PhD position: Machine learning for big sleep data

Together with the nearby Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, we are looking for a joint PhD candidate combining data science/AI, wearable EEG technology, and big sleep data.

Most sleep research works with very small data samples. In this project, we will use machine learning to investigate big sleep data, using both large open sleep EEG datasets and unique novel studies with multiple repeated sleep EEG recordings via full polysomnography and sleep EEG wearables in naturalistic home-based settings. The results will be fed back into the development of sleep EEG software and hardware, and clinical applications in psychiatry and neurology.

The successful candidate will lead different research projects within this general framework under supervision of neuroscientists and computer scientists; will be closely involved in daily supervision of MSc students assisting the project; and will participate in the vibrant Donders Graduate School.

Job details
• 4 years 50% PhD position at Rhine-Waal University, campus Kleve
• Writing a grant application in the first year that will allow to increase the position to 75% or 100% expected and supported
• Starting date: not fixed, as soon as possible preferred

Candidate profile
• MSc-level background in Data Science, ML, AI, Computer Sciences, Biomedical Engineering or adjacent field
• Strong background in Machine Learning, Signal Processing and Multivariate Statistics
• Proficiency in Python, C, C++
• Interest in sleep and dream research
• The capacity to participate in a collaborative, interdisciplinary, international research environment
• Fluency in written and spoken English
Candidates who only partially meet this profile are nonetheless strongly encouraged to apply!

Organization
The PhD project is a collaboration between Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (Kleve, Germany) and the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour (Nijmegen, The Netherlands).

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort, Germany, offers an innovative and uniquely international environment with first-rate, interdisciplinary and predominantly English-taught bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. In addition to excellence in teaching, we are also committed to excellence in applied research, particularly in the areas of engineering, technology and the natural and social sciences. The university is home to a student body of over 7,000 students from over 100 countries. Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences sits on the picturesque Lower Rhine between the industrial and economic hub of the Rhine-Ruhr region and the Netherlands. This idyllic, yet central location offers the perfect backdrop for families, as well as excellent connections to bustling metropolitan areas.

The project is further embedded in the infrastructure of the Donders Institute, providing a unique and stimulating learning environment for young researchers, including a high-profile graduate school and in-house methodological expert courses. Sleep research is a vibrant and rapidly growing field at the Donders Institute, with several research groups in human and animal sleep research.

Application
Please apply here until 2 March 2021.