You will be part of the Leuven Childhood Epilepsy Center, a multidisciplinary center of expertise embedded within UZ Leuven and KU Leuven, and affiliated with the Leuven Brain Institute and the Department of Development and Regeneration. The center combines state-of-the-art clinical care with innovative translational research on epilepsy, behavior, cognition, and brain development in children.
You will join a multidisciplinary team with expertise in pediatric neurology, sleep medicine, epilepsy, neurophysiology, polysomnography, cognitive development, and complex neurological disorders. The research group has extensive experience in long-term video-EEG monitoring, analysis of sleep macro- and microarchitecture, developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE), drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), epilepsy surgery, and longitudinal clinical cohort studies.
Within this highly collaborative environment, you will work closely with pediatric neurologists, pulmonologists, sleep specialists, researchers, psychologists, and specialized nurses. The project offers access to unique clinical cohorts, advanced research infrastructure, and intensive scientific supervision within an internationally oriented research environment.
Project
Sleep plays a crucial role in brain development in children and adolescents. However, sleep disturbances and sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) are highly prevalent in children with epilepsy and other complex neurological conditions. These disturbances can significantly impact cognitive functioning, behavior, quality of life, and potentially epileptic activity, yet the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood.
Within this PhD project, you will investigate the interaction between sleep, respiration, and epilepsy in children with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE), developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE), and other complex neurological disorders. The project combines long-term video-EEG monitoring with comprehensive polysomnography to characterize sleep macro- and microarchitecture, epileptic activity, and respiratory parameters during sleep.
The research includes both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, focusing on:
- the prevalence and severity of sleep-related breathing disorders;
- the impact of SRBD on sleep architecture and epileptic activity;
- the relationship between sleep disturbances, cognition, and behavior;
- and the effect of SRBD treatment on sleep, epilepsy, and quality of life.
You will work within a highly multidisciplinary and translational research context at the intersection of pediatric neurology, sleep medicine, and neurophysiology. This project provides access to unique clinical cohorts, advanced research infrastructure, and intensive scientific supervision within KU Leuven and UZ Leuven.
Profile
- You hold a Master’s degree in Biomedical Sciences or a related field. Candidates with a strong interest in translational and clinical research are encouraged to apply.
- You achieved excellent academic results during your Master’s program and have a strong interest in scientific research.
- You have an affinity for pediatric research and, preferably, experience working with children or adolescents.
- You are socially skilled and feel comfortable interacting with children and their families.
- You have a strong interest in sleep, epilepsy, neurodevelopment, and clinical neuroscience.
- You possess excellent analytical skills and are able to critically evaluate scientific literature and research data.
- You have strong writing skills and are proficient in both Dutch and English, spoken and written.
- Experience in clinical research, neurophysiology, EEG/polysomnography, statistics, or data analysis is an advantage, but not required.
- You are able to work independently, take initiative, and perform well within a multidisciplinary team.
- You are a team player who can adapt flexibly to the complexity and dynamics of a university hospital and enjoy collaborating within a multidisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers.
- You are motivated to successfully complete a PhD trajectory within a strong clinical and academic research environment.
Offer
We offer a full-time position with an initial one-year contract, renewable up to a maximum of four years. The aim is for the research to result in a PhD degree after four years.
Interested?
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Katrien Jansen, mail: [email protected] or research manager Sam Geuens, mail: [email protected].
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