About the position
Over the past decades, there has been a sharp increase in the number of infants surviving preterm birth and an accompanying rise in the incidence of major (neuro-)developmental and behavioural disabilities in this vulnerable population. Since preterm neonates are typically admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), it is essential to understand how the NICU environment can be optimized to improve long-term outcomes. A promising, non-invasive and cost-effective strategy is the improvement of (day)light exposure in the NICU.

We offer a 4-year full-time (1.0FTE) PhD position. Your project will focus on investigating the effect of (day)light exposure on the development of preterm infants admitted to the NICU, with the ultimate ambition to improve their clinical outcomes and quality of life. This is an interdisciplinary project at the intersection of neonatology, chronobiology, and data science. In a prospective multicenter observational study, you will work on establishing the impact of light-dark cycles on preterm infants’ development, including their sleep, growth, neurodevelopmental outcomes, and circadian rhythms. In addition, you will investigate the feasibility of a behavioural intervention among nurses to improve daylight access in the NICU. The results of this project will allow us to define optimal light exposure in the NICU, to generate recommendations for new NICU designs, and to develop tailored light intervention strategies to improve daylight exposure in the NICU. 

This PhD position is part of the BabyBright project, which is funded by a grant from the Velux Stiftung. The initial contract will be for one year, which will be extended to a total of four years upon successful assessment. The end goal is a completed PhD thesis and a successful PhD defense.