Postdoctoral Position in the Department of Biomedical Sciences

Responsabilities

About the project “Patient-centered Approach for Research and Interventions in Sarcopenia (PARIS)” To further advance interventional research in sarcopenia (i.e., the age-related decline in muscle strength and mass) beyond the current state of the art, and ultimately improve the lives of individuals living with this condition, key methodological gaps in the field need to be addressed. One promising strategy is to integrate a patient-centered approach—a fundamental concept in modern healthcare that emphasizes patients as active partners in medical care and research.

The PARIS project aims to revisit and strengthen the methodological framework of sarcopenia research by integrating patient-centered principles within the ‘P’opulation, ‘I’ntervention, and ‘O’utcome components of the PICO framework. The project also includes pilot research initiatives in the field of osteosarcopenia. The present postdoctoral research proposal encompasses several of the research activities developed within the PARIS project.

Your Responsibilities

As a member of the Public Health Aging Research and Epidemiology (PHARE) Group and the Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Research Unit (URPC) within the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Namur, you will actively contribute to the scientific and operational development of the PARIS project.

Your responsibilities will include:

Scientific tasks related to the PARIS project:

• Development of a utility questionnaire derived from the SarQoL questionnaire, enabling QALY estimation and cost-effectiveness analyses

• Participation in a multicenter study aimed at assessing patient preferences regarding treatment characteristics for sarcopenia.

• Development of pilot projects in osteosarcopenia, including observational analyses based on the SarcoPhAge cohort and a network meta-analysis on the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments

General scientific tasks:

• Writing and submitting scientific articles, communications, and reports, and contributing to the academic visibility of the project

• Participating in dissemination activities through presentations, posters, and interdisciplinary collaborations

• Supporting the scientific projects of research assistants and PhD students within the PHARE Group through supervision and mentoring

• Collaborating with clinical and public health teams at UNamur and partner hospitals

Academic tasks:

Participating in academic activities such as:

• Supervision and evaluation of Master’s theses

• Teaching activities (tutorials, practical sessions)

Profile

Degree

You hold a PhD in medicine, biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, public health, or an equivalent degree.

Eligibility conditions

This is an international mobility contract intended for the recruitment of a postdoctoral researcher coming from abroad. To be eligible, the candidate must not have resided or been employed in the host country (Belgium) for more than 12 months over the past three years.

Skills

Thematic expertise

Required:

• Established expertise in applied research on sarcopenia or osteosarcopenia (or musculoskeletal health), demonstrated by a minimum of three first-author scientific publications in this area of research in peer-reviewed journals with an impact factor

Assets:

Knowledge in :

• Health economics : Health Technology Assessment (HTA), economic evaluation of healthcare interventions

• Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs)

Methodological skills

Required:

• Established experience in epidemiology, clinical research, and health data analysis, including confirmed experience in multicenter and longitudinal studies

• Strong expertise in statistics, with proficiency in analytical software (R, Stata, SAS, or SPSS) for statistical analyses and health data modeling, and the ability to quickly learn new tools

• Experience in meta-synthesis (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, network meta-analyses, etc.)

Assets:

• Knowledge of methodologies specific to the evaluation of health interventions: Discrete Choice Experiments (DCE), Best-Worst Scaling, Health utility measures

• Knowledge of qualitative methodologies/analysis

• Experience in psychometric evaluation of PROMs (COSMIN recommendations)

Transversal skills

• Ability to design and conduct applied health research projects, including observational studies, clinical trials, and real-world data analyses

• Understanding of evidence-based approaches

• Scientific rigor, critical thinking, strong writing skills, and ability to produce high-level scientific publications and reports

• Ability to work in interdisciplinary and international teams, collaborating with clinicians, public health experts, and industrial and hospital partners

• Proficiency in scientific English, both written and spoken

• Autonomy, organizational skills, and motivation

• Experience in supervising teams, PhD candidates, and Master’s students

Additional information

Contract: Fixed-term full time contract (12 months)

For any further questions regarding the position or its context: Professor Charlotte BEAUDART charlotte.beaudart@unamur.be

Remarks

1. The University of Namur

The University of Namur welcomes more than 7,200 students each year from nearly 70 different nationalities. UNamur consists of:

• 7 Faculties

• 1 interfaculty department

• 11 Research Institutes

• 9 Technological Platforms

• Support services

For more information: https://www.unamur.be/universite/jobs

1. Salary package and benefits

Working at UNamur includes:

• Structural and occasional teleworking

• Internal and external training opportunities

• Collective closure leave between Christmas and New Year

1. Application Procedure

The application must include:

1. In the email (not as an attachment): A short biography (approximately 200 words) presenting the key elements of the candidate’s background (degree, institution, publications, scientific awards, etc.) and highlighting the relevance of their profile to the position
2. Attachments to the email:

• A detailed and up-to-date academic CV

• A list of scientific publications in international journals, clearly distinguishing those directly related to the topic of the call

• PDF copies of 3 first-author scientific articles in the field of applied clinical research in sarcopenia

• A summary of the PhD thesis

• A copy of the PhD diploma, indicating the exact thesis title and date of award

• A motivation letter (maximum 2 pages, in English)

Submission

Applications must be sent to the Human Resources Department by email to charlotte.beaudart@unamur.be and candidature@unamur.be Deadline: May 30, 2026

1. Selection Procedure

• Review of the candidate’s CV and motivation letter

• Review of scientific publications

• Review of the PhD thesis summary

• Interview with the selection committee

1. Recruitment policy

Our Human Resources policy is committed to equal rights and equal treatment for all. This diversity encompasses various dimensions, including gender, disability, origin, beliefs, age, sexual orientation, etc. The University of Namur is also a signatory of the diversity charter.