The Sleep, Cognition and Emotion lab of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience has an exciting job opportunity.  For an ERC-AdG project on brain mechanisms of insomnia and the risk of depression, we are looking for a creative and independent scientist with strong capabilities, ideally including cluster computing and machine learning, for the analysis of high-dimensional neuroimaging data (MRI, DTI, fMRI, rsfMRI, and 256-chn HD-EEG and ERP during wake and sleep).

We're looking for a post-doc, but may alternatively consider a highly skilled PhD student.

Are you familiar with the development and/or application of scripts for analysis of high-dimensional imaging data? Do you have strong methodological, data management and analysis skills? Do you have strong interest in the role of brain structure and function in mental disorders? Can you complement our research program, which is dedicated to understanding the brain circuits involved in insomnia? Do you have excellent writing skills? Would you enjoy working in close collaboration with colleagues in our group and at neighboring institutes of Amsterdam Neuroscience and worldwide? Then this job may be for you.

The mission of our research group is to understand brain mechanisms of insomnia. In collaboration with other research groups, projects cover genetic vulnerability and animal models to comprehensive assessment ranging from brain structure and function to online surveys, wearables and experience sampling in human volunteers. Over the past few years, the group acquired a unprecedented rich multivariate dataset of all mentioned modalities in about 200 cases with insomnia disorder and 100 controls without sleep complaints.

The current main research questions are:

• Which combination of features discriminates people with different subtypes of insomnia and controls without sleep complaints?
• Who among people with insomnia are resilient vs. at risk of developing depression or anxiety?
• What are the mechanisms that put people with insomnia at risk of developing depression or anxiety?

For further reading, see e.g. (Jansen, Nat Genet 2019;51:394; Blanken, Lancet Psychiatry 2019;6:151; Wassing, Brain 2019;142:1783; Wassing, Curr Biol 2019;29:2351).

You would have the following responsibilities:

• advanced data analyses on the mentioned modalities to address these questions;
• mentor PhD students and their use of advanced analyses and cluster computing;
• write up findings in formats that could generate interest of leading journals;
• actively collaborate with colleagues.

Desired skills and experience

• you have obtained your PhD degree, or will soon;
• experience with the analysis of high-dimensional neuroimaging data (one or more of: MRI, DTI, fMRI, rsfMRI, HD-EEG, ERPs during wake or sleep);
• advanced programming skills in one or more of the following: Matlab, R and/or Python;
• familiar with linux and cluster/distributed computing;
• your track record in scientific research includes publications in relevant journals
• excellent writing skills;
• ability to work and troubleshoot independently as well as collaboratively;
• experience with machine learning / deep learning is a pre;
• experience with sleep, mental disorders or even specifically insomnia is a pre.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we strongly encourage those who are underrepresented in neuroscience to consider our employment opportunities.

We offer an exciting job at a dynamic research institute and an attractive package of fringe benefits. The position if for two years with a possibility for extension. The salary is in accordance with the regulations for academic personnel. For a postdoc it will range from €32.508,- up to a maximum of €59.647 per year and for a PhD student from €32.447,- up to a maximum of €41.477,- per year. This annual salary is before tax, (including holiday and end of year allowance) based on a full-time appointment, and depending on expertise and previous experience. Gross monthly salaries are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) for Dutch Universities.
Additionally, the housing department of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience assists foreign employees and students in finding accommodation.

Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience is an Academy research institute. It conducts basic and strategic research in the neurosciences. It examines how the human brain makes awareness, perception, movement, learning, social interaction and other cognitive functions possible. It also studies how brain disorders can disrupt these functions.

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (www.nin.nl) is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute. It provides a critical mass of scientists in the neuroscience techniques, together with a dynamic multi-cultural environment. English is the working language of all research groups. Amsterdam is an internationally-oriented city and an attractive, progressive and easy-to-integrate environment. The research groups have members from more than 27 nations with backgrounds ranging from philosophy to engineering, but with an emphasis on biology and psychology.