Are you ready to push the boundaries in immersive technologies, health education and adaptive learning? Join us at the Cardiac Surgery Innovations Lab and Life Long Professional Learning Lab!

This 4-year PhD position is part of the INSIDE:INSIGHT project and allows you to work in an innovative interdisciplinary environment, collaborating on groundbreaking research at the frontier of health professions education.

As a PhD candidate, you’ll play a central role in building a multimodal system to monitor the performance of health professionals while learning to perform technical medical interventions, such as bronchoscopy or thoracic surgery. Using sensor and mixed reality technology will provide continuous and objective performance feedback. Emphasis will be placed on identifying effective error-recovery strategies, as these are essential for patient safety and the professional development of healthcare trainees. You will integrate data from quantitative and qualitative studies to enable the detection of subtle and quick changes in a learner's skill acquisition process. This innovative, multimodal approach results in a more comprehensive understanding of the learning process, of factors affecting performance, and of the trainees’ abilities, experiencing what it means to patients and for them to make mistakes, allowing for more targeted feedback and training. You will bridge and combine knowledge from various fields, including medicine, technology, educational sciences, and data analysis.

Key Responsibilities
As part of our international team, you will:

• Develop a multimodal system using sensor and mixed reality technology to monitor the learning processes of health professionals.
• Develop a taxonomy of error-recovery strategies based on effectiveness, adaptability and impact on patient safety.
• Validate the system in training programs for healthcare professions for technical-medical interventions.
• Collaborate with experts in technical medicine, (bio)medical engineering, data science, and educational psychology to contribute to developing, implementing, and evaluating digital tools for education in healthcare professions.
• Be part of the European Marie Skodowska-Curie Actions network, incl. international collaborations with and visits of our partners in Belgium and Germany.

We are seeking candidates with:

• A keen interest in simulation- and sensor-based performance monitoring and assessment.
• Interest in educational design and evaluation, statistical analysis and data processing (e.g., motion sensors, learning analytics).
• A collaborative spirit, ready to work with interdisciplinary teams across simulation, health professions education and engineering.
• Proficiency in English.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in fields like Educational Sciences, (Bio)medical Engineering, Technical Medicine, Psychology, or a related field.
• Proven analytical skills and experience with simulation- and/or sensor-based technology.
• Proficiency in analysis of quantitative and qualitative data and educational design.
• Strong communication and teamwork abilities in a research setting.

This is an exciting opportunity to engage in high-impact research with the potential to transform education of healthcare professions. If you’re motivated by innovative problem-solving, interdisciplinary collaboration, and powerful applications of simulation in healthcare, we encourage you to apply and contribute to a future where healthcare professionals gain 3D insight into the human body using innovative educational technologies!

We offer a position with a generous allowance:

• A full-time 4-year position with 30% tax ruling option and a pension scheme.
• A salary of € 2872,- during the first year, increasing to € 3670,- in the fourth year.
• Holiday and end-of-year bonuses.
• A minimum of 29 days of holidays.
• Professional and personal development programs.
• Access to TechMed Centre’s outstanding facilities.
• Proximity to Enschede, a mid-size city with a large social offer, immersed in the nature of the Twente region.
• Fun work atmosphere with social lab retreats.

Apply by 15 December 2024. Applications must include the following documents:

• A cover letter (1-page max) specifying how your experience and skills match the position as well as summarizing work in your masters.
• A CV including English proficiency level, nationality, visa requirements, date of birth, experience overview, and publication list.
• Contact information for at least two academic references. A support letter will be requested only if your application is considered.

The first-round interview will be scheduled in the week of 6 January 2025.

For questions, please contact dr. Marleen Groenier, mail: m.groenier@utwente.nl.

Please, only apply via the web platform and not via email.