Doctoral Researcher / PhD Candidate (f/m/x) – Computational Psychiatry

Uniklinik KölnKöln

Stellenbeschreibung:

We are seeking support for our rapidly growing team starting June 1st, 2026:

Doctoral Researcher / PhD Candidate (f/m/x) – Computational Psychiatry

Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie

TV-L: 25 h/week (64,94%) limited for 3 years according to WissZeitVG. Your salary will be based on TV-L.

Your tasks

Harmonise and curate longitudinal digital phenotyping
datasets
Support feature engineering from EMA, actigraphy, and
GPS-derived data
Contribute to the evaluation of generative models and
simulation outputs
Develop and apply resilience metrics to simulated and
empirical trajectories
Contribute to the identification and interpretation of
different transition patterns
Assist in the preparation of analysis pipelines, documentation, and reproducible workflows
Contribute to scientific publications, conference
presentations, and team activities
Pursue an independent doctoral project within the
thematic framework of the research group

Your profile

Very good university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in
psychology, neuroscience, computational psychiatry,
cognitive science, data science, computer science,
statistics, or a related field
Strong interest in mental health research, longitudinal
data, and computational approaches
First experience with quantitative methods and
programming, ideally in Python and/or R
Interest in machine learning, time-series analysis, digital phenotyping, or computational modelling
Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary and collaborative environment
A careful, structured, and self-motivated working style
Very good written and spoken English; German is
welcome but not required

Our offer

The opportunity to pursue a PhD in an innovative and
internationally connected research environment
Close supervision and integration into an interdisciplinary team at the interface of psychiatry and data science
Access to high-quality longitudinal datasets and modern computational methods
Opportunities for publication, conference participation, and methodological training

Your future with us

We are one of the leading university hospitals in Germany and network research, teaching and health care at the highest level. That's why many things are a lot bigger for us: the spectrum of exciting development opportunities. The limitless openness with which specialists from all over the world work together here. Or our commitment as an employer to support all employees as best we can in reconciling their job with their goals and life situations.

This is the University Hospital of Cologne: Everything but ordinary.

Your future in detail

We are looking to support a newly established research group as soon as possible.

The position is embedded in the third-party funded research project SiReD-MH (Tipping Minds: Simulation of Resilience Dynamics in Mental Health) . The project develops a hybrid in-silico framework to better understand how resilience changes over time and how transitions into mental illness may emerge in young people at risk.

The work is based on longitudinal digital phenotyping data and combines data-driven modelling, simulation, and clinically relevant interpretation.

The doctoral researcher will contribute to the empirical and analytical backbone of the project and will develop an independent PhD project within this broader framework.

Applications from female candidates are expressly welcome and will be given priority in the event of equal suitability, competence and professional performance. People with disabilities are welcome to apply and will be treated preferentially in the event of equal suitability and qualification.