About your role
As a PhD candidate, you investigate how social and biological factors jointly contribute to mental health across generations. You work with large-scale cohort and genetic datasets and contribute to innovative analytical approaches within psychiatric epidemiology.
Your work includes:
- quantifying dynastic effects using family-based designs and polygenic scores;
- modelling gene-environment correlations between SES and psychiatric outcomes;
- analysing epigenetic signatures of socioeconomic exposure and their intergenerational transmission;
- integrating findings across domains to identify modifiable mechanisms relevant for prevention and policy;
- writing scientific publications and presenting your findings at national and international conferences.
About youYou are analytically strong, enjoy interdisciplinary collaboration and have a strong interest in the relationship between social inequality and mental health.
You also have:
- a completed master’s degree in psychiatry, psychology, epidemiology, biomedical sciences, data science or a related field;
- affinity with quantitative and computational research methods;
- experience with statistical programming languages such as R, Python or similar software;
- interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of social and biological determinants of health;
- excellent communication skills and a strong command of spoken and written English.
Experience with genetic or epigenetic data, longitudinal analyses or genomic structural equation modelling (genomic SEM) is considered an advantage, but is not required.
Our offer- You will be employed by Amsterdam UMC Research BV.
- A contract for 12 months, with the intention to extend for a total of 4 years. The Guideline PhD contract applies to this vacancy.
- Classification in salary scale OIO: € 3.108 to € 3.939 gross for full-time employment (depending on experience). In addition to a good basic salary, we offer 8.3% end-of-year bonus. Calculate your net salary here. As of 1 July 2026, the salary will be increased by 3.5% in accordance with the collective labor agreement (CAO UMC).
- Holiday hours: 194.4 per year for full time and a possibility to save additional hours.
- 100% reimbursement for public transport travel costs. If you travel by foot, bicycle, or car, a mileage allowance of €0.21 per km applies (up to a maximum of 40 km one way by car).
- Do you prefer walking or cycling? Take advantage of our good bike scheme.
- Pension accrual with BeFrank, a modern, comprehensible and fairly priced pension.
Watch this video with more information about joining Amsterdam UMC Research BV.
