PhD Candidate Psychology

Directorate of Teaching and Research

from 1 October 2026 or by arrangement (limited to 3 years with possibility of extension)

Do you want to conduct research with societal relevance, contribute to the early detection of mental illnesses, and help develop a young research field? Then you are exactly right with us! Within the framework of the EARLY study, you will accompany children, adolescents and their parents in an already ongoing, well-characterised longitudinal study. Together we examine the development of personality functions, traits, psychopathology and attachment to better understand developmental trajectories and risk factors and to enable clinical risk stratification in the future. In addition, you will work on the evaluation of free-text responses using Large Language Models (LLM) and identify linguistic markers of impaired personality development. With the start of the first follow-up survey in autumn 2026, you have the ideal entry point for a dissertation. You can expect a varied research environment with a lot of personal responsibility and scope for design: You take responsibility for your own subprojects, publish as first author and develop a pioneering competence profile at the interface of clinical psychology and Natural Language Processing (NLP)/Large Language Models (LLM). You will benefit from structured scientific supervision, attractive further training and conference opportunities, an interdisciplinary and internationally networked research team, as well as remuneration according to the guidelines of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

Your tasks

• You prepare complex longitudinal data, analyse and interpret it using R or Python
• You develop and use modern LLM and NLP methods to analyse free-text data
• You publish scientific results and present them at national and international conferences
• You conduct data collection, including diagnostic interviews, and support study participants throughout the entire study process
• You maintain and manage the study database and ensure high data quality
• You support the co-supervision of master’s students and interns
• Your research makes an important contribution to the early detection of mental illnesses in children and adolescents

Your profile

• You have a completed master’s degree in psychology
• You have very good statistical knowledge and practical experience in data analysis
• You bring solid programming skills in R or Python
• You are curious about innovative methods – especially in the area of LLM and text analysis
• You work independently, in a structured and conscientious manner
• You enjoy working with different professions as well as with young people and their families
• You have very good German and English skills
• Advantageous – but not mandatory: You have already gained initial experience with NLP/text data or clinical-diagnostic interviews

Your contacts

Dr med Marc Birkhölzer

Marc Birkhölzer answers your specialist questions: T: +41 58 630 81 71

If you have questions about the application process, please contact

Nicole Portner

Email: bewerbungen@upd.ch T: +41 58 630 96 71

The UPZ

The University Psychiatric Centre Bern (UPZ) is the leading competence centre for psychiatry and psychotherapy in the capital region as a university clinic. It ensures psychiatric care in the canton of Bern along the entire care chain, from early detection through outpatient, day clinic and inpatient therapies to rehabilitation and forensics. With over 30 locations, the UPZ offers a comprehensive care network. In addition, the UPZ makes an important contribution in the areas of teaching, training and further education as well as research.

Learn more

https://jobs.upz-bern.ch/de/warum-upz

Your workplace

Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60