BeyondTheEdge PhD Position in higher-order statistics for neuroscience

The Department of Mathematics of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam welcomes applications for a fully-funded, 4-year PhD position that is part of the EU-funded BeyondTheEdge Doctoral Network. The PhD research will focus on the development, evaluation, and application of statistical methods for assessing higher-order brain interactions in functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) data. The position includes prospective research secondments at the VU University Medical Center (AMC) and Kadir Has Universitesi (KHAS), Fatih, Turkey. We are an inclusive, interdisciplinary group, and diversity and internationalism is at the heart of our research principles, as well as our teaching practice.

The preferred starting date is a mutually agreed date on or before October 1, 2024.

This position is part of the project BeyondTheEdge; more information and eligibility criteria can be found on the project website BeyondTheEdge.network.

Applications from all groups currently under-represented in academic posts are especially encouraged. We particularly welcome applications from women and people with an ethnic minority background.

Your duties

• doing research towards writing a PhD thesis at the department of Mathematics at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam with prospective secondments elsewhere (see above)
• collaborate with PhD students, postdocs and staff members within the department and from national and international partners of the BeyondTheEdge Network
• teaching tasks (roughly 15% of your time) for instance supervising exercise classes and correcting homework

There will be opportunity to take courses for professional and personal development.

Requirements:

• a (prospective) MSc. degree in Mathematics (or equivalent thereof)
• good communication skills in English
• not having resided or carried out main activity in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the recruitment date (this is a BeyondTheEdge specific eligibility criterium)

Salary Benefits:

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €2770 (at the start) and a maximum €3539 per month (in the fourth year). The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for 0.8-1.0 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a further 3 years. Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• good paid parental leave scheme
• additional project-related allowances may apply

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