Postdoc Position 50-80%

Thank you for your interest in the Postdoc position. We no longer accept application as the vacancy has been filled. 

The University of Zurich (UZH) and New York University (NYU) are seeking talented and otivated individuals to join an international consortium dedicated to advancing the field of digital prediction and intervention for suicidality. We invite applications for the following positions: one postdoctoral researcher at UZH, Zurich, Switzerland (in collaboration with Prof. Sebastian Olbrich and Prof. Birgit Kleim), and one postdoctoral researcher at NYU in New York, USA (in collaboration with Prof. Katharina Schultebraucks).  

MULTICAST is a four-year SNSF-founded project and a collaborative effort between the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, the Department of Psychology of the University of Zurich, the German Department of the University of Zurich, and the Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA. It takes an interdisciplinary approach to the prediction of suicidal ideation (SI) and suicidal behavior (SB) by drawing on key electrophysiological (ECG and EEG), linguistic, psychological, clinical, and neurobiological features. The overarching aim of the project is to broaden our understanding of how suicidal ideation can best be predicted and to develop precise and efficacious  treatment strategies using large language models, smartphone apps and interventional strategies such as transcranial magnetic stimulations (TMS). 

The primary goal of the postdoctoral positions will be to take over responsibilities of a MULTICAST subproject to develop new strategies to handle and treat suicidality using digital and interventional methods and to test these methods in different experiments.  

• Developing and conducting the project in close collaboration with colleagues and supervisors, including naturalistic clinical, experimental and feasibility studies
• Design therapeutic strategies for suicide prevention folloiwng the results of the study
• Using app-based and large-language-model/chatbot based approaches for therapeutic interventions
• Analyzing data, including EEG data (R, Python, Matlab)
• Writing and publishing high-impact manuscripts in disciplinary and interdisciplinary international, peer-reviewed journals
• Presenting research related to this project at national and international conferences
• Supervising a team of researchers, including PhD students

• PhD in psychology and experience in psychotherapeutic work 
• Strong interests in new emerging therapeutic approaches using Large Language Models, smartphone and app based approaches, chatbots
• Advanced programming skills (e.g. python)
• Strong interest in research in the area of neuroscience, psychiatry, clinical psychology
• Strong team player
• Excellent writing skills for scientific publications
• Strong quantitative background; interest in advanced statistics (R, Python, Matlab)
• Ability to work independently
• Proficiency in English (German skills are an asset but not required)

• Opportunity to engage in a theoretically relevant research project of high applied value
• Position will strengthen your research portfolio
• A dynamic, collaborative, interdisciplinary and international research environment with many opportunities to develop your academic career
• Diverse opportunities for networking with international and interdisciplinary researchers as well as industry partners
• Attractive employment according to UZH regulations, flexible working hours
• The University of Zurich is Switzerland`s leading research university with excellent working conditions, competitive salaries, and generous social benefits

UZH, Zurich: Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich, Lenggstrasse 31, 8032 Zurich

The earliest starting date is in November and can be negotiated. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. Please submit your application (CV, motivation letter, two letters of recommendation and two pieces of written work, manuscript or published paper) as a single pdf to: coordination.multicast@bli.uzh.ch or sebastian.olbrich@pukzh.ch.  All questions regarding the post can be addressed to coordination.multicast@bli.uzh.ch.