Open Positions

Description:
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of disability in the young and working population and is well known to be the most common external risk factor for dementia. Up to 90% of all TBI patients are initially classified as mild injured with half of these patients suffering from an incomplete recovery with various neuropsychiatric sequels albeit no visible brain pathology using the current state-of-the art diagnostics. Therefore, we conduct a prospective, longitudinal, and confirmatory quantitative research study in adolescents and adults at the University Hospital Zurich including multimodal assessments (cognition, sleep, psychiatric burden, blood markers, gut microbiome) and advanced neuroimaging to investigate changes in brain morphology, volumetry, connectivity and metabolic changes over 12 months. The overarching goal of this consortium clinical study is to develop a new diagnostic algorithm that will help to identify TBI patients at risk of an unfavorable outcome early.

Education:
PhD position (60-70%) currently funded for 24 months for highly motivated and talented researchers (3rd and 4th year will be covered after receiving additional funding)
Learn about frontal lobe dysfunction and their relevance for cognitive and neuropsychiatric outcome after mild TBI
Excellent infrastructure for training, scientific guidance within the Department of Neuroradiology and within the PhD program of the Center for Neuroscience (ZNZ) Zurich
International scientific and clinical collaborations within the Neurotrauma and Neuroimaging networks, and publishing in high-ranked peer-reviewed international journals

Requirements:
Highly qualified and motivated students holding an MSc in Neuroscience or Neuroradiology or Psychology or Biomedical Engineering or equivalent or aiming for a MD/PhD
Candidates with very good German (C2) and English skills (C1)
Hands-on experience in MR imaging .
Approved knowledge in Python, MATLAB, R coding

Keywords: Mild traumatic brain injury, brain connectivity, MRI, MR-spectroscopy, brain metabolism, glymphatic clearance, fMRI resting state, neuropsychiatric burden including cognitive, affective, and sleep disorders after mild TBI

Start Date: June 15, 2026 or later

Work Location: Institute of Emergency Medicine & Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich

Contact: Please apply by mail including your motivational letter, CV and certificates by May 15, 2026:

AG Rauen Neuropsychiatry
PD Dr. med. Katrin Rauen, FEBN
Senior Research Associate
Institute of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital Zurich
Junior Research Group Leader, ZNZ, Zurich
katrin.rauen@uzh.ch

Prof. Dr. phil. Lars Michels
Senior Assistant
Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich
Research Group Leader, ZNZ, Zurich
Lars.michels@usz.ch