Postdoctoral Researcher

Organisation/Company Ghent University Research Field Computer science » Other Medical sciences » Other Neurosciences » Other Psychological sciences » Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Final date to receive applications 4 Mar 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Part-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

→Apply before 04/03/2026(DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
→Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
→Department:

GE34 - Hoofd en Huid
→Occupancy rate: 75%
→Number of positions:1
→Type of employment:

Contract of unlimited duration with clause
→Term of assignment:30 months
→Wage scale:

PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree)
→Required diploma:
PhD

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programs grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

The GHEP lab is a research unit investigating (ab) normal stress reactivity and emotion regulation in healthy and psychiatric patients. We especially aim for interdisciplinary research collaborations to employ state-of-the-art methods that advance the field of mental health.

The GHEP lab is closely connected to the psychiatric ward of the Ghent University Hospital, and specializes in treating mood and anxiety disorders. Hence, there is a strong background and interest in finding more efficacious treatment options using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. Working with the veterinary department we created translational animal models to examine the effects of neurostimulation on the dogs’ brain.

This knowledge can be incorporated into the treatment of psychiatric patients, with the goal of enhancing healthcare.

The lab is specialized in non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), theta-burst stimulation (TBS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), and transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), but also invasive brain stimulation techniques such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The researchers have initiated and collaborated in numerous studies, aiming to find working mechanisms and biomarkers to understand, predict, and enhance the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation.

• The position is embedded in the FWO-funded WEAVE 2025 project, a collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). The project develops personalized brain stimulation protocols using MRI-guided simulations and investigates how individual differences in brain anatomy and conductivity impact treatment efficacy, especially in depression and early Alzheimer’s disease. The postdoc will bridge simulation research and clinical implementation, contributing to the final work package (WP3): testing the impact of personalized TMS parameters using concurrent TMS-fMRI..
• Implement and validate MRI-based electric field simulations (using tools like SimNIBS, Chaospy).
• Integrate multimodal imaging data (T1w, T2w, dw-MRI) to generate personalized stimulation parameters.
• Set up and run concurrent TMS-fMRI sessions to evaluate effects of individualized stimulation (in collaboration with international partners).
• Analyze activation maps (focus on sgACC connectivity and clinical outcome markers).
• Contribute to manuscript writing and dissemination (high-impact journals, conferences).
• Supervise Master/PhD students and promote an open, collaborative team culture.
• At least 70% of your assignment will be spent on academic research.

• PhD in Medicine, Life Sciences, or related field (obtained max. 6 years ago. This term of 6 years is determined by the…