Job Description

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
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-drivenmodelling, simulation, and clinically relevant interpretation.
The doctoral researc her 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.

Contact

Dr. Jessica Hartmann

Universitätsklinikum Köln AöR

Geschäftsbereich Personal

Kerpener Str. 62

50937 Köln

Application deadline: 31.05.2026

Job-ID: kvngc30n

We look forward to receiving your application and getting to know you!