Wat will you be doing?

This postdoctoral position is embedded within the Horizon Europe-funded YEAH! project. The overall aim of the project is to develop and test an innovative intervention using digital solutions, to promote social interactions that empower children and adolescents to make lifestyle choices that benefit their health and well-being. Accare is involved in this project as an expert in child and adolescent mental health, including epidemiologic expertise. In this position, you will work on the first phases of the YEAH! project, focused on the development of the intervention. This includes work package 1 (months 1-20) and work package 4 (months 13-28). The aim of work package 1 is to identify socio-environmental, interpersonal, and individual determinants of health behaviors and health to inform the development of the intervention. You will perform hypothesis-driven analyses in large cohorts (e.g., the Dutch ABCD study), using for instance mixed models or growth curve analysis. Once important determinants and outcomes have been identified, work package 4 aims to select and validate optimal assessment instruments that can be used to test the intervention. As part of this work package, you will participate in tool selection and translation of assessment instruments to Dutch, lead studies to validate the chosen instruments in the Netherlands, and collaborate in statistical analyses of the results (e.g., to establish convergent and divergent validity and measurement invariance).

Your primary tasks will be to:

• Obtain data from large cohort studies (in collaboration with Horizon Europe partners);
• Perform hypothesis-driven longitudinal analyses to identify determinants of health behavior and health;
• Collaborate in selection of optimal instruments to assess these determinants, health behaviors, and health;
• Lead translation and validation studies of these instruments in the Netherlands;
• Write international peer-reviewed academic papers;
• Present your work at international and national conferences for academics, policy makers, and clinicians.

Who are you?

• You have completed, or will soon complete, a PhD in a relevant field (e.g., epidemiology, health sciences, health psychology)
• You have strong methodological and statistical skills, especially with regard to longitudinal analyses and psychometrics.
• You are highly competent in project management skills and working independently.
• You are a team player and enjoy collaborating in a large European consortium.
• You have strong interpersonal skills.
• You are highly proficient in academic written and spoken English; writing high-quality scientific articles is your personal strength.
• Ability to speak Dutch would be an advantage.

Fixed-term contract: 28 months.

This is what we offer

• A salary between € 3.682,- to €5.548,- for a 36-hour work week (CAO GGZ FWG 60).
• A position for nearly 2.5 years (28 months)
• Hybrid working is customary, many possibilities can be discussed. You will receive a working-from-home compensation. We aim to have everyone present in the office on Wednesdays.
• 23 leave days and 5 additional leave days in the form of a life phase budget per year (for a 36-hour work week)
• Plenty of attention for balance and vitality. You will have access to many online tools, a bike subsidy, company fitness and a yearly balance budget (€ 500,- pro rata) that you can use for schooling, additional leave, or additional salary.
• And there is more! Look here for our additional attractive working conditions (site in Dutch).

Accare

Who are we?

Accare is an academic and ambitious organization for child and youth psychiatry with 25 locations in the north, middle, and east of the Netherlands. We believe that every child has a right to participate. Every child and every family can come to us for care, even with very complex care needs. Complex problems cannot be solved on your own, that’s why we work together with others. We also believe that every child has a right to the best evidence-based care. We are continuously developing by connecting clinical practice and science, and by investing in research, innovation, and education.

Child Study Center

Scientific research and education are bundled in the Accare Child Study Center. Accare wants to keep improving and developing the care for our youth. That is why we do practice-oriented research into new forms of health care and into the effects of various treatments. We also do (more fundamental) research into the etiology of mental health problems in children and adolescents. There are currently around 40 ongoing research projects, including a number of PhD projects. Researchers at Accare are affiliated with the University Medical Center Groningen. Accare also offers a large number of courses to disseminate knowledge and is a certified practice organisation for several degree courses.