PhD: Improving Psychological Treatments for Young People with Depression

at  Universiteit Utrecht

Are you enthusiastic about experimental psychopathopology/Computational Psychiatry, advanced quantitative methods and research with clinical impact? Then this PhD position may be a good fit for you.
In this project we will investigate how individual differences in cognitive mechanisms needed for learning from therapy predict success of psychotherapy for depression. Our goal is to optimise treatments for depression by matching individuals to specific therapeutic procedures based on individual learning capacities of depressed people between 18-25 years of age.

ABOUT US

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

• designing research studies (including stimulus/task development and programming experiments);
• recruitment and collection of human subject data from people with subclinical levels of depression;
• processing and analysing data;
• writing manuscripts for publication;
• writing a dissertation