PhD student: Investigating Metabolic and Neuropathological interactions

Do you want to unravel the links between cognitive symptoms, neuropathology and immune-metabolic functioning in people with chronic fatigue?

People with Myalgic encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) often experience problems with concentration, information processing and memory, but these symptoms are  poorly understood and measured. Recent work suggests that changes in immune and metabolic processes in people with ME/CFS or other post-infectious diseases affect brain functioning. This provides new hypotheses on how cognitive function is affected in ME/CFS. In this interdisciplinary project, we will investigate the links between cognitive functioning (as assessed by online tests), brain pathology and functioning (as assessed by structural and functional MRI) and immune-metabolic functioning (as assessed by blood sample analyses). These insights can improve the assessment of fatigue-related neurocognitive symptoms and may lead to new therapeutic approaches for cognitive symptoms in ME/CFS.

Your responsibilities
As a PhD student in our team, you will

• assist in collection of neuroimaging data for the Netherlands ME/CFS Cohort and Biobank at the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging in Nijmegen
• perform advanced analyses of neuroimaging data (including Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), and (resting state) network analyses), neurocognitive data (Amsterdam Cognition Scan), and explore new cross-modal methodological approaches to assess their relationship with immune-metabolic profiles,
• prepare scientific (review) articles to be published in international journals, resulting in a dissertation.
• present key findings at scientific conferences and symposia for patients and the general public.
• actively contribute to Open Science and Team Science.
• contribute to education and supervision (e.g. supervising bachelor theses).

Context
This project is a collaboration between Tilburg University, the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (DCCN) in Nijmegen, and the Netherlands ME/CFS Cohort and Biobank (NMCB) consortium. You will be part of the research group in Tilburg (supervised by Dr. Marieke van der Schaaf) and have a guest account at the DCCN, where you will be part of the PI group of Prof. Dr. Esther Aarts.  

This project is funded by the ZonMW ME/CFS research agenda (https://www.zonmw.nl/nl/nieuws/subsidie-voor-7-nieuwe-biomedische-onderzoeken-naar-mecvs) and is part of the NMCB consortium (https://nmcb.eu/). The NMCB is a collaboration between research institutes, medical centers and patient organizations to set up and coordinate a national infrastructure for biomedical research for ME/CFS and other post-infectious syndromes. This includes data collection within a national patient cohort and biobank and support for various research projects.

1. You have completed a master’s degree in cognitive neuroscience, cognitive science, (bio)medical sciences, neuropsychology or related field.
2. You have a strong motivation to conduct interdisciplinary and patient-oriented research at the intersection of neuroscience, neuropsychology, immunology, microbiology and medical sciences.
3. You preferably have experience with quantitative data analysis of neuroimaging data, such as Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS), or (resting state) network analysis.
4. Data analysis and programming skills (Python, Matlab, R) and a keen interest in organizing large data collections and open data science are an important asset.
5. You possess excellent collaborative and communication skills both scientifically and towards patient representatives and the general public.
6. You are able to work effectively within a large interdisciplinary consortium with collaborators across different institutions and scientific fields.
7. You can take a proactive and structured approach to work, work independently, are able to find and use knowledge from experts.
8. You have sufficient proficiency in English (level C1 or Higher) to read scientific literature, communicate in a research context, and document your work clearly in written and oral form. Proficiency of the Dutch language is an asset, given your role in data collection and communication with patient representatives.

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• Employment of 1.0 fte (38-40 hours per week).
• A salary of minimum €3.059 and maximum €3.881 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile PhD and salary scale PhD. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for for a PhD in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 sub b CLA DU. You will initially be given a temporary contract for the duration of 12 months.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• Hybrid working with home working allowance (€2 p/day) and internet allowance (€25 p/month).
• Reimbursement sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport.
• Options model for additional leave, pension, a bicycle or personal training.
• Moving allowance (subject to conditions).
• Employees from abroad may be eligible for a tax-free allowance for extraterritorial expenses equal to 30% of taxable salary.
• A pension with ABP; the largest Dutch pension fund.
• Ample training offer: personal development, leadership, education, research or language courses.
• Inclusive work culture: everyone welcome, equal opportunities.
• A green, inviting campus that’s easily accessible by public transport.

For more information, please see our website and the CLA Dutch Universities.

Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainably, and inclusion. For current and future generations. We develop and share knowledge for the requirements of people and our society. This is how we contribute to solving complex social issues and help society move forward.

We educate our 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. With our education and research for broad prosperity, we exceedingly focus on themes such as mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.

About Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Understanding human behavior in a changing society. The world in which we live and work is changing rapidly and keeping up is anything but self-evident. At TSB, we want to understand how people function as individuals, in relationships, in organizations and in society. We want to strengthen adaptability, mental resilience and control over health and well-being. At TSB we increasingly work in interdisciplinary teams that combine the strengths of all social science disciplines to answer research questions. We offer you the opportunity to set up your own composite research to deepen your knowledge and provide society with answers through applied research. 

About Department of Cognitive neuroscience
The Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, is concerned with the relationship between brain and behavior. It operates at the crossroads of different psychological disciplines, such as clinical neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience and applied neuroscience. It places a particular emphasis on studying the cognitive effects of brain injury or neurological illness with a view to inferring models of normal cognitive functioning. 

About the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging
The Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (DCCN) is one of the six research centres of the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. DCCN’s mission is to advance the understanding of the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying human behaviour by integrating and developing advanced neuroimaging techniques, computational models, interventions, and novel experimental paradigms.