Melanie Sauerland

Maastricht University is advertising a PhD position in forensic psychology focused on eyewitness memory under pressure : how stress and arousal affect memory recall and how to reduce negative effects. The project sits in the Section Forensic Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience and involves interdisciplinary collaboration with the Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences and the Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology. The research will use eyewitness paradigms, stress and arousal manipulations, eye tracking, psychopharmacology, and open science practices. Study areas / keywords: forensic psychology, legal psychology, neuropsychology, eyewitness memory, stress, arousal, psychopharmacology, eye tracking, quantitative data analysis. Eligibility: applicants should hold a Master’s degree in legal psychology, neuropsychology, a Research Master, or a comparable psychology degree. The post asks for a strong interest in eyewitness memory and/or arousal and memory, the ability to design and conduct high-quality research, experience with quantitative data analysis, and excellent English communication skills. A 10% teaching role is included. Funding: this is a paid PhD employment contract. The initial contract is 12 months with the prospect of a 3-year extension. Salary is €3059–€3881 gross per month (38 hours/week), plus 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus. Application window: deadline is 25 May 2026 . Preferred start date is between 1 September and 15 October 2026 . Interviews are likely on 18 June 2026 . How to apply: submit your application through AcademicTransfer and upload a motivation letter (max. 500 words), CV (max. 2 pages), and publication list. Questions can be directed to Melanie Sauerland at [email protected].