Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands invites online Application for number of Fully Funded PhD Degree at various Departments. We are providing a list of Fully Funded PhD Programs available at Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Eligible candidate may Apply as soon as possible.
(01) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Dynamic Modelling of Vegetation Responses to Nature Restoration Actions
As a result of increasing human activities across the globe, many landscapes have become degraded. In Europe, over 80% of habitats are in poor condition, and 75% of the species have a poor conservation status. Restoration is proposed as a vital strategy for the long-term and sustained recovery of biodiverse and resilient European ecosystems, but a lot is still unknown regarding the time- and context-dependent responses of species and habitats to restoration measures.
In this project you will build upon existing dynamic vegetation models to simulate the effects of different types of restoration actions on habitats across Europe. You will review existing dynamic vegetation models that can simulate recolonisation processes and vegetation succession in response to a wide range of restoration approaches—from reducing environmental pressures to implementing targeted interventions such as disturbance control or seed sowing. You will then select and further develop a dynamic vegetation model so that it can account for key external drivers, for example climate change and nitrogen deposition, on vegetation growth and development. Using this extended dynamic vegetation model, you will evaluate both the potential benefits of restoration measures and the degree to which global changes, such as shifts in climate and land use, may limit their effectiveness. Finally, you will apply the extended model to selected regions across Europe to simulate how different restoration actions are likely to influence habitat trajectories and outcomes.
Deadline : 31 May 2026
(02) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title:
PhD/Postdoc Position: Modelling the Effects of Nature-inclusive Agriculture and Forestry on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
The expansion and intensification of agriculture and forestry are among the primary drivers of global biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystem services. Nature-inclusive agriculture and forestry are proposed as strategies to conserve and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services. However, the benefits of nature-inclusive agriculture to biodiversity and ecosystem services are not yet fully understood.
In this position, you will apply meta-analytical approaches to quantify and understand the effects of nature-inclusive agriculture and forestry on biodiversity (e.g. species diversity and species abundance) and ecosystem services (e.g. pollination and carbon sequestration). You will also investigate how these effects depend on local context. Next, you will use the meta-analytical models in combination with spatial conservation prioritisation models to identify areas where restoration measures have synergistic effects on biodiversity, ecosystem services and productivity.
Deadline : 31 May 2026
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(03) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Computational Affective Neuroscience and Ultrasound Neuromodulation
Why do some people remain calm and make flexible decisions under stress, while others freeze or flee? HEART2ADAPT aims to answer this question. We are developing a new model to understand how heart – brain interactions shape decision making under threat and support adaptation in dynamic environments.
Using state-of-the-art methods to track brain and bodily signals, we will investigate how stress influences decision-making in healthy participants and in patients with anxiety disorders. A key component of this PhD project is testing causal mechanisms using ultrasonic neuromodulation, a novel technique to non-invasively reach deep brain targets that we will combine with behavioral and fMRI measurements.
Funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant, HEART2ADAPT offers you the opportunity to contribute to protocol development, data collection and computational modelling of behavioural and neural data. You will apply ultrasound stimulation to key nodes of our model, including the amygdala, ventral striatum and dorsal ACC.
Deadline : 31 May 2026
(04) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Finding the Missing Link between Aβ Exposure and Inhibitory Synaptic Defects
One of the main reasons that there is no treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is that cellular mechanisms of the disease onset and progression are not well understood. AD is a slowly progressing disease. Long before cognitive and behavioural symptoms occur, the level of Aβ oligomers in the brain are slowly rising, causing synaptic defects and network hyperexcitability. Hyperexcitable networks have been widely observed in AD patients and can be reproduced in a wide range of AD mouse models with progressing Aβ levels. Preventing or delaying hyperexcitability can delay or prevent cognitive impairments, indicating that hyperexcitability in early AD stages is a crucial factor in the progression of the disease. An increasing number of studies (including from our lab: Ruiter et al, J Alz Dis 2020) are demonstrating that inhibitory circuits are specifically vulnerable to Aβ in the brain, which could underlie the enhanced excitability in neuronal networks observed at early AD stages. However, the molecular mechanism of the vulnerability of inhibitory synapses is not well understood.
Research in the Wierenga lab focuses on the formation and plasticity of inhibitory synapses. In this project, you will use a combination of single-cell electrophysiology, advanced microscopy techniques and novel biosensors to characterise synaptic defects at inhibitory synapses in cultured brain slices that have been exposed to amyloid β oligomers. You will use the novel iGABASnFR2 sensors in slices from transgenic mice to monitor Aβ-mediated alterations in GABA release at specific subtypes of inhibitory synapses. In parallel, you will monitor molecular and electrophysiological changes to assess the involvement of specific signalling pathways. Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.
Deadline : 14 June 2026
(05) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Single-Cell Gene Expression Dynamics
Every cell in our body faces a fundamental challenge: how to make precise decisions in a noisy, ever-changing environment. In cancer, pathogens and developing embryos, cells harness or suppress random fluctuations in protein levels to drive diversification, survival or fate transitions (see Trends in Genetics 2026, 42, 3, 240-254 for our recent review). Your task as a PhD candidate is to decode the molecular programmes that amplify or dampen gene expression noise.
You will delve into the quantitative biology of gene expression noise, developing and applying novel computational approaches to measure and model how cells regulate random fluctuations in protein levels and how this impacts cellular behaviour. In collaboration with Prof. Boudewijn Burgering at UMCU, this project goes beyond traditional genetic explanations, seeking to uncover how non-genetic variability shapes cell fate decisions.
Your work will focus on pioneering techniques to quantify noise across multiple data types, integrating different sequencing modalities, proteomics, advanced imaging and mathematical modelling. Ultimately, you will identify the molecular mechanisms that cells use to either enhance or suppress noise, revealing new principles of cellular decision-making.
Deadline : 28 May 2026
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(06) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Peptide Formulations
Peptide-based systems are emerging as versatile building blocks for next-generation therapeutic modalities and bio-based materials. While the accessible space of possible peptide sequences and formulation protocols is vast, only a small fraction yields systems with favourable formulation and functional properties. The rise of automation and advanced data analysis methods promises to make targeted navigation of this large space possible.
In this project, you will work at the frontier of peptide science, focusing on the formulation and characterisation of functional peptide systems that have relevance as, for instance, emerging therapeutic modalities or bio-based surfactants. Using advanced peptide synthesis and automated analytical techniques, you will explore how molecular design, formulation strategies and environmental parameters shape the structure–function relationships of these peptide-based bio-actives and materials. Automation and standardised data analysis workflows will support robust interpretation and comparison across complex experimental datasets.
In close collaboration with experts in data science and machine learning, you will produce results that should lead to the development of data-driven frameworks that guide our understanding of next-generation peptide systems. These insights will be validated experimentally, enabling iterative refinement and opening pathways toward innovative biomedical applications, including delivery platforms and regenerative therapies. The project is inherently exploratory, with scope to evolve as new scientific opportunities and technological directions emerge.
Deadline : 31 May 2026
(07) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Single Molecule Biophysics
The precise packaging of DNA by structural proteins is fundamental to maintaining genome integrity and regulating cellular function. These structural proteins govern the physical topology of the genome, translating molecular-level interactions into the large-scale architecture required for living cells. Disruptions in these structural processes are often linked to severe genetic disorders and cancer, underscoring the importance of understanding their mechanics. Our lab employs single-molecule biophysics to investigate the fundamental properties of protein-DNA interactions.
In this project, you will use optical tweezers to probe the dynamics and force-responses of structural proteins at the single-molecule level. The goal is to uncover the physical principles that drive DNA organisation and how their dysfunction contributes to disease.
We are seeking a scientist with a strong interest in chromatin biology who is eager to engage in multidisciplinary research. You will join the Chromatin Biophysics group at the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences under the supervision of Dr Jorine Eeftens. You will work closely with fellow group members in a multidisciplinary team, ranging from physicists to medical biologists. Our group maintains strong connections with the Institute for Molecules and Materials, providing ample opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration within the institutes and with external partners. You will assist in interdisciplinary teaching, with a teaching load up to 10% of your working time.
Deadline : 31 May 2026
(08) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: The Cellular Basis of Plant Regeneration
Plants have the fascinating ability to regenerate from a single cell or a damaged tissue. This ability requires extensive changes in, amongst other things, cell programming and patterning. Current methods for hormone-induced regeneration in tissue culture often give limited and unpredictable results. Even in optimal conditions only a few cells or groups of cells make the switch to regeneration and yet fewer manage to form the organised cell patterns of a new shoot or root. Cell and tissue polarity guide, for example, local accumulation of molecules and cell division patterns, which are essential processes during regeneration. In this PhD project, you will combine studies on cell polarity, cell division and plant hormones to investigate how cellular patterns and signals help specific cells to switch to regeneration and be successful.
Reliable and reproducible plant regeneration is a key factor for successful propagation of many crops, yet detailed insights in their regeneration processes are limited. In this project, you will use tomato as a main model species, supplemented with work in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Deadline : 29 May 2026
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(09) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position: Analysis and Geometry on Manifolds and Foliations
The Department of Mathematics is seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate for a research position funded by the NWO ENW-M2 project ‘New invariants of singular foliations’. This project is about developing and applying new invariants of singular foliations. Key tools to be used are (Lie) groupoids, cyclic cohomology, C*-algebras, K-theory, index theory, and general geometry and analysis on manifolds.
The PhD project will be supervised by Dr Peter Hochs. This project involves collaboration with Dr Hessel Posthuma at the University of Amsterdam and another PhD candidate under Dr Posthuma’s supervision. We will support you throughout the PhD process to engage in research, participate in local, national and international meetings and report on your results in scientific publications. This position has a light teaching load of up to 10% of your working time.
Deadline : 24 May 2026
About Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands –Official Website
Radboud University is a public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The university bears the name of Saint Radboud, a 9th century Dutch bishop who was known for his intellect and support of the underprivileged.
Established in 1923, Radboud University has consistently been included in the top 150 of universities in the world by four major university ranking tables. As of 2020, it ranks 105th in the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities. Internationally, RU is known for its strong research output. In 2019, 447 PhD degrees were awarded, and 7.571 scientific articles were published. To bolster the international exchange of academic knowledge, Radboud University joined the Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities in 2016.
Located on a green campus in the southern Heyendaal neighbourhood of Nijmegen, the campus houses 7 faculties that conduct teaching and research in Arts, Law, Management, Medical Sciences, Social Sciences and Theology, Philosophy and Religious Studies. In addition to these faculties, the campus also hosts the Max Plank Institute for Psycholinguistics, a world class research centre devoted to the understanding of human language and communication.
Among its alumni Radboud University counts 12 Spinoza Prize laureates and 1 Nobel Prize laureate, Sir Konstantin Novoselov, the discoverer of graphene. Other notable alumni include former Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dries van Agt, former chairman of Unilever Marijn Emmanuel Dekkers, influential priest and theologian Henri Nouwen, and First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans. Former students have also won 3 Olympic medals since 2000 (all in rowing).
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