Staff Scientist in Ultrasound Engineering at the Donders Centre for Cognition

Employment 0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary € 3,974 - € 5,439

Required background PhD

Organizational unit Faculty of Social Sciences

Application deadline 10 April 2023

Focused ultrasound stimulation (FUS) is a new non-invasive deep brain stimulation technique that opens up new horizons in research and treatment. Radboud University has joined forces in the focused ultrasound initiative, a campus-wide project to advance innovation, research, and clinical application of FUS. Do you have expertise in ultrasound engineering? We need a Staff Scientist with an engineering background to help FUS reach its full potential. 

Radboud University has launched the FUS Initiative to accelerate research, technical innovation and clinical translation. As an institute-wide expert on ultrasound engineering, you will be one of the core staff of the Radboud FUS Initiative. You will collaborate closely with researchers and clinicians of Radboud University and the Radboud university medical center, industry partners, and your colleagues at the FUS initiative, to help realise new ultrasound innovations and provide technical research support. 

You will take a leading role in developing the next generation of neuromodulation, i.e. transcranial ultrasonic stimulation. For example, you will interact with researchers and external partners to identify requirements, solve problems, and set future research directions. Your work may include measurement of ultrasound fields, calibration of ultrasound equipment, integration of ultrasound stimulation and imaging, acoustic simulation, equipment control, configuration and testing of lab set-ups interfacing ultrasound devices and neuroscience tools. You will work closely with the technical support staff at the research institute and the software developer of the FUS initiative. 

In addition to engineering support and innovation, you will provide technical and hands-on knowledge for researchers and clinicians on campus. Examples are: offering consultancy to researchers applying for research funding or publishing results, offering technical advice on study design and stimulation protocols, and sharing knowledge with lab managers. 

We believe that the work you do to help accelerate research at Radboud University should also benefit the field at large. We will support you to be an expert not only locally, but also internationally.

Even if you do not meet all of the criteria listed below, when interested, please feel free to contact team leader Mieke van Holstein (see below) with any questions regarding this position.

Profile

• You hold a PhD degree in engineering, physics, or a related field, such as medical imaging or biomedical engineering.
• You have experience with diagnostic (imaging) or therapeutic (stimulation) applications of ultrasound.
• You have experience with non-invasive brain stimulation, focused ultrasound, or therapeutic applications of ultrasound, or the ability and motivation to quickly gain this experience.
• You have experience with measurement of ultrasound fields and transducer characterisation.
• You are enthusiastic about being part of a team advancing focused ultrasound research and applications.
• You enjoy solving (technical) problems and overcoming challenges.
• You think proactively, not waiting for problems to arise.
• You enjoy working closely with people, including students, researchers, technical staff, and clinicians, and you are committed to helping others.
• You have excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively present complex or technical information to a range of audiences.
• You have an excellent command of English.

We are

The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is a world-class interfaculty research centre, that houses more than 700 researchers devoted to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of the human mind. Research at the Donders Institute is focused around four themes: 1. Language and communication, 2. Perception, action and decision-making, 3. Development and lifelong plasticity, 4. Natural computing and neurotechnology. Excellent, state-of-the-art research facilities are available for the broad range of neuroscience research that is being conducted at the Donders Institute. The Donders Institute has been assessed by an international evaluation committee as 'excellent' and recognised as a 'very stimulating environment for top researchers, as well as for young talent'. The Donders Institute fosters a collaborative, multidisciplinary, supportive research environment with a diverse international staff. English is the lingua franca at the Institute.

You will join the FUS Initiative staff and work closely with the technical support group of the Faculty of Science, and with the technical groups of other research centres. 

Radboud University

We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €3,974 and a maximum of €5,439 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 11).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• It concerns a temporary assignment for 2 years, possibly longer.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Mieke van Holstein, project leader FUS initiative at 06 31 13 29 42 or mieke.vanholstein@ru.nl. Alternatively, you can contact Dr. Lennart Verhagen, Associate professor at lennart.verhagen@donders.ru.nl.

Practical information and applying

You can apply until 10 April 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Dr. Mieke van Holstein. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV.

The first round of interviews will take place on Tuesday 18 April. You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.