PhD student Neuropsychology and Advanced Statistics
Jouw functie
Have you completed a research master Psychology, or Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience or a related research master? Did you study the topics neuropsychology and advanced statistics during your master’s programme? Are you up for a challenge?
If so, we strongly encourage you to read on and apply for this vacancy for a 4-year PhD position. You will work with a broad team consisting of both neuropsychologists and psychometricians on a project that aims to improve cognitive assessment procedures for patients recovering from cancer. This PhD trajectory will offer you the opportunity to think creatively and use your knowledge about cognition and (neuro)psychological measurements to contribute to solving important societal questions by developing new adaptive neuropsychological tests.
This position is funded by the Dutch Cancer Society as part of a larger research project. The aim of the research project is to develop an assessment instrument that screens for cognitive deficits in patients with cancer. The instrument to be developed in this project will be based on the principles of computerised adaptive testing (CAT) and item response theory (IRT), and thus several tasks presented to the test-taker will be selected on the fly by an algorithm taking the performance on previous tasks into account. In this project, the PhD student will construct the new tests and test items to develop large item banks necessary for computer-adaptive testing. A second PhD student will work on item selection and stopping rules, explore innovative ways to combine subtests, and analyse test item characteristics The end product a neuropsychological test platform that provides the best possible recommendation on whether the patient's doctor should refer them for a full neuropsychological evaluation. The goal is that this tool will become part of Dutch healthcare, as a tool that will help reassure some patients, while allowing other patients to receive much-needed care. In order to achieve this overall aim, our research team will collaborate with software company Eyra Leap BV for the implementation of the instrument. The PhD candidate will be supervised Prof. Sanne Schagen and Dr. Joost Agelink van Rentergem and will be supported by a larger consortium consisting of Dr. Muirne Paap, Prof. Martine van Zandvoort, Prof. Somaya Ben Allouch, Prof. Martin Klein, Dr. Niek Frans, Prof. Bernard Veldkamp and Prof. Valesca Retel. The main location will be Amsterdam, at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, with regular research visits to the lab of Muirne Paap (University of Groningen).
The main tasks of the PhD student are:
To write a protocol to obtain medical ethical approval for the studies;
To create multiple new materials of varying difficulty levels for each of the computerized adaptive tests;
To test the items in patient groups representative of the future target cancer population.
To test the items in non-cancer control patients;
To administer the computerized adaptive test alongside their traditional fixed face-to-face equivalents used in clinical practice;
To help with an early budget impact analysis to assess the potential economic effects of the computerized adaptive screening tool;
To conduct research that results in a dissertation and is in line with the objectives and requirements of the project;
To publish the results of the research in international scientific journals;
To present the research findings to fellow scientists and developers in the larger project, and collaborate with them; and to present the findings at (inter)national conferences.
More about NKI
The NKI is a Comprehensive Cancer Centre combining a hospital and research laboratories in a single independent organization. Our research institute accommodates 650 scientists and scientific support personnel from more than 45 different countries. Research discussions, lectures and seminars in English and a large number of Dutch and non-Dutch postdocs, students and staff members contribute to the stimulating and international atmosphere of the Institute. We offer an inspiring and interactive research environment, state-of-the-art facilities, training, a competitive salary (including possibilities for tax-reduction) and housing facilities in the vicinity of the Institute. The Institute is located close to the city centre of Amsterdam.
Jouw profiel
We are looking for an enthusiastic, skilled, and proactive PhD candidate who recognizes themselves (to an extent) in the following:
Must have:
A completed Research Master’s degree in (neuro)psychology, cognitive neuroscience, cognitive sciences, or similar;
Working knowledge of (clinical) neuropsychology / psychometrics / cognitive psychology, or similar;
Experience with computer programming (in R or similar);
Proficiency in Dutch language;
The candidate has capabilities in the following competencies: creativity, conceptual skills, planning and organising and monitoring progress, contributes to a good working atmosphere, takes initiative, can work well together, works in a structured way.
Nice to have or willing to learn:
We are looking for a candidate who enjoys writing in English and is enthusiastic about the prospect of writing scientific articles resulting in a PhD thesis;
Good communication and excellent academic writing skills in English are highly appreciated;
Compensation
Your temporary fulltime employment (36 hours a week) will be for a period of 4 years. The gross salary per month will range from €3,665 to €4,450,- according to the standard PhD scales. The terms of employment will be in accordance with the CAO Ziekenhuizen (Collective Labour Agreement for Hospitals). In addition you will receive a fixed end-of-year bonus in December (8,33%) and in May you will receive 8,33% holiday pay. PhD training program is part of the agreement.
Interested?
For further information about this position please feel free to contact Sanne Schagen or Joost Agelink van Rentergem via e-mail (s.schagen@nki.nl or j.agelink@nki.nl). Please complete your application via our website with the following documents:
CV including the contact details of 2 references (reference letters are not accepted, we will only reach out to referees if you are invited for an interview) + Master’s and Bachelor’s grade transcripts (one file).
Motivation letter (max 1.5 pages). Please tell us how your work and/or academic experience relates to the project, and whether there are any ideas for the project that pop up in your mind (one file)
The deadline to apply is June 19th 2025. The starting date for this role is: September 1st 2025.