For a DFG-funded project in opioid use disorder, Translational Addiction Research group are seeking a highly motivated Postdoctoral Researcher (m/f/d) to investigate the impact of long-term heroin use on brain function, hormone levels, and behaviour in individuals with opioid addiction. The study will be conducted in collaboration with the University of Cambridge (UK) and will be based at the Clinic for Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine at the Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) in Mannheim.
This position will be offered on a fixed-term contract for 36 months with the possibility of an extension. Working time volume: 100 % | Entry date: October 2026 (closing date for applications: 1st July 2026)
Your Responsibilities
• Recruitment of patients with opioid use disorder and healthy control volunteers
• Day-to-day research activities including telephone and in-person screening procedures, neurocognitive testing, and psychiatric screening
• Liaison between clinicians and research facilities to ensure the smooth running of the project
• Assistance with MRI scanning
• Data curation and cleaning/quality control
• Statistical analyses of behavioural, cognitive and MRI data
• Writing scientific papers for publication
• Research visits to Cambridge (UK)
Your Profile
• A PhD in Psychology, Neuroscience, or a related discipline
• Previous research experience in relevant research projects
• Strong statistical analysis skills and a solid grounding in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience
• Experience with the collection and analysis of neuroimaging data
• Strong interest in clinical research and a solid background in research methods and advanced statistics
• Programming skills in MATLAB, Unix, Python, and/or R
• Strong planning, organisational, and interpersonal skills, attention to detail, excellent time management, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Proficient in spoken and written German and fluent in spoken and written English
• Experience working with adults with mental illness
• Experience recruiting participants or patients with mental health conditions into research studies
• A track record of first-author publications
Contact
Prof. Dr. Karen Ersche | Head of Translational Addiction Research | Tel. +44 1223 336587
E-mail: karen.ersche@zi-mannheim.de | ke220@cam.ac.uk
Posted on 24/06/2026
