We are seeking applicants for a Postdoc position in neuroimaging and brain connectivity analysis of the human brain. The successful candidate will be part of an European project in the group of PI Martijn van den Heuvel at the CNCR, VU Amsterdam (www.cncr.nl). The aim of the project is to build new neuroimaging and network tools to gain insight into brain connectivity and the role of brain networks in cognition and disease.

Network neuroscience
In the last decade advances in the field of network neuroscience has started to map and study the network architecture of brain networks, with the aim to get a better understanding of how brain connectivity plays a central role in brain function and disease disfunction. The field of disease connectomics has the specific aim to map and study how changes to the connectome may play a role in the aetiology of a variety of brain conditions, ranging from individual symptomatology to neurological and psychiatric conditions.

New technologies and data analysis techniques in the field of network science have enabled new ways to map which systems and brain connections are involved in which disorders and 'why'. The postdoc will work on models for brain disorders and network neuroscience approaches to examine how disease effects across disorders relate to each other.

You will work with people with diverse backgrounds, including, bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, neuroimaging, computational neuroscience, psychology and genetics. As a Postdoc you will co-supervise the students and work on both the team and your own projects and studies.

You have experience with working with neuroimaging data and have knowledge of programming (Matlab, Python, R, or other scientific coding/programming). Affinity with computational neuroscience, genetics, network science and/or Machine Learning is highly appreciated.

Your duties

• perform network analysis on neuroimaging data and integrate findings across datasets
• work on developing new statistical methods for network neuroscience
• work on computational modelling of network effects
• apply bioinformatic tools for integrating results from different biological resources
• think critically
• supervise MSc and PhD students
• authoring and co-authoring manuscripts submitted to high quality journals
• present work at scientific meetings
• present science on (social) media
• teaching (10-20% of time)

• PhD in any of the of the following fields: Mathematics, Physics, Artificial Intelligence, Informatics, Neuroscience, Genetics, Network Science, Biology, Genetics and/or Statistics
• Be a little bit technical
• Have experience with neuroimaging techniques, preferably brain connectivity techniques such as Diffusion MRI and/or taks/resting-state fMRI science; bioinformatics; statistics, Machine Learning, or genetics.
• Good ability to write and read English
• Have experience with programming, data modelling, computational models
• Support 'open science': share your tools and data with the wider scientific community. Sharing is caring.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2,960 (scale 10) and a maximum €4,670 (scale 10), depending on your education and experience. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

The initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year with possibility for extension.
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor - from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
Working at the Faculty of Science means working together with students, PhD candidates and scientists who are focused on their discipline, yet also have a broad view of the world. We are proud of the collegial working environment within the faculty, which is characterised by an ambitious and pragmatic attitude with commitment to the bigger picture. At the Faculty of Science, scientists and students work on fundamental and complex social issues for a sustainable and healthy future. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to malnutrition, from genetics to pharmaceuticals and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research cover the full breadth of the natural sciences. Scientific teaching and research is highly experimental, technical, computational and interdisciplinary in nature. This is why we collaborate extensively with leading research institutes and industry. The faculty has over 11,000 students studying across 40 educational programmes and employs over 1,600 staff spread over 10 scientific departments, making us the largest science faculty in the Netherlands.

About the department Complex Trait Genetics
Research at the department of Complex Trait Genetics focuses on identifying the genetic mechanisms of brain-related traits. We develop novel statistical and bioinformatics tools to optimally analyze large genome-wide data sets for complex traits, combine them with biological data and generate hypotheses that can be tested in functional studies to obtain mechanistic insight.