The University of Groningen offers a four-year PhD student scholarship opportunity to complete a dissertation on a topic related to “Theory and technology for remote neurological examination”. The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof Valentina Gallo and will be a member of the “Health and Food” Flagship team at Campus Fryslân, which is comprised of several PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and interdisciplinary staff.

The PhD candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School Campus Fryslân (GSCF) and can benefit from affiliations at other faculties at the University of Groningen (Aletta Jacob School of Public Health, among others depending on the scope of the project). If interested, the PhD candidate could also have a role to play in the new Master’s program in Health and Sustainability currently under development.

Topics of interest for the doctoral research include (but are not limited to):
● Generation of an algorithm for effectively assess the neurological function of a person optimizing time, resources, and number of tests
● Study of software and/or devices which could help automating some of the tests collecting data in real time (i.e. for tremor)
● Generation of an app to be used by trained health workers (non-neurologists)
● Validation of the app with neurological impaired patients with different conditions

Of particular interest are proposals that consider optimizing data collection in a standardized way in low-resource settings.

Interdisciplinary proposals that involve expertise from neuroscience (clinical manifestation of the nervous system impairment), the IT/engineering field (software and technological device development) and/or some data management and analysis are very welcome.

The candidate should have the following qualifications:

• undergraduate degree in medicine or neuroscience or related disciplines
• Master’s degree in neuroscience or related disciplines
• very good record of undergraduate and graduate studies
• research experience is an asset
• some experience of data management and analysis
• app and/or device development experience or knowledge are an advantage
• highly developed conceptual capacity and analytical skills
• very good command of spoken and written English
• very good individual and collaborative working skills
• presentation skills
• planning and organizing skills
• strong motivation to complete a PhD dissertation in four years.

Fixed-term contract: 48 months.

The PhD Scholarship student will be enrolled in the PhD Scholarship Programme and receives a scholarship of € 2,181 gross per month from the University of Groningen. For more information on the RUG PhD scholarship programme and its benefits please check the website at https://www.rug.nl/education/phd-programmes/phd-scholarship-programme/conditions-application/

The PhD Scholarship contract is offered for four years. A successful candidate will first be offered a temporary contract of one year with the option of renewal for another three years. Prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that a successful completion of the PhD thesis within the contract period is to be expected.

A PhD training programme is part of the agreement and the successful candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of the Faculty. As part of the programme, the PhD student will take part in the Career Perspectives Series, which provides a thorough preparation on the career after the PhD, inside or outside academia. During the course of the doctorate, the student will develop research and teaching competencies as well as leadership skills. For this, the PhD students will receive a tailor-made programme from the GSCF.

The intended starting date is 1 October 2020.

Campus Fryslan

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 32,000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is an international place of knowledge.

Campus Fryslân is the ambitious eleventh and newest faculty of the University of Groningen, located in Leeuwarden. Campus Fryslân is an interdisciplinary faculty that works closely together with regional, national and international partners on worldwide (sustainability) problems and local solutions. The sustainable development goals of the United Nations thus serve as an important guideline.

The research institute covers four research domains: Governance, Sustainable Economy, Culture, Language & Technology and Health & Food. In the summer of 2019, Campus Fryslân has moved to the new faculty building De Beurs: the first all-electric, monumental educational building in The Netherlands.