PhD candidate ‘Towards brain-protective ventilation in critically ill patients (BRAIN-VENT)’

You will be embedded in the 'Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation' research group at the Department of Intensive Care, Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc) in Nijmegen, a leading center for patient care, biomedical research, and education. The 'Respiratory Failure and Mechanical Ventilation' research group is at the forefront of acute respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation research, spanning fundamental to large-scale clinical studies. The research group not only provides expertise but also offers mentorship, global collaboration opportunities, and technical guidance - making it an ideal environment for conducting world-class research in intensive care.

You will work in an environment where basic scientists and clinicians closely interact, enabling real translational impact. The team consists of motivated PhD candidates, postdocs, technicians, and clinician-scientists who support each other’s development and success.

You are a highly motivated and analytically minded candidate with a strong interest in brain connectivity, quantitative methodologies, and translational research involving both patients and healthy participants. You combine curiosity with methodological precision and have a demonstrable affinity for complex neurophysiological data.

You are capable of working independently, taking ownership of projects from design through analysis and dissemination, while also functioning effectively within a multidisciplinary team. Strong organizational and communication skills enable you to manage research activities and collaborate across disciplines. Persistence, resilience, and a critical scientific mindset characterize your approach to research and problem-solving.

Essential qualifications

• A completed Master’s degree in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, technical medicine, data science, or a closely related discipline.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills, or a clear and demonstrable motivation to further develop advanced methodological expertise.
• Hands-on experience with EEG acquisition and/or analysis, including brain network or connectivity analysis.
• Programming and data analysis experience (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R) in a research context.
• Excellent command of spoken and written English.

Desirable qualifications

• Prior experience with MRI or multimodal neuroimaging data analysis.
• Proficiency in Python-based scientific computing (e.g., NumPy, SciPy, MNE, pandas, scikit-learn).
• Familiarity with multivariate statistical methods, network analysis, computational modeling, or machine learning approaches applied to neurophysiological data.
• Interest in respiratory physiology, intensive care medicine, and mechanical ventilation.

• This position requires a Certificate of Conduct (VOG).