PhD Candidate in Signal Processing for Clinical Neuroscience

Use advanced computation to improve the lives of children with neurological disorders

Welcome to Maastricht University
The world is evolving rapidly – and we evolve with it. At Maastricht University (UM), you make a real impact: whether you're exploring new frontiers through research, inspiring students in the classroom, or helping create the foundation that makes both possible.

• Our goal: To develop explainable brain network biomarkers that support early diagnosis and prognosis in young children with neurological conditions.
• Your colleagues: A collaborative, international team of engineers, clinicians, and neuroscientists dedicated to connecting innovation with patient care.

Our multidisciplinary research team is looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate to join a collaborative project at the crossroads of signal processing and clinical neuroscience. The focus? Making sense of complex brain data – and making that data matter in the real world.

As a PhD candidate, you will develop novel computational tools to analyse longitudinal EEG recordings using advanced tensor decomposition techniques. Your work will reveal interpretable brain network patterns that can serve as clinical biomarkers for neurological disorders in children. By transforming raw data into insights, you’ll contribute directly to improving diagnostics, outcome prediction, and personalised treatment pathways.

You won’t be working alone. You’ll collaborate closely with medical specialists, data scientists, and engineering researchers at Maastricht UMC+, Delft University of Technology, and Erasmus MC. You’ll engage in every step of the research process – from data preprocessing and exploratory analysis to machine learning and clinical translation. Your findings will be published in leading scientific journals and translated into open-source tools for the research and healthcare communities.

This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to truly meaningful research in an environment that values curiosity, openness, and interdisciplinary teamwork. You’ll be supported by experienced supervisors and surrounded by a team that’s as passionate about people as it is about progress.

Are you ready to push boundaries at the interface of data and care? Then we’d love to meet you.

What you bring
It’s not about ticking every box – it’s about your curiosity, drive, and willingness to grow. Do you recognise yourself in the following?

• You’re eager to learn across disciplines – You enjoy working in an interdisciplinary team and are open to perspectives beyond your own field.
• You’re motivated by meaningful impact – Your work is driven by a desire to make a real difference in clinical practice.
• You’re a natural collaborator – You communicate clearly and work well with researchers from diverse academic and professional backgrounds.
• You have a solid technical foundation – You hold a Master’s degree in biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, or a related discipline.
• You’re confident in signal processing and machine learning – You bring general knowledge in these areas and are ready to deepen it further.
• You’ve worked with neuroscientific data – You have hands-on experience with data such as EEG, for example through internships or research projects.
• You speak code and science – You’re proficient in programming (e.g. Matlab, Python) and fluent in English, both written and spoken.

What we offer
As PhD Candidate in Signal Processing for Clinical Neuroscience at Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, 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 €2901,00 and €3707,00 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 0,8 - 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 Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
At the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), everything revolves around healthy living. Our research and education are not solely focused on recovery, but place a strong emphasis on prevention, health preservation, and health promotion. Our aim is to use our knowledge and expertise to genuinely contribute to the well-being of individual people as well as society in total. 

In, research, and healthcare, FHML is closely collaborating with the academic hospital in Maastricht, together forming the Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC+).  FHML is strongly connected in education, research, and care with the Maastricht academic hospital, together with which it forms the Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+). 

FHML, which is the largest faculty of Maastricht University, is formed by an (inter)national community of employees and students. The faculty offers a wide range of Dutch and English-taught bachelor's and master's programs in innovative educational concepts in which the emphasis is always on building bridges to practice.
 

The multidisciplinary research of the FHML focuses on a number of carefully chosen topical current themes. In addition to research aimed at gaining new insights, it also concerns research whose results can be directly translated into concrete applications and innovations. The implementation of the various research programs is organized in our six graduate schools and two institutes.

Curious?
Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact dr. Borbála Hunyadi at b.hunyadi@tudelft.nl for more information. Click here to read about the research of dr. Borbála Hunyadi.

Applying?
Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD Candidate in Signal Processing for Clinical Neuroscience? Apply now, no later than 06/08/2025 for this position. The first interviews preferably take place on the week of 18/08/2025. The second interviews will preferably be held on the week of 25/08/2025.

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.