Description
Employer: Department of Psychiatry, Jena University Hospital
Contract: 2 years initially; renewable for up to 3 additional years subject to performance
Project: “The glue that holds the pieces together”: Unlocking Cognitive Health in Psychotic Disorders (Wellcome Trust)
Application deadline: 30 September 2025
Preferred start: from November 2025
Short description
This project will (i) quantify global and regional deviations from typical ageing using brain-age models, (ii) disentangle prenatal vs. postnatal structural deviations by leveraging lifespan normative models for cortical gyrification and grey-matter volume, and (iii) characterise and predict longitudinal brain change in psychosis by estimating individual rates of ageing.
Role
You will extend BrainAGE from global estimates to regional normative models using Bayesian regression and GAMLSS to derive age- and region-specific reference distributions (centiles) and individual deviation scores. The work spans multi-site morphometry, scanner harmonisation, model comparison, and external validation.
You will work closely with the project lead at the University of Bath and collaborate with partners in Cambridge, Oxford, London, and Cardiff on all aims, including joint analyses and dissemination.
What we offer
Join the small, highly engaged team behind the CAT12 toolbox and BrainAGE.
A collaborative, supportive atmosphere with genuine day-to-day interaction and room to do your best work.
Close collaboration with the Bath lead and active links to Cambridge, Oxford, London, and Cardiff (regular cross-site meetings and joint outputs).
(The salary is in euros and it is subject to the level of experience outlined in the TV-L E13.)
Application
Please send one PDF containing: motivation letter; CV (including publications); degree certificates with grades; list of relevant courses; and the names and email addresses of two referees by 30 September 2025.
Requirements
- PhD in Psychology, Mathematics, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Physics, or a related field.
- Strong skills in machine learning and statistics; experience with Gaussian process regression and/or probabilistic regression.
- Experience with normative modelling is an advantage.
- Proficiency in Python (and ideally C/C++); experience with MRI morphometry.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team; excellent written and spoken English.
