Postdoc Triage en Risicotaxatie bij Personen met Onbegrepen Gedrag

Wat ga je doen? De postdoc onderzoeker zal de volgende taken verrichten:

• Het uitvoeren van literatuuronderzoek
• Dossieranalyse/case studies
• Het uitvoeren van focusgroepen en brainstormsessies met stakeholders en de doelgroep
• Het analyseren van onderzoeksgegevens en deze presenteren in presentaties, adviesrapportages en wetenschappelijke publicaties

PhD: Identifying sustainability transition conflicts

About the project

In this four-year PhD project, you will investigate how citizen collectives (CCs) act as early detectors and mediators of societal tensions in living environments in the Netherlands.
Societal transitions toward sustainability and justice are not without challenges or disputes and polarization often emerges - between political ideologies, economic interests, or social values. This project explores how CCs can identify and respond to these “transition tensions” - such as the conflict between urgent climate action and principles of equity - before they escalate, and how their community-based engagement can contribute to avoiding transition backlash and advancing just societal change.

You will work with CCs that operate at the intersection of communities and societal change – both studying as well as helping design strategies for navigating tensions surrounding political ideologies and socio-economic disparities. Therewith you contribute to a broader understanding of how local, community-based organizations can offer solutions for larger societal divides. Using methods such as multi-criteria mapping and participatory action research, you will co-design interventions that help CCs recognize, discuss, and address these tensions.

A key outcome of the project will be the development of a “Pluralizer tool” - a practical and research-based instrument to help CCs in fostering transitions while navigating and embracing the inherent conflicts that arise.

Your role
As the PhD researcher, you will:

• Design and implement the research independently (with guidance from your promotors/supervisors).
• Collect and analyse longitudinal data that covers multiple CCs.
• Collaborate with other PhD researchers within the ECCO (Empowering Citizen Collectives) consortium, which brings together 11 PhD projects across Dutch universities.
• Work on academic publications and societal knowledge exchange.

What we offer

• A four-year, fully funded PhD position at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
• The opportunity to implement cutting-edge, societally relevant research that bridges sustainability transitions, polarisation and community-based action.
• Tailored research training and development through the Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities.
• Access to a vibrant community of PhD peers within the ECCO consortium and the Governance & Pluralism team, which helps you to find your way in academia at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

PhD: New collaborative partnerships between citizen collectives and governments

Project and job description

The team Governance and Pluralism (G&P) from the Erasmus School for Social and Behavioral Sciences (ESSB) is looking for a PhD researcher in the field of Governance, State and Society. The 4-year PhD project is part of the larger research consortium ECCO, Empowering Citizen Collectives. In total, 11 PhD researchers will be recruited of which this PhD project is one and will be embedded in the whole consortium project. Below the description of the PhD project “New Partnerships between citizen collectives and governments” will be given.

Challenges: Collaborative relationships between governments and citizen collectives (CCs) are often fraught with challenges, primarily due to mutual distrust and the difficulty governments face in adopting interactive and responsive approaches to these emerging initiatives. As a result, the potential to truly co-create public value is frequently unrealized. A key principle is that public value co-creation should occur on an equal footing, that it should be a balanced and reciprocal collaborative process. Establishing such effective co-creative partnerships requires the development of high-quality relationships between CCs and local government agencies. This involves mutual learning, where both parties gain insights into each other's approaches, capacities, and roles. In this context, the involvement of academia, particularly in their role as civic universities, can be highly relevant. Academia can contribute to co-creating knowledge and developing reflective approaches and tools for these partnerships. Co-creative partnerships are underpinned by core values such as reciprocity, responsiveness (the capacity to react constructively to inputs), inclusiveness (ensuring openness, accessibility, and opportunities for involvement), and a sense of joint ownership (where all parties feel a shared responsibility in both the challenge and the solution-seeking process). The challenge is to live up to those mutually recognized core values that will lead to positive experiences in new or ongoing partnerships with satisfying results and outputs.

Project and job description: The PhD-researcher will focus on understanding the core values and approaches that define the relationships between CCs, governmental agencies, and academic institutions, specifically in Rotterdam and Arnhem (but also other municipalities are possible). This study will examine the relational dynamics between the identified actor groups at different stages of the collectives’ life cycles, while respecting the distinct roles of all stakeholders involved. The researcher will employ a comparative case study approach with participatory action research components, drawing on Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). We start from empirical understanding in real life settings of the CCs, by following a community-based research approach, which goes beyond traditional academic approaches. Additionally, we use SSM, a methodology inspired by system thinking and designed to address complex problems, particularly in scenarios where there is no clear or well-defined solution. SSM emphasizes understanding problems from multiple stakeholders' perspectives, facilitating the exploration of different viewpoints and fostering a shared understanding of both challenges and potential solutions in forming effective partnerships. One specific output of the project is the development of an interactive game which can be used to facilitate the co-creation of public value by fostering effective collaboration between CCs and local governments, and simulate real-world scenarios, allowing players to experiment with various strategies and approaches to develop successful co-creative partnerships

The PhD researcher designs and implements the research independently, under guidance of the promotor(s)/supervisors (prof.dr. Jurian Edelenbos, Dr. Ingmar van Meerkerk & Dr. Wouter Spekkink). This entails the set-up of the research, the selection of methods and theories, data collection and analysis. Given the nature of the question, the researcher is expected to cover multiple CCs in multiple city neighborhoods in Rotterdam. The longitudinal approach covering multiple stages (co-)designing, monitoring and analyzing partnerships.

You will get the chance to attend courses at the Erasmus Graduate School for Social Sciences and the Humanities. You are embedded in lively PhD Networks both at the faculty level (ESSB) and the team level (Governance & Pluralism) which helps you to find your way in academia.

Strategisch Informatiemanager Bedrijfsvoering (0,8 – 1 fte)

Als Strategisch Informatiemanager leid je de gezamenlijke digitale reis van onze bedrijfsvoering. Je brengt je kennis, ervaring en persoonlijke aanpak in om te voldoen aan de unieke behoeften van de EUR. Je bent een meester in communicatie en bemiddeling, schakelt moeiteloos met diverse stakeholders – van decanen tot programmamanagers en architecten – en brengt ambities en realiteit samen. Je participeert in diverse overleggen om op de hoogte te blijven van de laatste ontwikkelingen en organiseert inspirerende sessies om de universiteit voor te bereiden op de toekomst, zoals de overgang naar agile werken. Jouw rol is cruciaal in het identificeren en prioriteren van digitaliseringsinitiatieven die de universiteit vooruithelpen, bijvoorbeeld door het verbeteren van de studentervaring met innovatieve ICT-oplossingen.

Wat ga je doen?

• Je begeleidt de gezamenlijke digitale transformatie van de bedrijfsvoering, altijd in nauwe samenwerking met je stakeholders.
• Je geeft richtinggevende adviezen aan de Chief Information Officer (CIO) en collega's binnen en buiten het CIO-Office, passend bij de specifieke context van de EUR.
• Je combineert ambitie met realiteitszin en gebruikt je uitstekende communicatieve vaardigheden om bruggen te bouwen.
• Je schakelt soepel met een breed scala aan stakeholders, van decanen tot programmamanagers en architecten.
• Je neemt actief deel aan diverse overleggen om op de hoogte te blijven en organiseert sprekers om actueel te blijven met mogelijke veranderingen (denk aan de transformatie naar agile werken).
• Je bent verantwoordelijk voor het identificeren en prioriteren van digitaliseringsinitiatieven die aantoonbaar waarde toevoegen aan onze universiteit, zoals het ontwikkelen en implementeren van ICT-oplossingen die de studentervaring verbeteren.

Two PhD Positions in Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging

The Brain & Cognition Team at Erasmus University Rotterdam seeks applicants for two fully funded PhD positions in the field of cognitive neuroscience of aging. The successful candidates will join an interdisciplinary research team studying how aging affects key cognitive domains such as memory, attention, and decision making, using advanced experimental, neuroimaging and AI modeling techniques.

Both projects are part of a broader research program on the aging brain in complex cognitive contexts, focusing on risky decision-making and spatial navigation. The first project investigates how the aging brain influences risky decision-making and how adaptive strategies, including AI tools, can enhance decision quality in later life. The second project examines how the aging brain navigates space and memory using VR methodology, and how factors such as GPS use may shape these processes. Together, the projects aim to advance understanding of brain plasticity and resilience in the context of emerging technologies and their societal impact.

The positions will be supervised by Muhammet Ikbal Sahan, Katinka Dijkstra and Janna Cousijn. Both individual Brain & Cognition team members and the team as a whole have conducted research in aging and cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Muhammet Ikbal Sahan studies the interaction between spatial cognition and working memory, focusing on neural mechanisms underlying memory search. Prof. Dr. Katinka Dijkstra develops and evaluates training programs to improve cognitive functioning in older adults and employees, and examines resilience, text comprehension, and stress in later life. Prof. Dr. Janna Cousijn investigates how the brain in interaction with the environment shape mental health across the lifespan. Together, their expertise reflects the team’s broad approach to cognition and behavior, combining neurobiological, cognitive, and social dimensions with theory development, collaboration, and societal impact.

The PhD candidates will design, implement, and analyze behavioral and cognitive neuroscience experiments, contributing to both lab-based and web-based research. They will work with state-of-the-art methodologies, including eye-tracking, EEG, and fMRI, to investigate neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying cognitive processes in the aging brain. The projects involve AI-based modeling and VR environments to study cognition in complex and ecologically valid contexts. Both positions will require strong analytical and methodological skills. Candidates will handle data preprocessing and analysis, ideally with proficiency in Python, R, or MATLAB. Collaboration within a multidisciplinary team is essential, as both PhD students will contribute to shared research outputs such as conference presentations, reports, and publications. They are also expected to communicate their findings to non-academic audiences and to contribute to the development of tools or policy-relevant outcomes that can be implemented more broadly.

Applicants should hold a Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, or a closely related field, and demonstrate a strong interest in cognitive neuroscience and research methods. Proficiency in Dutch is required for one of the positions and strongly recommended for the second position. Prior experience with AI modeling, neuroimaging (e.g., fMRI and/or EEG) or behavioral experimental tools is an advantage. Experience working with aging or elderly populations is also considered as an advantage.