Research assistant / PhD position (EU Researcher) (f/m/d)

The BRAINET consortium tries to augment deep brain stimulation with spatio-temporal Interference Stimulation (stIS). We will beneficially influence therapeutic regions deep in the brain without requiring deep seated electrodes.

BRAINET sets out to develop skull implantable stimulation hubs forming a communication network for 3D targeting by self-organization, providing semantic information transfer and synchronization, and thus enabling selfadjusting therapeutic stIS. These stimulation hubs will be powered by novel magneto-electrical transducer stacks, driven by slowly alternating magnetic fields from the outside and will perform adjustable frequency stimulation by novel nano-modified, compliant electrodes only touching the brain. Network formation will be enabled by multiphysics approaches and ionic in-body communication instantiated by dedicated microelectronic hardware. Preclinical in-vitro and in-vivo testing of devices and methods will allow real world validation of this unusual Brain-Computer Interface (BCI).

Your tasks

The position includes the following responsibilities:

• Develop advanced current flow models (digital twins)
• Perform comprehensive uncertainty analyses with respect to electrical conductivity and tissue geometry
• Develop optimization strategies to identify optimal placement sites for the newly developed interference stimulation device generation.

Your profile

For being part of the selection process is needed:

Candidates should hold a Master degree, entitling to pursue doctoral studies, in Engineering, preferably in electrical engineering or biomedical engineering.

Following competences are desirable:

Knowledge in numerical field computation Knowledge in

• numerical field computation
• Finite element applications for stationary electric fields
• Boundary element applications for stationary electric fields
• Transcranial electric stimulation in humans
• Temporal interference stimulation
• Polynomial chaos for conductivity analysis
• Pareto front optimization for electrode configurations

Please provide evidence of the qualifications required for the job by certificates and references.

The position is not suitable for part-time employment.

Candidates can be of any nationality and must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies etc) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment. The candidate must not be already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. The eligibility of the researcher will be determined at the date of their first recruitment in the action.

Eligible applicants will undergo a pre-selection evaluation based on the CV, experience and skills. Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview with the evaluation committee members, potentially by online conferencing.

The job interviews will be placed in calenderer week 10/2026 and 14/2026.

The employer gross sum per month includes the monthly living allowance as well as the mobility allowance and will be an amount of 4.768,12 € from which the employer and employee social security fees and taxes will be deducted. Further allowances (family and special needs allowance) will be added to the employer gross sum if the selected candidate meets specific criteria (find more in the 2025 MSCA workprogramme from page 118 on (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/wp-call/2023-2024/wp-2-msca-actions_horizon-2023-2024_en.pdf)

What we offer you:

• vacation entitlement of 30 days in the calendar year and additional days off on 24 / 31 December.
• family-friendly, flexible working time model
• wide range of individual training opportunities
• extensive health and sports programs
• respectful working environment at a renowned university