PhD Candidate: Psychosocial, Environmental and Economical Impact in Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathies

Welcome to Maastricht University!

How does cardiomyopathy (heart failure in young adults) affect patients beyond their physical health? And how can we better understand how psychosocial and environmental factors, such as stress, obesity and physical activity, influence the disease process and patients’ quality of life and mental well-being? As a PhD candidate, you will use Health Technology Assessment (HTA) methods to study the psychosocial and economic impact of cardiomyopathy-related complications as well as the role of psychosocial and environmental factors in the disease process, and contribute to evidence on the value and cost-effectiveness of healthcare strategies.

PhD Candidate: Psychosocial, Environmental and Related Economical Impact in Non-Ischemic Cardiomyopathies (Heart Failure in Young Adults)

• Our goal: The goal of this research is to understand how psychosocial and environmental factors influence the cardiomyopathy disease process and related biological changes in the heart, as well as their impact on quality of life, mental well-being and societal burden in young patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. By combining clinical phenotyping, questionnaires, patient-reported outcomes, healthcare use, employment and cost data, the project aims to link these factors and biological and clinical findings to better understand, detect, prevent or treat cardiomyopathy complications.
• Your colleagues & research context: You will join the Heart Failure Research team of Prof. dr. Stephane Heymans at CARIM and Maastricht UMC+ and work within a large Dutch research consortium. You will collaborate with the team of Prof. dr. Jan Y. Verbakel at KU Leuven, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, and work closely with the HTA and health economics group at KU Leuven. The research uses a prospective cohort, biobank and omics of more than 1,300 cardiomyopathy patients. You will be based in Maastricht (CARIM / Maastricht UMC+) and make regular working visits to Leuven. Supervision will take place by both Dr. Stephane Heymans and dr. Verbakel.

The project focuses on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and on understanding the psychosocial and economic impact of cardiomyopathy-related complications. An important part of the research is to examine how psychosocial and environmental factors, including factors such as stress, obesity and physical activity, are related to the cardiomyopathy disease process and biological changes in the heart. Using a prospective cohort, biobank and omics, you will integrate clinical phenotyping, questionnaires, patient-reported outcomes, biosamples and multi-omics to study cardiomyopathy and associated psychosocial, economical, environmental and behaviourial conditions. 

You will link these data to healthcare use, cost, work, quality of life, mental well-being, patient preferences and societal burden to generate evidence for HTA and cost-effectiveness analyses.You will have the freedom to identify their original projects, e.g. where biological findings in the heart (e.g. RNA/protein data) can be linked to psychosocial and environmental factors, as part of the gene-environmental interactions paradigm.

What you do

• Quantify the psychosocial and economic impact of cardiomyopathy complications using questionnaires, patient-reported outcomes, healthcare use, employment and cost data.
• Investigate how psychosocial and environmental factors, such as stress, obesity and physical activity, may influence the cardiomyopathy disease process and related biological changes in the heart.
• Evaluate the value and cost-effectiveness of strategies to detect, prevent or treat cardiomyopathy-related complications in patients with cardiomyopathy, incorporating patient preferences and societal impact.
• Where relevant and if time allows, and in close collaboration with the molecular research team, translate selected cohort findings into patient-derived iPSC or experimental animal models.

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 bring strong analytical and communication skills and enjoy working in a multidisciplinary team. You are motivated to contribute to research at the intersection of clinical, psychosocial and economic perspectives.

Furthermore:

• You have a Master’s degree in Medicine, Physician–Clinical Investigator (AKO), Health Sciences or a related field. The position is particularly suited to Medicine or AKO graduates.
• You have an interest in and/or experience with Health Technology Assessment (HTA), with focus on psychosocial and related economic impact of cardiomyopathy on patients’ lives, including quality of life and patient-reported outcomes.
• You are familiar with the Northern European and/or Dutch healthcare system.
• You have experience with, or are willing to learn, statistical software such as R or Stata.
• You have an excellent command of English and Dutch, both written and spoken, at minimum C1 level (CEFR).

What we offer
At Maastricht University, you’ll work in an international, open, and engaged environment. We offer: 

• A 12-month contract (1,0 FTE) with the prospect of a 3 year extension based on mutual satisfaction.
• A gross monthly salary between € 3.204 and € 4.051 (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus. 
• 29 vacation days (based on full-time), four additional days off (Carnival Monday and Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day), and the possibility to accrue up to 12 extra days through compensation hours. 
• Flexible working hours, a home office allowance, and the option to work from home. 
• Freedom and space to shape your work independently and develop your ideas. 
• A close-knit community of colleagues to collaborate and grow with. 
• A solid pension plan via ABP, company fitness schemes, and access to various university sports facilities. 
• An inspiring work environment in the heart of Europe. 

Find out more about the PhD journey at Maastricht University, from starting your research to completing your PhD and beyond.

As a PhD candidate, you will be automatically enrolled in one of our Graduate Schools. Find out more about our Graduate Schools.

About the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML)
FHML is committed to health in the broadest sense: from molecule to human, and from healthcare to prevention. We train healthcare professionals and researchers through innovative educational programmes and conduct groundbreaking research in health and well-being. As part of Maastricht UMC+ (MUMC+), our international and interdisciplinary community forms a unique collaboration between university and academic hospital, where education, research, and care come together.

Interested?
Want to know more about this position or what it’s like to work at our university? Reach out to Prof. Dr. Stephane Heymans at s.heymans@maastrichtuniversity.nl or mobile +32 484 50 63 33 (for scientific questions), or Prof. dr. Jan Y. Verbakel at jan.verbakel@kuleuven.be  (for HTA and health economics questions); www.kuleuven.be/wieiswie/en/person/00042064) or Lilian Skiba at l.skiba@maastrichtuniversity.nl (for questions about the recruitment procedure).

The deadline for submitting your application is: 22 November 2026.

If you apply, please upload the following:

• CV
• Motivation letter
• Transcript
• A writing example (e.g. a chapter of your thesis)
• Contact details of 2 referees

Please note: incomplete applications will not be considered.

Interviews will take place early January 2027.

Apply now via the button below. We look forward to getting to know you!

About Maastricht University
At Maastricht University, we collaboratively seek solutions to help move the world forward. We do this with 23,300 students and 5,400 employees across 5 regional locations, 6 faculties, and more than 70 research institutes. We encourage you to push boundaries and discover new opportunities for yourself and the world around you. Together, we can find the answers for tomorrow.

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

At Maastricht University, we prefer to contact potential candidates directly. We therefore kindly ask that no agencies or intermediaries submit offers or approaches.

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.