Job description
Over 80 multidisciplinary scientists from six Dutch Universities collaborate around the theme ‘stress in daily life’. Divided into three Research Themes and three Support Cores, the Stress-in-Action consortium will validate daily-life stress assessments, examine which contextual factors contribute to the experience of daily-life stress, and examine how daily-life stress leads to the development of both mental and cardiometabolic diseases. The project is funded through the Dutch Scientific Organisation under the Gravitation program. More details can be found here.
The goal of the Dutch research program Stress in Action is to measure stress in daily life by using wearables (e.g. Garmin watches), smartphones (e.g. EMA, mPath), passive sensing and small cognitive tasks.
Challenges that will be targeted in this project are how to do (real-time) integration of subjective and objective user data, design non-intrusive and fair motivational feedback strategies, optimisation of presenting cognitive tasks and self-report, and designing and presenting a personalised end report in an appealing and user-friendly way to promote self-autonomy.
In the coming years, the goal is to monitor large-scale cohorts for 3 months. The monitoring and feedback systems need to be smart, user-friendly, and morally responsible, taking into account the personal values of the participants in the cohort. The basic infrastructure for monitoring is ready. In this project you will work under supervision of scientists of the HMI group and the UMCG in Groningen.
Your profile
- You are an enthusiastic and highly motivated researcher.
- You have, or will shortly, acquire a PhD degree in the field of Human-Computer Interaction, Interaction Design or Interaction Technology or equivalent
- Ideally, you have experience with (contributing to) developing monitoring and feedback systems and motivational feedback strategies
- You have a creative mindset and excellent analytical and communication skills.
- You have a good team spirit and like to work in an interdisciplinary and internationally oriented environment.
- You are proficient in English.
- You enjoy working together in a large project consortium.
Our offer
- You will be appointed for a maximum period of 3 years full-time within a very stimulating scientific environment. The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues.
- Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU);
- Gross salary between € 3.546,- (step 0) and € 5.538,- (step 12) per month depending on experience and qualifications;
- Excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, a year-end bonus of 8.3% and a solid pension scheme;
- The flexibility to work (partially) from home;
- Free access to sports facilities on campus
- A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis.
- Excellent support for research and facilities for professional and personal development.
- We encourage a high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other university staff.
- We are also a family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid) and career support for partners.
Information and application
Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below before September 1, 2026, and include:
- A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of all courses attended and grades obtained, and, if applicable, a list of publications and references.
- A cover letter (maximum 2 pages A4), emphasising your specific interest, qualifications, and motivations to apply for this position.
- Proof of English proficiency (IELTS or TOEFL)
- Contact details for two references
For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact dr. ir. Randy Klaassen via [email protected].
Screening is part of the selection process.
About the department
The Human Media Interaction group does research into multimodal interaction: from brain-computer interfaces to social robots and from sensor technologies to interactive sports and play systems. Many projects at the HMI group delve into how such interactive technologies may be used to support or better understand sports, play, and learning. The HMI group is a multidisciplinary group of enthusiastic, kind, and passionate researchers with an open mind to science and society. We also connect with other groups such as Industrial Design and Biomedical Signals and Systems in university-wide collaborations such as the TechMed Centre and the Design Lab
About the organisation
The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) uses mathematics, electronics and computer technology to contribute to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With ICT present in almost every device and product we use nowadays, we embrace our role as contributors to a broad range of societal activities and as pioneers of tomorrow's digital society. As part of a tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.
