University of Amsterdam 
Amsterdam, Netherlands Descrição do projeto
Building a methodologically sound pipeline from raw data to treatment policy
You will coordinate and (co-)develop the design, implementation, and execution of the GenAI-assisted data extraction pipeline, including coding structure, benchmarking GenAI outputs against the reference data set, and integration into a Shiny app. This pipeline uses large language models to automatically extract case characteristics and information on symptom changes from single-case experimental design (SCED) studies. In SCEDs, treatment effectiveness is studied on a level of a single client using repeated observations of symptom change.
You will work closely with several investigators (clinical researcher, information scientist), a software engineer and a student assistant. Next to building a pipeline, you will share your findings with the research community through open-access code, a Shiny web application, a scientific article and a conference presentation.
What are you going to do
Under supervision, with input from the team and with a student assistant:
- Design and implement a GenAI-assisted pipeline to extract study and case characteristics from published PDF articles using large language models.
- Develop and refine prompting strategies to reconstruct symptom trajectories from graphs embedded in scientific publications.
- Benchmark automated GenAI outputs against a high-quality manually coded reference dataset to assess accuracy and identify error patterns.
- Build an interactive Shiny application that allows researchers to inspect and validate extracted data alongside original figures.
- Present findings at a conference and contribute to an open-access paper.
What do you have to offer
- You have a master-level degree.
- You have a critical thinking level, preferably with affinity for data science, research methodology, clinical psychology, or a related field.
- You have affinity with coordinating research projects and collaborating in a team or you would like to further develop your skills in these areas.
- You can translate, under supervision and in team collaboration, a complex technical plan into concrete steps.
- You have experience with R or Python and feel comfortable working with large language models or you would like to develop your skills further in these areas.
- You ask critical questions about AI output rather than taking results at face value.
- You communicate clearly — with your colleagues, the student assistant, and in writing for a scientific audience.
What else do we offer you
We offer a stimulating and interdisciplinary working environment, with a diverse range of tasks within an inspiring organization. Working at the University of Amsterdam means working in a dynamic, independent, creative, innovative, and international environment, characterized by an open atmosphere.
In this department, you will work
The Research Institute of Child Development and Education (RICDE) is part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Dedicated to advancing knowledge on the development, learning, and well-being of children, the institute integrates cutting-edge research with real-world applications to impact education and care. We offer a dynamic environment paired with an informal and supportive atmosphere. You will work in an enthusiastic and warm team where initiative and input are highly valued.
The junior researcher will become part of MetaSCED lab. The lab is embeded in the Clinical Child and Family Studies group at the Research Institute of Child Development and Education (RICDE). Check out the program group via Clinical child and family studies
Can AI free up clinical researchers by assisting them with tedious information extraction? For a period of ten months, we are looking for a Junior Researcher to test whether GenAI can reliably extract individual youth treatment data from scientific publications — accelerating evidence synthesis that helps professionals decide what works for which child. Join this one-year project at the cutting edge of AI and clinical research methodology.
In this department, you will work
The Research Institute of Child Development and Education (RICDE) is part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. Dedicated to advancing knowledge on the development, learning, and well-being of children, the institute integrates cutting-edge research with real-world applications to impact education and care. We offer a dynamic environment paired with an informal and supportive atmosphere. You will work in an enthusiastic and warm team where initiative and input are highly valued.
The junior researcher will become part of MetaSCED lab. The lab is embeded in the Clinical Child and Family Studies group at the Research Institute of Child Development and Education (RICDE). Check out the program group via Clinical child and family studies
If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving your motivation letter and CV. You can apply via the red button until 4 October. Interviews will take place on October 21st 2026. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be given preference over external candidates.
For questions about the vacancy, you can contact: Marija Maric, m.maric@uva.nl.
