PhD Candidate in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Biomedical Engineering

Are you passionate about applying innovative engineering techniques to improve cardiac care for patients at risk for life-threatening arrhythmias? Join our interdisciplinary team to explore the electrical properties of the heart using advanced technology. Your research will focus on characterizing arrhythmia risk, aiming to optimize the use of implantable cardioverter defibrillators and improve patient outcomes after a heart attack.

Job Description
As a PhD candidate on the Dutch Heart Foundation-funded ELECSUR project, you will be at the forefront of using novel techniques to characterize the electrical substrate of the heart in patients who have suffered a heart attack. Your main responsibility will be to acquire, process, and analyze high-resolution cardiac electrical data using electrocardiographic imaging (ECGI) and advanced ECG analysis techniques. You will work within a multidisciplinary team of cardiologists, biomedical engineers, and computer scientists at Maastricht University Medical Center+, collaborating closely with our (inter)national partners. You will have the opportunity for an extended stay with our international collaborators. Within the limits set by the project’s goals, you will have a lot of freedom to pursue your own interests, as well as the opportunity to follow relevant courses and extend your expertise and network.

You will be part of the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), one of the top institutes for cardiovascular research in Europe. Your work will directly contribute to improving risk stratification for ventricular tachycardia and determine the true need of implantable cardioverter defibrillators after a heart attack.

Your main responsibilities will include:

• Being part of the ELECSUR team while also executing own individual research tasks;
• Acquiring ECGI and follow-up data, both from patients that you will include in our study and from retrospective datasets;
• Performing high-resolution electrical characterization of the cardiac substrate through signal processing of ECGI data;
• Developing and validating novel ECGI- and ECG-based metrics for arrhythmia risk prediction, benefiting from recent innovations in AI;
• Joining internal meetings and international conferences for scientific discussions, and writing scientific publications;
• Assisting in the organization of user committee meetings and workshops.

Requirements
We are looking for a highly motivated and analytically strong candidate who can help us bridge the gap between engineering and clinical cardiology. You should be comfortable working with complex datasets and have excellent problem-solving skills. Strong communication abilities are essential, as you will be working with patients, clinicians and engineers, presenting your work to diverse audiences. You should be self-motivated, detail-oriented, and excited about the potential impact of this research on patient care.

The ideal candidate should have:

• An MSc degree in Clinical Technology, Biomedical Engineering, Medical Engineering or a related field. Medical Doctors (MD) are also encouraged to apply if they have a strong, demonstrable expertise in technical research;
• Proficiency in programming, particularly in MATLAB and/or Python;
• A basic understanding of cardiac electrophysiology and electrocardiography;
• A solid foundation in signal processing, particularly for biomedical signals, or the willingness to learn this;
• Excellent written and spoken English; knowledge of Dutch is beneficial but not required;
• Previous research experience, preferably in a biomedical field;
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Good organizational skills and ability to work independently and as part of a team.

What we offer
As a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary from €2872,00 in the first year and €3670,00 gross per month in the fourth year (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 0.8-1.0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
At the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), everything revolves around healthy living. Our research and education are not solely focused on recovery, but place a strong emphasis on prevention, health preservation, and health promotion. Our aim is to use our knowledge and expertise to genuinely contribute to the well-being of individual people as well as society in total.

In, research, and healthcare, FHML is closely collaborating with the academic hospital in Maastricht, together forming the Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+). FHML is strongly connected in education, research, and care with the Maastricht academic hospital, together with which it forms the Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+).

FHML, which is the largest faculty of Maastricht University, is formed by an (inter)national community of employees and students. The faculty offers a wide range of Dutch and English-taught bachelor's and master's programs in innovative educational concepts in which the emphasis is always on building bridges to practice.

The multidisciplinary research of the FHML focuses on a number of carefully chosen topical current themes. In addition to research aimed at gaining new insights, it also concerns research whose results can be directly translated into concrete applications and innovations. The implementation of the various research programs is organized in our six graduate schools and two institutes.

Department CARIM
CARIM is one of the eight research institutes of the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) and is embedded in Maastricht UMC+. CARIM is one of the largest cardiovascular research institutes in Europe, producing more than 1,000 scientific articles and approximately 60 PhD dissertations per year. It has a strong track record in translational research, covering both basic and clinical studies.

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Matthijs Cluitmans at m.cluitmans@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD candiidate? Apply now, no later than 6 October, for this position.

An orientation day will be part of the application procedure.

The vacancy is open for internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.

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