Assistant Professor in Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation in Cognition

Welcome to the Brain Stimulation and Cognition lab at Maastricht University!

• Our goal: The Brain Stimulation and Cognition group at Maastricht University aims to unravel the psychological and neural mechanisms of human cognition and behaviour. Our group specifically focuses on non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methodologies such as TMS, TES, and TUS. We combine these with neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, EEG) to study functional network accounts of human cognition, and to develop and apply brain-based neuromodulation therapies for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. Our research lines span from basic cognitive neuroscience in healthy volunteers, to methodological advancements in brain stimulation technology and protocols, all the way to clinical applications in psychiatry, neurology, and rehabilitation. We are interested in the neural network dynamics underlying human cognition but also investigate the role of brain oscillations in perception, memory, attention, and inhibitory control. We make an effort to advance NIBS methodology, optimising parameters and employing multimodal approaches combining TMS and TES with neuroimaging and neurophysiology as well as expanding closed-loop approaches to NIBS. Our group pioneered the development of simultaneously implemented TMS-fMRI-EEG during cognitive behaviour and has demonstrated the brain-state-and task-dependency of NIBS. We have successfully translated our fundamental and methodological work to the clinic including neuromodulation therapies for depression (now regulatory approved and reimbursed), OCD, and cognitive rehabilitation after stroke.  Our interdisciplinary and translational research program continues to deliver both fundamental insights into neurobiological mechanisms of attention, working memory, and inhibitory control in healthy participants, and new brain-system-based personalised interventions for clinical applications in psychiatry, neurology, and neurorehabilitation. For more details visit the Brain Stimulation & Cognition Lab.
• Your colleagues: You will be part of the Brain Stimulation & Cognition Lab, embedded within the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience at Maastricht University. You will work directly with Prof. Dr. Alexander Sack, Prof. Dr. Teresa Schuhmann, Dr. Sanne ten Oever, Dr. Inge Leunissen and Dr. Felix Duecker. We value open-minded collaboration, scientific depth, and strong mentorship. This group is embedded within the Cognitive Neuroscience (CN) department at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) at Maastricht University (UM), currently consisting of 33 permanent staff members and about 60 temporary staff (PhD candidates and postdocs). We are a collaborative group that investigates the neural processes that underlie human cognitive functions, including perception, attention, emotion, memory, learning, language and neurocognitive development. CN takes a unique approach to this endeavor by combining a variety of approaches to measure brain activity (e.g., using magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], electroencephalography [EEG], psychophysics) and to manipulate brain activity and overt behavior through non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS). The department combines experimental skills with methodological development and theoretical or computational perspectives to investigate the neural correlates of cognitive processes at a range of spatial and temporal scales. 

What you do

We are looking for an assistant professor with strong expertise in non-invasive brain stimulation technologies. We are particularly looking for candidates who investigate fundamental mechanisms of cognition such as attention, memory, cognitive control, and/or are interested in developing and applying NIBS interventions for psychiatric or neurological disorders. Your empirical interest should fit within the research lines of the Brain Stimulation and Cognition lab as described here: Brain Stimulation & Cognition Lab. Ideally, candidates should have strong experience in combining NIBS approaches such as TMS, TES, TUS, or TI with neuroimaging (fMRI) or neurophysiology (EEG).

We expect that you are passionate about research and enjoy collaborating with staff within and beyond the Department of Cognitive Neuroscience. Ideally, you have already shown that you are able to gain research funding on individual or collaborative grants. 

We also hope you are an enthusiastic teacher, as the time commitment on the advertised positions entails 50/50 teaching and research. As much as possible, your teaching will be organized so it fits your research interests. You can teach in the Bachelor in Brain Science, the Bachelor in Psychology as well as related Master programmes, including supervision of Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuropsychology Master students.

You are also expected to be a team player with an open, effective management and communication style. 

Are you ready to set the course for the years ahead? Then we’d love to meet you.  

What you bring 

• You have a PhD in (Cognitive) Neuroscience, Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychology,  Biomedical Sciences, Bioengineering, Medicine, or a related field;
• You are collegial and enjoy (interdisciplinary) team science. Excellent English communication skills are essential. Knowledge of Dutch is not required, but you should be willing to learn Dutch once you arrive;
• You should have several years of experience as a Postdoc, during which you should have demonstrated outstanding quality in research and compiled a competitive publication record;
• You should ideally have a track record of grant applications;
• You have expertise in cognitive neuroscience methods; you especially have experience with designing and executing advanced NIBS experiments, and with conducting advanced analyses of functional brain data (EEG, fMRI); experience with modelling is a plus;
• Your methods expertise shows a strong track record in non-invasive brain stimulation technologies such as TMS and/or TES and/or TUS and/or TI;
• Your skill set includes programming, statistics, excellent scientific writing and communication;
• You are an experienced and enthusiastic teacher and have demonstrated ability in thesis supervision;
• You are interested in human cognition (memory, attention, cognitive control) and/or have a clinical NIBS interest.

What we offer
As An Assistant Professor at Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, 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 in scale 11-12 according to the UFO profile  Assistant Professor, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €4.728  and €7.297 gross per month (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 1.0 FTE. Upon proven suitability, the employment contract will be converted to an indefinite contract. 
• 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 'Recogniton and Reward'. 

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 Psychology and Neuroscience
The Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) is an international faculty with students and staff from various cultural backgrounds, who are connected by their shared curiosity about human behaviour and our brains.   

This curiosity inspires us to explore the wide field of psychology from different perspectives (such as a biological and cognitive viewpoint). By using small-scale and student-centred methods, such as problem-based learning and project-based learning, we encourage a similar kind of curiosity in our students, as we provide them with the tools to discover the world of the human brain.  

 
Cognitive Neuroscience
The Cognitive Neuroscience (CN) department is hosted at the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN) at Maastricht University (UM). CN’s international and collaborative research community, based in the Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (M-BIC), comprises 37 permanent staff members and around 60 temporary staff (PhD candidates and postdocs). Together we work across dedicated research lines investigating the neural processes that underlie human cognitive functions, including perception, attention, emotion, memory, learning, language and neurocognitive development. CN takes a unique approach to this endeavor by combining a variety of approaches to measure brain activity (e.g., using magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], electroencephalography [EEG], psychophysics) and to manipulate brain activity and overt behavior through non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) and neurofeedback. We combine experimental skills with methodological development and theoretical or computational perspectives to investigate the neural correlates of cognitive processes at a range of spatial and temporal scales.

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Alexander Sack at a.sack@maastrichtuniversity.nl for more information. Do you have any questions regarding the procedure, please contact Patrick Claus (Recruiter) at p.claus@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new Assistant Professor? Apply now, no later than 9 November 2025, for this position.

Please upload your CV, motivation letter, grade list, contact information of 2 referees, research plan and publication list.

A reference check 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.