PhD Student Mesoscale Cerebellar MRI

In this PhD position, you will contribute to an NWO-funded Vici project focused on bringing the cerebellar mesoscale organization into view using Ultra-High Field MRI (7T).

About the project

The human cerebellum is an intricately shaped brain region, implicated in a wide range of functions. The cerebellar cortex, a thin layer of grey matter, is very tightly folded, resulting in a highly convoluted architecture. Its visualisation requires detailed imaging, beyond what is currently possible in humans in vivo.

In this NWO-funded Vici project, we will leverage Ultra-High Field MRI (7T) with recent advances in MRI hardware, acquisition strategies and image analysis to bring the cerebellar mesoscale organization into view. With multimodal submillimetre MRI data including structural, microstructural, vascular, and functional MRI, we will pinpoint the mesoscale functional subunits within the human cerebellum.

The PhD project will focus on the visualization of functional subunits in the cerebellar cortex, including high-resolution morphological and functional imaging of the human cerebellum. This project will give you the chance to work on a wide range of MR topics and contrasts, including parallel transmit, quantitative MRI, diffusion-based microstructural characterization and BOLD-based fMRI.

What you will be contributing

We are looking for a researcher that combines MRI physics with a vivid interest in neuroscience. The ideal candidate will have, or will be about to receive, an MSc in biomedical engineering, physics, biology or a related field and a demonstrable interest in MRI or medical imaging. A vivid interest in high-resolution imaging or the human cerebellum would be a plus. Proficiency in spoken and written English and team-work is required. Programming experience (e.g., Python or MATLAB) and familiarity with pulse sequence development is a plus.

What do we offer?

You will be part of the Vici project team consisting of 3 PhD students, a postdoctoral researcher and the PI (Wietske van der Zwaag). You will be joining a highly collaborative research environment in the Ultra-High Field Neuroimaging group of the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging. This research environment combines state-of-the-art neuroimaging expertise and facilities, including 7T MRI, with a diverse interdisciplinary community of MR physicists and cognitive and clinical neuroscientists.

It concerns a position for 4 years. You will have ample opportunities for further development of knowledge and technical and personal skills through courses at the Academy and (inter)national conferences.

About the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience

The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience is the country’s leading fundamental neuroscience research institute. It provides a critical mass of scientists and neuroscience facilities in a highly interactive, dynamic, multi-cultural environment, with English as the working language.

Terms of employment

This position includes vacation allowance, year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.