PhD Position in Social Data Science

This fully funded four-year PhD position is part of the Vidi project “The economy of digital influence operations”, led by Associate Professor Jon Roozenbeek. The project investigates the market infrastructure that supports disinformation and influence operations in digital environments. Through a series of studies, you will be mapping out the “online manipulation economy” where fake accounts, engagement, and even sophisticated bot armies are readily for sale. You will look at who the buyers and sellers are within this marketplace, conduct interviews with key players to understand their motivations, and build bespoke analysis pipelines of social media and financial data to understand the downstream consequences of the buying and selling of these services.

The PhD will be supervised by Associate Professor Jon Roozenbeek, who directs the Influence and Technology Lab at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and the University of Cambridge, along with Associate Professor Ivar Vermeulen (VU Amsterdam).

Your duties
As a PhD candidate, you will complete a cumulative dissertation within four years at one of the world’s leading Communication Science departments in Amsterdam. You will also have close links with Cambridge, where Dr Roozenbeek’s lab is partially based.

Working closely with your supervisory team, you will plan and execute empirical studies as envisioned in the project. You will design experiments, collect and analyse quantitative data (e.g., social media data, qualitative interviews), and publish your findings in top international journals, conference proceedings, and publicly accessible brief reports. You will also be responsible for building and maintaining public-facing outputs such as the Cambridge Online Trust and Safety Index (https://cotsi.org/).

You bring a strong foundation in experimental research within data science, quantitative psychology, or (behavioural) economics, and have experience with quantitative data analysis and scientific writing. Throughout the project, you will further advance these skills and refine your ability to report research according to international standards and open-science principles. All data and materials will be made reproducible and publicly available.

As a member of our vibrant, internationally renowned department, you will broaden your professional network and develop collaborations with scholars in related fields. As a PhD candidate, you will also take part in the Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS), which offers a wide range of courses for your further academic development (see website, ‘Starting your PhD trajectory’). More detailed information is available upon request.

PhD: Instrumentation for quantitative nanoparticle analysis (valorization focus)

We are looking for a highly motivated student that is excited about developing optical instrumentation for applications in nanosizing and characterization. The project is based on NWO OTP-funding and a direct extension of previous work (1, 2, 3) with a strong focus on valorization and commercialization.

We have a first generation holographic nanoparticle tracking platform, long-standing expertise and a team of industrial collaborators from the pharmaceutical and clinical sectors. Based on these starting points, you will develop a second generation platform that we want to test in the wet-labs of our collaborators thus taking crucial steps towards a commercially viable product.

Your tasks in the project will revolve around designing and building a second generation holographic nanoparticle tracking platform, devising suitable sample chambers and developing robust measurement protocols and analysis pipelines.

Your duties

• develop and optimize a benchtop-compatible, turnkey, holographic nanoparticle tracking instrument
• move sizing accuracy, precision and detection sensitivities to their absolute limits
• devise computational strategies to ensure robust 3D particle tracking
• improve measurement protocols and sample chamber geometries
• interact with clinical and industrial stakeholders through frequent user meetings
• be excited about valorization and commercialization
• writing and defending your PhD thesis

Postdoc Position: Meaningful Work in Organizations

VU People@Work Research Group at the Department of Management and Organization is seeking a postdoctoral fellow to work with Dr. Evgenia Lysova – the Head of the Research Group – on several research projects on meaningful work in connection with the future of work, including its economic (i.e., decent work and work precarity) and technological (i.e., AI and new ways of working) dimensions. These projects examine how meaningful work can be holistically enabled by organizations so that individuals flourish at work, build resilience in the face of the future of work, and contribute to their organizations. They will focus on conducting empirical work, employing primarily qualitative (i.e., interviews, observations) but also quantitative (i.e., surveys, diary study) methods. One of the projects is a case study of a Dutch organization, where the postdoc will collect data and, together with Dr. Evgenia Lysova, deliver seminar(s) and write a report sharing the results of the findings with the case company. Another project is focused on a quantitative diary study, including brief scale development. The projects are expected to result in several empirical and one theoretical paper.

Your duties
The main duties of the Postdoc include engaging in research activities (.80fte) such as synthesizing academic literature, collecting empirical data, analyzing it, writing it up, and presenting the work-in-progress at conferences (e.g., AOM, EGOS). The Postdoc will be expected to design and lead research projects, conduct and analyze data, using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches. The Postdoc will co-author a high-impact academic publication and selected practitioner-oriented outputs and disseminate research findings through academic conferences, stakeholder workshops, and broader outreach activities.

Next to research activities, the postdoc is expected to engage in teaching activities (.20fte) (e.g., thesis supervision, teaching of tutorials at the Bachelor or Master level). The successful candidate will also assist with organizing an international conference that will take place at VU Amsterdam and contribute to a collaborative and supportive atmosphere at the VU People@Work section and department as a whole.

PhD position (4 years) on the Role of Foveal Processing in Spatial Attention

Preferred starting date: January 1, 2027 at the latest

We offer a four-year PhD position within the NWO-funded project “The Role of Foveal Processing in Spatial Attention.” The project investigates the novel hypothesis that directing attention to an object in peripheral vision recruits foveal brain systems normally involved in high-resolution central vision. Ultimately, it aims to develop a new theoretical account of how spatial attention shapes perception and prepares the visual system for eye movements.
As the PhD candidate, you will be responsible for the project’s behavioural and psychophysical studies. Your main tasks will include designing and programming experiments, collecting behavioural and eye-tracking data, conducting psychophysical and statistical analyses, and disseminating the results through scientific publications, conference presentations, and a PhD thesis. You will work closely with a postdoctoral researcher who will use ultra-high-field 7T fMRI to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying foveal recruitment. You will work in a stimulating interdisciplinary environment that combines behavioural psychophysics, eye tracking, and advanced neuroimaging.

Your duties

• map out the scientific literature on spatial attention, foveal processing, eye movements, predictive remapping, and visual perception;
• contribute to the further theoretical and methodological development of the project;
• design, program, pilot, and conduct behavioural psychophysical experiments;
• use eye tracking to monitor fixation and measure eye movements;
• collect and analyse behavioural, psychophysical, and eye-tracking data using appropriate statistical and computational methods;
• document experimental and analytical procedures carefully and reproducibly;
• preregister studies where appropriate;
• prepare research materials, analysis scripts, and datasets for responsible sharing in accordance with FAIR and open-science principles;
• collaborate closely with the other members of the research group;
• present findings at national and international scientific conferences;
• publish research findings in international peer-reviewed journals;
• complete a PhD thesis and defend it at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam;
• participate in the training programme of the graduate school;
• contribute to the academic community and team spirit of the Cognitive Psychology section;
• assist in (minor) teaching activities within the department, where appropriate.

PhD in Spatial System Mapping and Decision-Support Design for Nature-Inclusive Agrifood Transitions

Biodiversity restoration in agriculture and horticulture is urgently needed, but difficult to realize in practice. Farmers operate in complex systems: they are embedded in value chains, regional communities, regulatory environments, ecological landscapes, and business models that often prioritize short-term productivity and profitability. RISE addresses this challenge by developing systems-based tools and implementation pathways that help stakeholders make nature-inclusive decisions that are ecologically meaningful, economically viable, and socially supported.

RISE is an interdisciplinary project involving Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Leiden University, and Inholland University of Applied Sciences, together with a broad network of societal partners from agriculture, horticulture, regional development, water management, policy, and civil society. The project works in two regional case areas: Reusel-Zuid, focused on open-field agriculture, and Oostland Zuid-Holland, focused on greenhouse horticulture. A third region on tree-nursing will be used for validation and replication.

This PhD position is hosted by the Eindhoven University of Technology, within the Department of the Built Environment (BE). You will be part of a closely connected cohort of four PhD candidates working across universities and disciplines. All candidates receive cross-university supervision to ensure deep integration between innovation science, system dynamics, spatial modeling, and ecology.

The specific focus of this PhD project is on spatial system mapping and decision-support design. You will investigate how spatial development interacts with systemic dynamics and implementation feasibility. Using geospatial modeling, participative mapping, and interactive workshops, you will analyze how landscape conditions, land-use choices, and regional features shape the feasibility of biodiversity-enhancing practices.

Your work will include:

• Socio-Ecological-Economic Mapping: Co-creating integrated regional maps that combine human actors with non-human elements (e.g., ecological features, water systems) to visualize regional interdependencies.
• Decision-Support Framework Construction: Taking the lead in designing and constructing an interactive spatial decision-support framework grounded in system dynamics logic.
• Model Integration: Collaborating with the broader PhD cohort to link temporal system dynamics simulation models to real-world spatial configurations.
• Stakeholder Facilitation: Designing and running interactive scenario workshops where regional stakeholders use geospatial tools to evaluate the spatial feasibility and trade-offs of biodiversity measures.
• Dissemination & Scaling: Integrating spatial insights into actionable technology and policy roadmaps, and validating the developed tools within a third case region.
• Academic Output: Publishing high-quality academic papers, individually and collaboratively, on spatial systems modeling, stakeholder alignment, and digital tool design for sustainability transitions.

This position is ideal for a candidate who is comfortable working interdisciplinary, at the boundary between theory and practice: developing rigorous academic insights while engaging closely with farmers, regional stakeholders, businesses, policymakers, and researchers from other disciplines.

The Department of the Built Environment at TU/e provides a cutting-edge environment with extensive expertise in information systems, decision support, nature-based solutions, and data/information modeling. You will join a group that excels at translating complex spatial data into digital environments, tools, and platforms that support collaborative innovation and real-world impact.