PhD student (m/f/d) Leibniz-Institut für Resilienzforschung

The Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR) gGmbH is a non-university research institute with the aim of researching the phenomenon of resilience, i.e., the maintenance or rapid recovery of mental health during or after acute or chronic stressful life circumstances. It investigates the mechanisms that mediate resilience, develops interventions that promote resilience and implements effective interventions in healthcare in companies, schools and universities.

The Research Group of Prof. Dr. Raffael Kalisch is looking for a

PhD student (m/f/d)

65 % job scope, limited to 3 years. A possible extension is being sought.

Your tasks include:

• Acquisition of data for a combined electroencephalography–functional magnetic resonance imaging (EEG-fMRI) study investigating the effect of autonomic arousal on the long-term success of fear extinction.
• Analysis of multimodal datasets (EEG, fMRI, ECG, EDA, stress hormones)
• Publication of results
• Participation in collaborative activities of the research group

Your profile:

• Completed scientific university studies in psychology, biology or related disciplines (diploma/master's degree)
• Great interest in the topic of fear extinction, neuroimaging and resilience research
• Willingness and openness to interdisciplinary collaboration with areas of neuroscience and clinical psychology in the scientific project and with other scientists in the research group
• Experience in acquiring EEG, fMRI, or other physiological data
• Basic programming skills in Matlab and/or Python
• Experience in statistical analysis and data management. Knowledge of the statistical software R is desirable.
• Scientific writing skills
• Very good written and spoken English
• Ability to work independently and autonomously
• High level of communication skills, strong team spirit, flexibility, precise, systematic and proactive working style

We offer:

• a challenging, highly dynamic and science-driven working environment with flat hierarchies, responsibility and a great deal of creative freedom
• flexible working hours
• a wide range of training and development opportunities
• an employer-financed pension scheme for non-civil servants in the public sector (VBL)

The fixed-term appointment is governed by the provisions of the German Act on Fixed-Term Employment Contracts in Academia (WissZeitVG). Remuneration is based on pay grade 13 of TV-UM (the framework collective agreement of the University Medical Center Mainz).

The project is funded via a DFG research grant to Drs. Benjamin Meyer and Raffael Kalisch. Either will be happy to answer any technical questions you may have by e-mail (benjamin.meyer@lir-mainz.de; raffael.kalisch@lir-mainz.de).

Have we appealed to you? Then please send us your detailed application by e-mail only, as a single PDF file, including a letter of motivation, a CV, relevant certificates, the names and contact details of two to three referees, and your earliest possible starting date, to recruiting@lir-mainz.de by December 13, 2026. Please enter the reference number LIR_141 in the subject line. 

Women are given preferential consideration for recruitment in the case of equivalent suitability, qualifications and professional performance, insofar and as long as there is an under-representation. This does not apply if there are such serious reasons in the person of an applicant that they outweigh the requirement for equal opportunities for women. Severely disabled applicants with equal qualifications will be given preference (proof required). 

www.lir-mainz.de

Data protection information:

Your personal data contained in the application documents or, if applicable, obtained in the interview will be processed exclusively for the purpose of the selection procedure for this advertised position. 

The legal basis for data processing in the application process and as part of the personnel file is Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG and Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR and, if you have given your consent, for example by sending information that is not necessary for the application process, Art. 6 (1) (a) GDPR. The legal basis for data processing after a rejection is Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR. The legal basis for storage under budgetary and tax law is Art. 6 para. 1 lit. c GDPR in conjunction with § SECTION 147 AO. Legitimate interest in processing based on Art. 6 para. 1 lit. (f) GDPR is the defense against legal claims. 

As a rule, we do not require any special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 GDPR for the application process. We ask you not to send us any such information from the outset. If such information is exceptionally relevant to the application process, we will process it together with your other applicant data. This may, for example, concern information about a severe disability, which you can provide to us voluntarily and which we then must process in order to fulfill our special obligations with regard to severely disabled persons. In these cases, the processing serves the exercise of rights or the fulfillment of legal obligations arising from labor law, social security law and social protection. The legal basis for data processing is then Art. 9 para. 2 lit. b GDPR, §§ 26 para. 3 BDSG, 164 SGB IX. In exceptional cases, it may be necessary to obtain information about your health or a disability or information from the Federal Central Criminal Register, i.e. about previous convictions, in order to assess your suitability for the intended job. The legal basis for this is § 26 BDSG. 

The person responsible for the application procedure is the addressee of the application specified below in this call for applications. 

As part of the application process within the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research (LIR), your personal data will be passed on to Members of the selection committee, the personnel administration, the equal opportunities officer, the representative for severely disabled persons and, if applicable, the works council within the scope of their organizational or legal responsibilities. 

Your personal data will be deleted no later than six months after completion of the selection process. According to the GDPR, you have the following rights vis-à-vis the addressee of the application if the relevant legal requirements are met right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), right to rectification of inaccurate personal data (Art. 16 GDPR); data erasure (Art. 17 GDPR), restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR) and objection to processing (Art. 21 GDPR). 

If you have any questions, you can contact the LIR data protection officer (datenschutzbeauftragte@lir-mainz.de). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Rhineland-Palatinate Data Protection Officer. Link to the privacy policy of LIR gGmbH: https://lir-mainz.de/datenschutz