PhD Position: Biophysical Modelling for Advanced qMRI Applications

Employment

1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary

€ 2,901 - € 3,707

Required background

Research University Degree

Organizational unit

Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging

Application deadline

07 May 2025

Do you want to make a real-world impact? Come and join our team to develop cutting-edge MRI techniques for decoding brain tissue properties. Collaborate with global experts and help create robust, clinically applicable solutions that transform how we measure the effects of neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory and neurovascular diseases and monitor their treatment.

The title of the funding project says it all: ’Quantitative Imaging that (white) Matters: taking biophysical modelling to clinical applications’. This research initiative aims to improve myelin water imaging (MWI) in the context of neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory and neurovascular diseases. You will lead the development and integration of neural network decoding strategies for Multi-Compartment Relaxometry (MCR) and Myelin Water Imaging (MWI) as a new tool for assessing brain tissue microstructure. The work will focus on enhancing computational efficiency, improving biomarker extraction, and expanding the biophysical models to merge myelin water imaging and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) and include vascular tissue factors.

Your key responsibilities are:

• Develop and optimise neural network-based methods for MCR-MWI and Diffusion Informed MWI. 
• Collaborate with other team members to test and apply these models to data from different MRI systems and at three field strengths (1.5T, 3T, 7T). 
• Lead efforts to develop biomarkers beyond Myelin Water Fraction (MWF), incorporating QSM and new data related to tissue vascularisation and metabolic oxygen rates (CMRO2). 

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate .

• You should have a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in physics, biomedical engineering, medical imaging, or a related field.
• You have experience with programming in MATLAB, Python or a similar environment. 
• You have strong analytical skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• You have excellent communication skills in English (both written and oral).  
• Preferably, you have a strong background in MRI physics and knowledge of Physics Informed Neural Networks. 

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year (salary scale P ).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• We offer Dual Career Coaching . The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

We are the MR Structural Quantitative Imaging group, a dynamic and collaborative research team at the forefront of MRI technology. As a team, we create new methods to obtain MR images that have units, can be compared across sessions and subjects, and whose values can be interpreted in the light of the right biophysical model.

As part of our team, you will have access to mentorship from leading experts in the field, including José P. Marques, Martijn Cloos and Prof. David G. Norris (Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging).

Join us in pushing the boundaries of MRI technology and making a real impact on neurological healthcare.

Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour
The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and control, 3. Plasticity and memory, 4. Neural computation and neurotechnology. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as excellent and recognized as a ‘very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent’. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.
The mission of the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (DCCN) is to conduct cutting-edge fundamental research in cognitive neuroscience. Much of the rapid progress in this field is being driven by the development of complex neuroimaging techniques for measuring activity in the human brain - an area in which the Centre plays a leading role. The research themes cover central cognitive functions, such as perception, action, control, emotion, decision-making, attention, memory, language, learning and plasticity. The Centre also aims to establish how the different brain areas coordinate their activity with very high temporal precision to enable human and animal cognition. Our internationally renowned centre currently hosts more than 100 PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers from more than 25 countries, offering a stimulating and multidisciplinary research environment. The centre is equipped with four MRI scanners (7T, 3x 3T), a 275-channel MEG system, an EEG-TMS laboratory, several (MR-compatible) EEG systems, and high-performance computational facilities.
Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.
If you want to learn more about working at Radboud University, follow our Instagram account(link is external) and read stories from our colleagues.

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You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to José Marques. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Friday 23 May. You will preferably start your employment as soon as possible.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. 

Apply now Application deadline 07 May 2025

We would like to recruit our new colleague ourselves. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be appreciated.

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