Postdoctoral scientist Translational vision science and ophthalmology

The position is with the Laboratory of Experimental Ophthalmology of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in the Netherlands. The UMCG is one of the largest academic hospitals in the Netherlands. The RUG, to which UMCG belongs, ranks amongst the top-100 of research universities world-wide according to leading rankings. More than 10,000 employees provide patient care, are involved in medical education, and perform cutting-edge scientific research focused on the theme of enabling people to live more healthy and independently.

Through a long-running series of European training grants, the Laboratory of Experimental Ophthalmology closely collaborates with leading vision science and ophthalmology groups throughout Europe. In our mobility and rehabilitation research, we have a strong collaboration with Royal Dutch Visio, a leading rehabilitation center in the Netherlands. The position is based in Groningen, which is a lively and historic university city in a relatively quiet part of the Netherlands that facilitates a high quality-of-life.

We have an immediate position available for a postdoctoral translational vision scientist with an interest in physiological optics, mobility, and eye-movement research, as well as ophthalmic testing. We are seeking someone with a proven track record in one or more of the following: psychophysics, optics, computational modelling, eye-movement research, extended reality, ophthalmic testing, including experience in developing stimuli and analyses (e.g. Matlab- or python-based). You need to be a self-driven team player with an interest in both applied and fundamental vision research and be able to communicate well with both clinical and industry partners.

The overall aim of the offered position is to do research into understanding the role of vision in enabling healthy and independent living. In this context, your main tasks and responsibilities will be to perform research related to mobility using VR, as well as eye-movement-based perimetric techniques. Part of your time will be available for you to develop and pursue your own research interests, in line with the above aim.

You will be part of a team of highly motivated vision scientists and ophthalmologists, who are working on a variety of topics with the field of translational vision science and ophthalmology.

You will closely collaborate with staff members of our department and industry partners, other postdocs, co-supervise PhD- and master-students, contribute to our teaching in perception, biomedical engineering, and visual neuroscience, and maintain and adhere to lab and institutional protocols, such as ethical guidelines and data-management. This position will be funded primarily through industry grants.

For us, you are an ideal candidate if you have:

• an interest in translational studies;
• a PhD in a relevant field;
• experience in performing high-quality psychophysics research;
• a deep knowledge of data analyses and statistics, ideally in R;
• experience in developing stimuli for mobility, eye-tracking, physiological optics, and virtual reality studies;
• good programming skills, ideally in Matlab and/or Python;
• a computational attitude towards doing vision science;
• an academic track record with first author papers.

And:

• can communicate clearly and enthusiastically about your science in English, both verbally and in writing;
• an ability to communicate with research participants in Dutch will be considered an advantage, but is not an initial requirement;
• enjoy working in an international environment;
• are a team player who can work with professionals of various backgrounds;
• are available to start on a relatively short notice (ideally summer 2026).

• A challenging postdoc position (32-36h/week);
• Embedding in an inspiring multidisciplinary research environment;
• A stimulating academic environment with room for professional and social engagement;
• An employment contract of 36 hours per week, initially for 2 year, with the intention to extend;
• Intended start date asap;
• A maximum gross monthly salary of € 5,867 (salary scale 10 from July 2026) depending on relevant scientific work experience.
• Additionally, the UMCG offers an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% year-end bonus.
• The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for Medical Centres (CAO-UMC).

To apply, send your CV, application letter, and a proposal for your own research line that you would like to develop (max. 2 A4) to: x@umcg.nl . In the interest of transparency, we do not mind if you make use of AI when writing your letter, proposal or CV, but if you do, we expect that you indicate how you used it in each of these. If you did not use AI, please feel free to indicate so as well.

Link
www.visualneuroscience.nl

Please use the the digital application form at the bottom of this page - only these will be processed. You can apply until 10 June 2026. Within half an hour after sending the digital application form you will receive an email- confirmation with further information.