Postdoc VU Sociology: De-Escalating Aggressive Encounters

Your project will be supervised by prof. Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard at the Department of Sociology. It is one of twelve work packages in the ORC-NWA consortium project “De-escalating Aggressive Encounters between Frontline Workers and Citizens.” The aim is to understand the mechanisms that drive escalation and de-escalation of aggressive encounters between frontline workers and citizens. The project involves academic and societal partners working together. We are looking for a postdoc that will carry out the work of a sub-project focusing on the micro-level environment in which conflict encounters occur, identifying situational hotspots across work routines in different worker contexts.

The postdoc will work closely together with four other PhD’s that will analyze video recorded encounters between citizens and frontline workers in law enforcement, public transport, service work, and health care.

We are seeking a candidate who is interested in learning or already has experience with video analysis and ethnographic fieldwork, has an affiliation with observational and statistical methods, and is passionate about working in an interdisciplinary team.

Your duties

• Stay in close contact with societal partners and exchange experiences and insights with the project communication officer (preferably in Dutch).
• Support four PhD’s in data collection and collaboration with societal partners.
• Develop a video observational measurement instrument together with the PhD’s.
• Carry out statistical analyses of situational characteristics of escalatory and de-escalatory incidences.
• Pool data with the rest of the team to work on shared research output.
• Carry out participant observations and walk-along-interviews with frontline workers.
• Publish in academic journals and translate findings into fact sheets for practitioners.
• Present results at academic conferences and workshops, to societal partners and in practitioner-oriented settings.
• Participate in and co-organize data sessions, joint research projects, workshops as well as communication and dissemination activities of the team.
• Carry out administrative tasks for the project.
• Join and actively contribute to the De-Escalation lab and the Social Change and Conflict group at the VU and participate in the intellectual life of the Department of Sociology.

Analytical chemical technician GeoLab for water analysis

The GeoLab is divided into several lab units, each with its own expertise. In the water lab, you analyze the chemical composition of various types of water samples like, for example, freshwater, seawater and porewater. For the analysis, you make use of an ion chromatograph, a discrete analyzer for the spectrophotometric determination of, for example, macronutrients and a DOC analyzer for the measurement of dissolved carbon compounds. You conduct analyses for our students, scientists and sometimes external customers and report the processed results. You are responsible for the proper functioning of the equipment and the quality control of the measurements.

Research is constantly evolving and requires new or adapted methods. With your knowledge of the chemistry of complex solutions (i.e. seawater and porewater matrices), you will develop methods in cooperation with research faculty for the available analytical instruments that meet the need of the researchers better, and are preferably also more sustainable. Additionally, you advise lab users (e.g., students) on sample collection and pretreatment where necessary.

You work primarily in the water lab, where you will be supported by colleagues from the experimental lab. Vice versa, we expect you to be able to support your colleagues there as well when necessary. In the experimental lab, very diverse research is conducted on geological materials and environmental samples. Some examples of these experiments include reactions of organic compounds under conditions comparable to those on Mars and the release of phosphate from sediments under different circumstances. Within the experimental lab, we have a microbiology lab, cleanrooms and climate chambers available. Your contribution here will be primarily facilitative.

Preferably, you are already familiar with Emergency Response (in Dutch BHV) or are willing to become an Emergency Responder to strengthen our BHV team in the lab.

Your tasks include:

• You analyze the chemical composition of water samples using the analytical instruments available and report the processed data;
• You are responsible for the quality control of the measurements and the proper functioning of the instruments. This includes the preparation and use of standards and reagents. You can conduct daily maintenance independently;
• You develop new or modified methods together with researchers and can advise them about sample collection and pretreatment where necessary;
• You work closely together with your colleagues by supporting each other;
• You support fieldwork and lab courses and their preparation;
• Preferably, you are willing to act as an Emergency Responder in the event of an emergency.

Technisch assistent Neurobiologie

Als technisch assistent maak je deel uit van een onderzoeksteam van de sectie Neurobiologie bij het Donders Centre for Neuroscience. Je bent betrokken bij het bereiden van media voor fruitvliegkweek, het transfereren van fruitvliegen naar vers medium, en bij het wassen en recyclen van gebruikte buisjes voor fruitvliegkweek. Je werkt hierin samen met PhD kandidaten en postdoctorale onderzoekers. Voor de fruitvlieg-mediabereiding werk je ook samen met werkstudenten.