PhD Candidate at the Experimental Health and Clinical Psychology groups

For the research project ‘“That is not fair: Development of an experimental paradigm to study injustice in the context of pain”’, we are looking for a talented PhD Candidate with a strong interest in, and preferably experience with health, social, and/or forensic psychology research.

Experiences of injustice are common in patients with chronic pain, and they are linked to problematic outcomes such as slower rehabilitation, worse pain outcomes, anger, and aggression. At the same time, patients are often treated unfairly by others (e.g., health-care professionals) and have their pain underestimated and invalidated. This project aims to develop a novel experimental paradigm to study injustice appraisals and their effect on pain and aggression in the laboratory. 

Background
There are large disparities in mental and physical health worldwide based on characteristics such as gender, race, or socioeconomic position. The same is true for chronic pain, with people from disadvantaged backgrounds or facing discrimination being more likely to experience severe pain. The reason for this is unclear, but experiences of injustice seem to play a key role. Two major pathways are proposed that explain this association: (1) Previous and current experiences of injustice (e.g., discrimination) seem to worsen pain outcomes on the side of the patient and can lead to anger and aggression, and (2) health-care professionals seem to underestimate and undertreat pain, especially in patients belonging to marginalized groups. However, the effects of injustice appraisals in pain have not been systematically investigated yet. 

Research method
This project will develop a novel experimental paradigm to study pain-related injustice appraisals in a controlled laboratory environment based on social and forensic experimental psychology. Behavioral measures (e.g., self-reported pain, pain estimation, facial pain expression, aggression) will be assessed.
 

Job Description
You will further develop the designs of the studies that are described in the project. You will also be responsible for programming the experimental protocols, recruitment, and data collection in healthy participants and potentially among health-care professionals. Next, you will analyze the data, publish your results in scientific journals, present the results (on international conferences) to the research community, and write a doctoral dissertation based on the conducted research.

Requirements
We are looking for an enthusiastic and talented candidate with:

• A (research) master’s degree in a relevant field, including psychology, health sciences, biomedical sciences, or neuroscience;
• Keen interest in understanding interpersonal and injustice processes in pain, social inequities and health disparities, aggression, and experimental laboratory research;
• Strong affinity with social and health psychology and (pre-)clinical experimental research is desirable;
• Programming skills e.g. Python, R, or strong interest and willingness to acquire programming skills;
• Substantial knowledge of statistical methods, well-developed analytical skills and creativity;
• Ambition as high-potential researcher aimed at excellent scientific research;
• Excellent proficiency and communication skills in English language, both verbally as well as in writing;
• Social and organizational competencies.

What we offer
As a PhD Candidate at the 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 according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary from €2901,00 in the first year and €3707,00 gross per month in the fourth year (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.  

Research Group
The successful candidate will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Jill Lobbestael, Dr. Kai Karos, and Prof. Dr. Madelon Peters, and will be employed at the Experimental Health and Clinical Psychology groups of Maastricht University (http://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl). These research groups offer an international, productive, collaborative, and interactive environment. The candidate will join the Dutch-Flemish Postgraduate School ‘Experimental Psychopathology’ (http://epp-research.eu), which will provide additional training and facilitate networking and collaboration with other researchers in the field of experimental psychopathology.
 

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Dr. Kai Karos via kai.karos@maastrichtuniversity.nl or +31 88 388 7141 for more information.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD Candidate? Apply now, no later than 25 May 2025, for this position.

Please upload your CV, motivation letter and contact information of 2 referees. 

The first interviews preferably take place on 29 May 2025. The second interviews will preferably be held on 6 June 2025.

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.