PhD candidate: Advancing Programmatic Assessment with Knowledge Assessment

Job description

Are you passionate about educational assessment and interested in being at the forefront of developments in medical education? If so, we invite you to join our team at iMERR as a PhD candidate to investigate how knowledge assessments can be optimally balanced within programmatic assessment to support learning and decision-making. 

Programmatic assessment is now widely implemented in medical curricula. While important advances have been made, particularly in decision-making through clinical competence committees, key challenges remain. One of these is finding an optimal balance between different forms of knowledge assessment and ensuring that assessment data meaningfully support both learning and high-stakes decisions. 

In this PhD project you will explore how multiple types of knowledge assessment, including progress testing, can be combined and leveraged within a programmatic assessment framework.  You will explore how these data can be used to identify students who are struggling at an early stage and how assessment information can best support clinical competence committees in their decision-making processes. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with the educational department, ensuring strong alignment between research and educational practice. 

As a PhD candidate, your primary responsibility will be to conduct high-quality scientific research in collaboration with an interdisciplinary supervisory team, composed of researchers with diverse expertise and experience. Your role encompasses designing research protocols, collecting and analyzing data and interpreting findings within the context of medical education. Additionally, you will enhance your scientific writing skills and are expected to contribute to scientific publications, with opportunities to act as first author. 

Beyond your research responsibilities, you will have the opportunity to follow relevant courses that align with both the project’s objectives and your personal academic interests. Finally, you will contribute to disseminating the research findings by presenting them at both national and international conferences allowing you to build a strong academic profile and professional network.

Work environment

The available position will be embedded at the Institute of Medical Education Research Rotterdam (iMERR) a center for research and innovation in medical education within Erasmus MC. iMERR is part of the Department of Public Health, which is dedicated to improving population health at local, national, and international levels through excellent research and education. 

Research at iMERR is multidisciplinary and spans a broad range of topics, including assessment, clinical reasoning, clinical skills and artificial intelligence. The institute employs diverse research methods, both qualitative and quantitative, and also makes use of physiological measurements. iMERR offers an engaging research environment with ample opportunities for professional growth, learning from interdisciplinary collaboration, and involvement in related projects.

Qualifications and skills

• Master's degree in psychology, educational sciences, health sciences, medicine, biomedicine, clinical technology or a related field.
• Strong analytical and research skills.
• Interest in knowledge assessment, data analysis (including psychometrics), and programmatic assessment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and preferably also Dutch.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a large multidisciplinary team (including physicians, psychologists, and educationalists).

Before you apply please check our conditions for employment.

Terms of employment

• You will receive a temporary position for 3 years.
• The gross monthly salary between € 3.598,- and € 5.669,- (scale 10) based on a full-time workweek of 36 hours.
• A salary increase of 3,5% from July 2026, according to the collective labor agreement (CLA)
• Partial working from home is possible, as is working 4 x 9 hours.
• Excellent fringe benefits, such as a 13th month that is already paid out in November and an individual travel expense package.
• An International Office which aids you in preparing for your arrival and stay.
• Pension insurance with ABP. We take care of approximately 2/3 of the monthly contribution.
• Special benefits, such as an incompany physiotherapist and bicycle repairer. And there is also a gym where you can work on your fitness after work. 

More information

Make this job your next career move! Apply now using the application button. It all starts with taking action.

Do you have questions about the role? Feel free to reach out to Dario Cecilio Fernandes, Assistant Professor, via mail.

The application process is done exclusively through our website by clicking on “Apply.”

No agencies please.