the CDTnet website.