For Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025 (#PAW-NL), we highlight Marketa Ciharova, a postdoctoral researcher at Amsterdam Public Health (APH) at the Clinical Psychology department working within the research programs Digital Health and Mental Health. Her journey is marked by innovation, resilience, and collaboration.
Starting as a postdoc while finishing PhD
Marketa started her postdoc in September last year, while finishing her PhD in the same department. “I don’t see much difference with my PhD, same office, same colleagues, but it’s quite busy to combine both,” she says. Her three-year postdoc contract gives her stability, and her small team made her feel welcome. “It might have some downsides, doing your postdoc at the same place as your PhD, but for me, being settled in Amsterdam and finishing my PhD, it was the perfect setting.”
Innovation in Digital Health
Marketa develops an augmented reality smartphone app for exposure treatment for patients diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorders, now being tested in a randomized controlled trial. With her supervisor, Dr. Tara Donker, she received the APH Digital Health Seeding Grant to add new features and hire a research assistant. “I want to develop an effective app that people enjoy using.” She also received an APH travel award, spent three months at the Black Dog Institute in Sydney, and built new international collaborations.
Challenges and communication
Combining her PhD and postdoc is challenging. “The biggest challenge was a kind of guilt, finishing my PhD was a lot of work, and I hoped it wouldn’t affect my postdoc duties.” She worked four days a week as a postdoc and one day on her PhD project, part of an international consortium. “I try to be clear to everyone and set realistic expectations, both at work and at home. Communication is key.”
APH Digital Health Junior Council
Marketa helped create the APH Digital Health junior council and has been active from the start. “It made me realize how multidisciplinary digital health is and helped me meet many people. It can spark interesting collaborations and broaden your perspective.”
Motivation and different languages
What motivates her most is the independence she has as a postdoc. “My supervisor treats me as an equal. I am very autonomous, and that feels nice, I can really make steps forward.” She works in an international consortium with Switzerland and Sweden, using materials in four languages. “It’s fun to learn new words. On top of Dutch, I’m learning German and Swedish. It’s a nice challenge, a mental game.”
After eight years in the Netherlands, Marketa knows learning Dutch takes time, especially when people switch to English. But her drive to adapt to life in the Netherlands and communicate clearly remains strong.
Advice for fellow Researchers
Marketa’s advice: “Be upfront and clear from the start with (potential) colleagues. That’s why I did my job interview in Dutch, I wanted people to know my level, even if it meant they might not want to work with me for that reason. Try to understand how your colleagues prefer to work and adapt to that. Additionally, try to avoid procrastination. As a postdoc you often must juggle multiple tasks; for example, don’t wait for feedback on one task, before starting the preparation for another.”