项目介绍

2025年5月7日

Job description

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.

With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

For the (faculty/department/research group) we are looking for a m/f/x

Doctoral fellow

YOUR JOB

As part of the highly prestigious ERC Starting Grant URENIMOD (Ultrasound for Remote Neuroimaging and Modulation), a Ph.D. position is available at Ghent University from September 2025. The project aims to develop a minimally to non-invasive treatment for focal epilepsy with ultrasound neurorecording, modulation, and deep reinforcement learning closed-loop control. The technology, developed through detailed computer simulations, will be validated with preclinical experiments. The candidate will be part of a multidisciplinary team working towards this objective at the 4Brain (www.4brain.be) and WAVES (www.waves.intec.ugent.be) research groups. The goal of the research is to work towards a doctoral degree.

Job profile

We are looking for enthusiastic candidates to perform research on a closed-loop and non-invasive ultrasound neuromodulation treatment of focal epilepsy. The candidate will perform fiber photometry imaging and focused ultrasound insonication experiments in epileptic mice, to explore the potential for cell-type selective neuromodulation. The non-invasive neurorecording technique, realized through acousto-electric heterodyning, will be validated with depth and EEG electrode measurements. Finally, the closed-loop ultrasound technology will be tested in the intrahippocampal kainic acid mouse model in this Ph.D. project.   

• You hold a Master’s degree (preferably) in biomedical sciences or in a related field.
• The candidate has experience with rodent models, knowledge of neuroscience and is fluent in English (speech and writing).

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which – after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on 09/01/2025 at the earliest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by Team Personnel Administration based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.

How to apply

If you are interested in this job offer, you can address your application letter, curriculum vitae, and degree certificates to thomas.tarnaud@ugent.be. For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Thomas Tarnaud (thomas.tarnaud@ugent.be).