PhD Candidate: Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying human memory

Welcome to Maastricht University!
Join an exciting project on the neural underpinnings of human memory and the contribution of hippocampal ripples to ‘offline’ consolidation mechanisms.

PhD Candidate: Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying human memory

• Our goal: To uncover the neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie human memory formation, consolidation, and retrieval, and to contribute to a deeper understanding of how the brain stores experiences.
• Your colleagues: You will join the Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience at Maastricht University and work closely with clinical partners at Maastricht University Medical Center+ (MUMC+). The project is supervised by Dr. Joel Reithler and supported by an advisory team of experts in memory research, electrophysiology, and clinical neuroscience. You will be part of a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment with direct access to unique patient data.

We are recruiting a motivated PhD candidate to join a collaborative project focusing on the role of hippocampal ripples in human memory. In particular, the project will use behavioral experiments and intracranial electrophysiological recordings as a window into the brain mechanisms which support the formation, consolidation and retrieval of memories for real life-like episodic events.

You will contribute to the development of experimental designs, run behavioral experiments and collect and analyze intracranial EEG data which provide a unique opportunity to get direct access to hippocampal mnemonic signals. In addition, you will spearhead the reporting on the obtained findings via scientific publications and other dissemination channels.

What you do

• designing, conducting and analyzing behavioral experiments probing memory performance
• collecting, curating and analyzing data from human intracranial electrophysiological recordings
• presenting your work and publishing in peer-reviewed journals
• contributing to teaching (~0.1 FTE)

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

What you bring 
We’re not looking for checkboxes—we’re interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this? You have:

• a proactive attitude and are intrinsically motivated, you have a collaborative and persevering mindset and a keen interest in memory research.
• a master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., cognitive neuroscience, biomedical engineering, biological psychology)
• experience with programming (e.g., MATLAB, Python)
• hands-on experience with neuroscientific research
• good organizational and communication skills to professionally interact with patients and collaborators
• excellent command of written and spoken English

Note that (a willingness to improve) understanding and speaking Dutch is seen as a pre to facilitate the interactions with patients during the planned iEEG recordings.

What we offer
As a PhD Candidate 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 P according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €3059,00 and €3881,00 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 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 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.  

Department of Cognitive Neuroscience
The Cognitive Neuroscience (CN) department in Maastricht combines research in multiple cognitive domains with advanced methods development. Various brain imaging methods are employed to describe or manipulate behaviour, including (intracranial) EEG, functional MRI, and non-invasive brain stimulation. The research is embedded in the Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (M-BIC).

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Dr. Joel Reithler at j.reithler@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 PhD? Apply now, no later than 2 November 2025, for this position.

To apply, please submit a detailed CV, a motivation letter, an overview of your MSc courses and corresponding grades, as well as your MSc thesis together with two references.

The starting date of this position will be determined in consultation with the successful candidate but should not be later than early January 2026.

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.