Postdoctoral researcher DIGITAL TWIN Urban Mental Health
You will be appointed by the faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry of Amsterdam UMC Research BV and will become a member of The Centre for Urban Mental Health (UMH Centre for urban mental health | Research on Mental Health). UMH is the largest interdisciplinary Research Priority Area of the University of Amsterdam. This centre aims to find new pathways to improve mental health in urban settings, such as the city of Amsterdam, that take into account the complexities and dynamics of mental health problems and mental health disorders in an urban environment.
We are currently looking for a post-doc that will be actively involved in various UMH projects with an emphasis on the development and evaluation of common mental health digital twins. Specifically, using extensive datasets from various clinical trials, this research will focus on modelling individual trajectories of symptoms, behavior, and treatment response over time in order to simulate and predict mental health dynamics under different intervention scenarios and different environmental and societal scenarios. This work will combine methods from clinical psychology, psychiatry, computational modeling, and machine learning to support personalized and adaptive mental health care.
- Creation and evaluation of common mental health digital twins based on available clinical datasets.
- Work closely with clinical and methodological collaborators.
- Contribute to or initiate scientific publications, conference presentations, documentation, and open-science activities.
- Supervise junior researchers and contribute to the development of the research group.
We are seeking a highly motivated, talented individual. In addition you meet the following requirements:
- Finished or nearly finished PhD or MD/PhD in a relevant related field, such as Psychology, Psychiatry, Computational Modelling, Biomedical Engineer, Computer Science or related fields.
- Strong expertise in at least some of the following areas: psychological methods, computational modeling, epidemiology, machine learning, generative modelling, time-series modelling, probabilistic modelling, or simulation.
- Good programming skills, ideally in Python and relevant ML frameworks such as PyTorch.
- Strong interest in mental health research and interdisciplinary collaboration with clinical partners.
- A solid publication record appropriate to career stage is desirable.
Studies show that women and members of underrepresented groups only apply for jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Do you meet the educational requirements but not yet all of the requested experience? We encourage you to apply anyway.
- The candidate will be appointed at Department of Psychiatry of Amsterdam UMC Research BV.
- A stimulating work environment mostly located at AmsterdamUMC and half a day at the historic Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam city center, fostering collaboration with interdisciplinary researchers. Collaborate closely with leading researchers possessing state-of-the-art knowledge of digital twinning.
- A central and highly visible role within an ambitious, internationally connected research project.
- Access to a rich network of researchers and clinical professionals within the Centre for Urban Mental Health and Amsterdam UMC.
- A post-doc contract with the duration of 12 months with the intention of prolonging it, depending on funding.
- A salary scale 10-11 (EUR 3,598 to EUR 6,594) based on full time employment and experience. Also dependent on whether a PhD diploma has already been acquired. As of July 1, 2026, the salary will be increased by 3.5% in accordance with the UMC collective labor agreement. You will also receive a 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
- Vacation hours: 194.4 hours per year for full-time employment and the option to accrue additional hours.
- 100% public transport reimbursement. Do you come on foot, by bike, or by car? Then you will receive a reimbursement of €0.21 per km (for cars, a maximum of 40 km one-way applies). Do you come by bike? Make use of our excellent bicycle scheme.
- Pension accrual with BeFrank, a modern, understandable, and fairly priced pension.
- Budget for attending international conferences and specialized methodological training.
You will work at Amsterdam UMC (location AMC) and at the Institute for Advanced Study Amsterdam and will join internationally recognized research groups at AmsterdamUMC. You will be embedded in the Intervention Lab led by Prof. Claudi Bockting at the Department of Psychiatry of Amsterdam UMC (www.interventionlab.nl), and the Department of Biomedical Engineering & Physics, enriched by Wednesday gatherings at the Centre for Urban Mental Health (Centre for urban mental health | Research on Mental Health). At the Centre for Urban Mental Health, researchers from different fields use the tools of complexity science to identify new pathways to improve mental health in the city. For example, we investigate the impact of single versus multimodal/multilevel interventions for common mental health disorders, digital (AI) based interventions, personalised interventions, early life stress, and the gut microbiome in depression.
Together, these groups share a common mission using an interdisciplinary perspective: to identify new pathways that can be targeted through innovative interventions to improve mental health, while taking into account the complexity, interconnectedness, and dynamic nature of mental disorders in urban environments.
Amsterdam UMC Research BV supports scientific research on a not-for-profit basis. Through this, we provide researchers with everything they need to excel. Our principal investigators (PIs) and project leaders are supported in areas including project management, finance and human resources. For medical-scientific research projects, legal support is also provided.
Watch the video for more information.
Amsterdam UMC has an open culture. This means that we hope that everyone feels welcome in our organization and that we strive to offer equal opportunities to everyone. We therefore cordially invite all interested parties to respond to this vacancy. Check out our approach to diversity and inclusion.
Please note that applications will be reviewed by a joint selection committee from Amsterdam UMC and the Centre for Urban Mental health. During the publication period, applications will be handled continuously. If the vacancy is filled, it will be closed prematurely.
If you have any questions about this position, please feel free to contact prof. Claudi Bockting (interventionlab@amsterdamumc.nl), prof. Henk Marquering (h.a.marquering@amsterdamumc.nl) or asst. prof. Evi-Anne van Dis via e.a.m.vandis@amsterdamumc.nl.
Please submit your application bundled in 1 PDF file in English, including:
- A motivation letter describing your research experience, methodological expertise, and how your profile fits this position (max. 1 page).
- A full CV including a list of publications.
- Contact details of two academic references.
The closing date for applications is the 24th of July. The position starts as soon as possible.
