Interdisciplinary PhD position Young Academy Groningen 2025 (V25.0195)

We are looking for talented candidates who wish to design their own PhD research project on an interdisciplinary topic within the scope of the research expertise of Young Academy Groningen members (please visit http://www.rug.nl/research/young-academy). Two PhD positions are available to conduct research within the themes of the projects. The call for applications for project 2 is now open. As a PhD candidate, you will develop your own research project in consultation with the associated supervisor(s). You will conduct independent and original academic research and report results via peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and ultimately a PhD thesis. The PhD thesis has to be completed within four years. Being part of a cutting-edge research programme, you will receive research training as well as a varied educational training program including transferable skills and future (academic or non-academic) career training for after the PhD trajectory, in the context of our Career Perspective Series.

Project 2. Project title: Motor learning as a window into neurodegeneration: an interdisciplinary approach

Supervisors
Dr Defne Abur (YAG, Faculty of Arts, Assistant Professor of Speech and Speech Technology)
Dr Riemer Vegter (YAG, UMCG, Assistant Professor in Human Movement Sciences)
Prof. Martijn Wieling (Faculty of Arts, Professor of Groningen Language and Culture)
Prof. Han Houdijk (UMCG, Professor of Clinical Movement Sciences)

Project Overview: Join our dynamic team at YAG, where we specialize in motor learning—the process of using sensory systems to acquire and maintain movements. Our expertise ranges from large-scale body movements to fine-grained actions like speech. We bring diverse perspectives and methods to study fundamental issues in motor control, particularly in the context of Parkinson’s disease, where motor learning is affected at different stages.

PhD project Goal: The primary aim of this PhD project is to understand why speech motor skills are disrupted early in Parkinson’s progression. This research could be crucial for early diagnosis and management of the disease. The project will investigate the interrelation between speech and body-level changes in both able-bodied individuals and those with Parkinson’s, exploring whether speech symptoms stem from the same underlying mechanisms as the hallmark motor symptoms that appear later.

Research Approach: To explore the relationship between motor function and the brain, we will use experimental measures from our departments to quantify motor learning. This involves using sensory information to correct errors in the motor system, essential for maintaining effective motor control, from hand and foot movements to fluent speech production.

Team and Resources: The PhD candidate will be enrolled in the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at the UMCG and the Graduate School for the Humanities at the Faculty of Arts. The candidate will also be involved in the Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Research School. The project will be conducted within the Speech Biosignal Processing Lab (https://aburlab.web.rug.nl/) at the Faculty of Arts, and labs and resources at Clinical Movement Sciences (https://umcgresearch.org/w/clinical-movement-sciences) of UMCG. Candidates will also be expected to participate in public engagement events (including festivals such as Noorderzon, Lowlands, etc.). This project is primarily supervised by Dr Defne Abur, who brings expertise in speech motor control in Parkinson’s disease, and Dr Riemer Vegter, who brings expertise in body-level motor control. Collaborative projects with the same population will enhance recruitment synergy, ensuring the feasibility of the PhD timeline.

The ideal candidate would have the following qualities

• Master's degree in the following (or related) fields: Biomedical sciences, Neurolinguistics, or Movement Sciences. Knowledge of sensory and/or motor systems in the body is preferred.
• Experience and/or enthusiasm for public outreach.
• Research experience with human subjects.
• Training with data analysis on time-varying signals (e.g., acoustic signals, movement tracking).
• Coding experience (e.g, MATLAB or Python).
• Intrinsic motivation to conduct research in the topic of the project.
• Committed to working autonomously in an interdisciplinary team setting.
• A demonstrably excellent written and spoken command of English.

As an employee PhD candidate, you fall under the Collective Labor Agreement of Dutch Universities. A separate salary scale with four steps applies to PhD candidates: P0 to P3. The current level of the corresponding salary and more information about the collective employment conditions can be found on the VSNU Cao Dutch Universities external link page. The 2022-2023 CLA version is accessible via this link: http://www.labouragreementuniversities.nl/

The appointment will commence in September 2025

The application package consists of the following separate documents:

• A brief letter of motivation (max. 1 page).
• CV, including contact details of two academic referees.
• A scan of your diploma including transcripts.

The documents 1-3 are compulsory and please note that incomplete application packages or applications sent by email will not be taken into account. If necessary – because of the limited upload options, please combine different documents into one pdf.

You may apply for this position until 16 June 11:59pm / before 17 June 2025 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Interviews with selected candidates will be held in the week of 7 July 2025.
Candidates will receive notifications about the specific interview dates and times by 23 June 2025.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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