The NWO-funded project “Accelerating the development of effective psychological treatments for traumatised refugees using Bayesian methodology” is looking for a PhD candidate focused on further developing interventions for traumatised refugees and evaluating these in small-scale studies.

Are you interested in posttraumatic stress and improving and evaluating interventions for vulnerable groups, together with healthcare professionals who carry out treatments on a daily basis? Then this is PhD position may be interesting to you.

Your job
Existing trauma-focused treatments are not always appropriate for traumatised people from refugee backgrounds. This is partly because this group has often experienced multiple shocking events and often lived in circumstances characterised by uncertainty and uncontrollability.

ARQ Centrum'45 is a mental health care institute working to improve care for this group. Utrecht University and ARQ are collaborating in a new NWO-funded project “Accelerating the development of effective psychological treatments for traumatised refugees using Bayesian methodology”. That project is focused on further developing interventions for traumatised refugees and evaluating these in small-scale studies.

The project encompasses two PhD projects: one focused on Bayesian evaluation of single case experimental designs (that is, the methodology that will be used for therapy effect evaluation) and the other focused on treatment development and evaluation. The current vacancy applies to this latter position.

As PhD candidate in this project, your responsibilities will include:

• reviewing existing literature on the treatment of consequences of psychotrauma in migrants and refugees;
• developing and refining protocols for different treatment interventions focused on consequences of trauma and loss, in close collaboration with therapists at ARQ Centrum’45;
• designing, implementing, and monitoring multiple small-scale studies to test treatment protocols, in collaboration with these therapists;
• evaluating the effects of the treatments, using Bayesian methods and statistics;
• writing up findings for publication;
• presenting research findings conferences and workshops;
• being an active member of the local PhD community (attending courses, giving presentations);
• attending classes and seminars (including those offered at other universities) to further develop statistical and research skills;
• conducting teaching (10% of the appointment) to psychology students.

This PhD position may be the right fit for you, if you:

• hold (or nearly hold) a Master’s degree in psychology or a related field;
• have both research experience (from a master’s thesis) and clinical experience (from a clinical internship);
• have good organisational, interpersonal, and communication skills in both Dutch and English;
• are interested in working in an interdisciplinary team consisting of clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists, programmers, and statisticians;
• have affinity with the consequences of psychotrauma in people with a (western and non-western) migration background;
• enjoy conducting research in clinical practice and motivating both clients and care providers (psychotherapists, psychiatrists) to participate in that research.

We offer:

• a position for four years (a working week of 38 hours) or five years (a working week of 30.4 hours) with a trial period of one year;
• a full-time gross monthly salary between €2,872 in the first year and €3,670 in the fourth year (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in cultural anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. Almost 7,000 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 1,100 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues. The PhD candidate employed for this vacancy will be based at the Department of Clinical Psychology.

The faculty strives for diversity among its employees and students and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, as can be read in Utrecht University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

The faculty attaches great importance to the fact that its employees can be widely deployed in the university organisation, now and in the future, to further professionalise the support of education and research. To encourage this, every employee is given the time and facilities – for example in the form of training – at some point in their career to participate in projects or work in other departments. Characteristics that the faculty considers important are involvement, the ability to collaborate and flexibility.

The faculty is located at Utrecht Science Park near the historical city centre of Utrecht.