PhD – developing sensory care and knowledge for children (SENSORY-Kids

Do you want to improve care for children with sensory processing difficulties? Join SENSORY-Kids and help develop a national framework for diagnostics, research and treatment while working with leading researchers, clinicians and families across the Netherlands.

SENSORY-Kids is a national learning community that brings together children and families, clinicians, researchers, educators and societal partners to improve care for children with sensory processing difficulties. Children with autism, ADHD, acquired brain injury and other developmental conditions often experience sensory processing differences that affect their wellbeing, learning and participation in daily life.

Funded by the Dutch Brain Foundation (Hersenstichting - Problemen met prikkels: betere zorg voor kinderen met ontwikkelingsstoornis), the consortium connects universities, rehabilitation centres, mental healthcare organisations, educational partners, patient organisations and families. Together, they are building a sustainable infrastructure in which scientific research, clinical care and lived experience continuously strengthen one another.

As the PhD candidate leading work package 1, you will develop a national Minimal Data Set (MDS) for sensory processing. Rather than creating a new assessment tool, you will establish a shared framework that enables clinicians, researchers, educators, parents and children to collect and compare data across disciplines and over time.

The MDS will combine information on sensory processing with broader aspects of child development, including functioning and participation, emotional and behavioural wellbeing, environmental factors, medical information and developmental outcomes. Integrated into a national digital platform, the MDS will support both clinical care and longitudinal research. In academic centres, advanced measures such as neurocognitive assessments and electroencephalography (EEG) will complement the dataset.

Would you like to know more about the different phases within the PhD trajectory? You can read more about this on this page.

During your PhD, you will work closely with clinicians, researchers, educators, parents and young people in a genuine co-creation process. You will contribute to both the scientific development and the implementation of the national learning platform.

• conducting systematic reviews of existing sensory assessment instruments and outcome measures;
• coordinating a national Delphi study among professionals, parents and young people;
• developing, validating and implementing the national Minimal Data Set;
• analysing longitudinal data to study developmental trajectories and transdiagnostic patterns;
• publishing your findings in international journals and presenting at scientific conferences.

We are looking for someone who enjoys connecting people and ideas and who is motivated to improve care for children through research.

• a master’s degree in psychology, biomedical sciences, health sciences, medicine, educational sciences or a related discipline;
• a strong interest in child development and neurodevelopmental conditions;
• affinity with psychometrics, diagnostics and outcome measurement;
• experience with quantitative research methods and statistics;
• excellent communication skills in Dutch and English.

Experience with longitudinal analyses, systematic reviews, Delphi studies or implementation research is an advantage, but not required. Above all, you enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration with clinicians, researchers and families.

• You will be employed by Amsterdam UMC Research BV.
• A contract for 12 months, with the intention to extend for a total of four years. The Guideline PhD contract applies to this vacancy.
• Classification in salary scale OIO: € 3.217 to € 4.077 gross for full-time employment (depending on experience). In addition to a good basic salary, we offer 8.3% end-of-year bonus. Calculate your net salary here.
• Holiday hours: 194.4 per year for full time and a possibility to save additional hours.
• 100% reimbursement for public transport travel costs. If you travel by foot, bicycle, or car, a mileage allowance of €0.21 per km…