PhD Position in Social Cognition and ASD

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to investigate the links between the gut, brain, social cognition and social networks in young adults with ASD.

Your role

As part of the PhD, you will contribute to the development of innovative cognitive markers of social skills and social motivation. You will recruit young adults with varying levels of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) traits and participate in the collection of various types of data (behavioural tasks/questionnaires, eye tracking, MRI/fMRI, biological samples, and sociogram). 

The analyses will examine the links between the gut, brain, social cognition and social networks in ASD. You will participate in dissemination activities involving various stakeholders engaged in social inclusion, education and mental health policy. You will prepare publications for leading scientific journals and present your work at international scientific conferences.

Testing sessions and interactions with external stakeholders will mainly be conducted in French. 

The PhD will be carried out at UCLouvain (Psychological Sciences Research Institute and Institute of Neuroscience) as part of an interdisciplinary consortium of 4 principal investigators in the fields of gut microbiome biology (Prof. Sophie Leclercq), neuropsychiatry (Prof. Philippe de Timary), cognitive neuroscience (Prof. Dana Samson) and sociology (Prof. Vincent Lorant). Day-to-day supervision will be provided by Prof. Dana Samson and Prof. Philippe de Timary. Activities will be carried out in close collaborations with other PhD and Post-docs of the consortium.

About UCLouvain

The Psychological Sciences Research Institute (IPSY) at UCLouvain has a strong international reputation and is ranked 80th worldwide in Psychology in the QS World University Rankings 2025. IPSY offers a dynamic, international, and collaborative research environment, bringing together around 50 permanent academic staff and more than 150 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. The Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS) federates neuroscience research at UCLouvain. It hosts a network of over 300 scientists and supporting staff, committed to advancing translational research in neuroscience. 

Candidate profile

• Master’s degree in Psychological Sciences (120 ECTS), to be completed before the start of the position, and awarded with at least the equivalent of a distinction.

• Strong quantitative data analysis skills.

• Fluency in French (C1 or higher) and English (B2 or higher) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

• Previous experience working with ASD is an advantage.

• Openness to interdisciplinary research.

• Good collaborative skills.

• Willingness to travel regularly between Louvain-la-Neuve and Woluwe (Brussels) for data collection.

• Willingness to participate in outreach and public engagement activities.

The offer

• A full-time UCLouvain-funded PhD scholarship for four years. The bursary follows the standard PhD scholarship rates in Belgium.

• A stimulating research and training environment at UCLouvain with frequent interactions with PhD students and researchers across the consortium’s international collaboration network.

UCLouvain is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, disability, ethnic or social background, nationality, or other personal characteristics.

Application procedure

Please send the following documents as a single PDF file to dana.samson@uclouvain.be:

1. A full CV 

2. Transcripts of your Master’s degree.

3. A motivation letter. 

4. Names and contact details of two referees (reference letters are NOT required at this stage).

Deadline for applications: 5 August (23:59 CET)

After an initial selection, shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview at UCLouvain. Online interviews can be arranged if needed. Interviews will take place end of August 2026.

The position can start on 15 September 2026, or at a later date by mutual agreement.