KU Leuven is offering two fully funded, full-time PhD positions within an ambitious FWO project at the intersection of neonatology, developmental psychology, and neuroscience.
The project is led by Prof. Gunnar Naulaers (NICU, UZ/KU Leuven) and Prof. Bart Boets (Center for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven), in close collaboration with a strong interdisciplinary team across Neonatology (An Eerdekens, Bieke Bollen, Anne Debeer, Katrien Jansen, Anneleen Dereymaeker) and Obstetrics (Kristel Van Calsteren).

Project

Early in life, infants develop both self-regulation and social connectedness, processes that rely on parentinfant synchrony and co-regulation. In very preterm infants admitted to the NICU, these processes are often disrupted. This project investigates how early non-separation and immediate kangaroo care (skin-to-skin contact) may support development. We hypothesize that early contact enhances biobehavioural synchrony, enabling parents to sca...