项目介绍

2025年5月17日

Your project: from emotional events to life stories

The flexible nature of memory allows us to distinguish specific events, and at the same time extract their commonalities, leading to the formation of coherent narratives that span hours, days, and even years. Such memory networks shape how we see ourselves and the world, and they guide our behaviour. While we know a lot about the processing of single events on the one hand, and autobiographical memory on the other, we do not have a research framework that connects the two phenomena, preventing a comprehensive understanding of one of the most fundamental human experiences. Such a framework is also key to understanding persistent mental health problems and could direct science-driven treatment innovation. This project is part of an NWO-funded (Vidi) project led by Dr Renée Visser that aims to develop a new framework, connecting neuroscientific approaches that use sophisticated techniques to delineate fundamental mechanisms of memory (trans)formation with traditions favouring more holistic approaches to understanding human cognition and mental health.

In this specific project, we will 1) delineate cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the development of memory networks over longer time scales, 2) test if, and under which conditions, emotion transfers across distinct event memories, and 3) assess the impact of salient life events on the retrieval and transformation of autobiographical memory networks, and sense of self. For this we will combine rigorous experimental paradigms that respect the richness of emotional episodic memory, with longitudinal functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), psychophysiological measures, ecological momentary assessment, as well as qualitative measures.

What are you going to do

• Conduct a comprehensive review and synthesis of literature on the cognitive neuroscience of (emotional) memory processing (memory separation and integration), autobiographical memory, and sense of self;
• Set-up and run a neuroimaging study involving multiple sessions spanning several weeks, multi-day behavioural experiments in the lab, and an experience sampling study on the impact of real-life emotional events;
• Analyse neuroimaging data using multi-voxel pattern analysis, analyse behavioural and psychophysiological data from lab experiments, and analyse ecological momentary assessment (EMA) as well qualitative data from a naturalistic study;
• Disseminate findings through 4 empirical papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals and present results at (inter)national conferences and/or for collaborators;
• Teach and supervise bachelor and master students within the Clinical psychology program.

What do you have to offer

For this position, it is essential that you:

• Have a Research Master’s degree in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, or highly related field;
• Have a strong background in quantitative research methods (statistics; experimental design);
• Are proficient in oral and written (academic) English;
• Are committed to open science practices (e.g., preregistration, data sharing).

In addition, you satisfy some (nobody fits all of the criteria) of the requirements listed below:

• Experience with neuroimaging research, preferably functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging;
• Programming skills, preferably R or Python;
• Experience with Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA);
• Experience with psychophysiological experimentation;
• Ability to stay focused and organised, even when juggling multiple tasks;
• Resilience under stress and keeping calm when things get busy;
• Ability to work in a team, as well as independently, and being open to feedback;
• Eagerness to acquire new research skills, such as advanced pattern analysis of BOLD-MRI data, and analysis of time-series data;
• Experience or affinity with teaching;
• Experience or affinity with experimental psychopathology research.

What do we offer you

We offer a temporary full-time position of 30-38 hours a week for a term of 4 years. The initial employment is for one year. Following a positive assessment and barring altered circumstances, this term will be extended by a maximum of 36 months, which should result in the conferral of a doctorate. The preferred starting date is September 1st 2025 (with some room for negotiation).

You will be supervised by a supportive, engaged, and enthusiastic team that values initiative and input. You will have weekly meetings with the principal investigator and regular meetings with the promotor, depending on the stage of the project and the focus of the current studies. Furthermore, you will be part of the Dutch-Flemish postgraduate school for Experimental Psychopathology (EPP), which provide numerous training courses and networking opportunities. In addition, the University of Amsterdam offers excellent possibilities for professional development and education, in an inspiring and international working environment located in the heart of Amsterdam. We will put together a curriculum which will also include the opportunity to attend training courses and both national and international conferences.