Postdoc in Social Psychology (2 Years)

As a member of this consortium, you will play a key role in a project seeking to better understand the psychological effects of covert hate speech – that is, online hateful rhetoric hiding behind seemingly neutral language, humor, or irony, designed to fuel radicalization while bypassing content moderation tools and EU legislation. You will work directly with Prof. dr. Jan-Willem van Prooijen, as well as with members of the broader Horizon2020 Proclaim consortium that is coordinated by Dr. Seunghyun Sun (Tilburg University). You will specifically conduct experimental and longitudinal research exploring the effects of covert hate speech on polarization and radicalization. You will report the findings to your colleagues, the broader consortium, at conferences, and publish them as a lead author in academic publications. The targeted starting date is 1 January 2027, although starting earlier or later is possible.

Your duties

• Map out existing literature on overt and covert hate speech and generate new ideas
• Design and implement new experiments
• Design a longitudinal study, connecting questionnaire results to social media activities
• Collect, analyze, and curate data
• Report on the findings in consortium meetings and (inter)national conferences
• Publish the findings in academic, peer-reviewed articles
• Assist in (minor) teaching activities within the department
• Contribute to the team spirit and help others achieve their goals

Three PhD positions on VICI project MAGMAS: Mantle plume sources and impact

The three PhD positions are part of a larger Vici project funded by the Dutch Research Council.

The MAGMAS project aims to couple the geochemistry and geodynamic behaviour of various mantle plume localities within the Atlantic Ocean to better understand how the Earth’s mantle composition influences convection. The project includes one field campaign to a remote volcanic island and various research visits to collaborators in the UK and Germany.

The 3 PhDs will apply advanced analytical techniques to analyse minerals and melt inclusions (MI) in volcanics from various plume localities and will use that data in geochemical and geophysical numerical modelling.

The team will work on three main tasks:

1. Improve the accuracy of plume source composition
2. Quantify changes with tectonic setting and time
3. Determine the impact on convection behaviour and element exchange

Topic 1 will be addressed by determining the elemental and radiogenic- and stable isotope compositions of minerals and melt inclusions. Topic 2 requires comparing the analytical data for various plume localities (Iceland, Azores, St Helena, Ascension, Tristan-Gough). Topic 3 will be addressed by geochemical and geodynamic modelling. The 3 PhDs will work on all three topics by using different techniques.

The analytical work will be performed in the NIGEL laboratories at VU Amsterdam and at laboratories of collaborators in the UK (Edinburgh) and Germany (Munster). The geodynamic modelling will be done at GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany in collaboration with Juliane Dannberg.

Your duties
The PhD students will apply and further develop advanced analytical techniques to determine combined major, trace and volatile element and isotope data on mineral and melt inclusion by wet-chemistry techniques (clean laboratory work), TIMS and MC-ICPMS mass spectrometry (PhD1), and by in situ Laser Ablation MC-ICPMS (PhD2) and SIMS techniques (PhD3). Applicants thus preferably have hands-on experience with analytical geochemistry. The volatile and stable isotope analyses by SIMS will furthermore include high pressure experiments for sample preparation (PhD3). For the geodynamic modelling the PhD students will take part in a 10-day ASPECT coding workshop. Applicants thus preferably have strong affinity in computational methodologies.

Selected candidates will closely collaborate with other team members, colleagues and collaborators. The research will lead to peer-reviewed publications that will be used to write a PhD thesis. The PhD candidates will present the results at national and international conferences, and will contribute to the department’s teaching programs.

Planned starting date is January 1st 2027 (or soon after).

PhD in soil fauna supporting multifunctionality in regenerative agriculture

The Ecology & Evolution section at the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment (A-LIFE) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is accepting applications for a PhD position with focus on soil animal ecology. The section Ecology & Evolution answers fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions regarding the relationship between organisms and their environment at the full array of hierarchical levels: from molecular ecology to ecosystem research.

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, co-supervised by The Soil Biology Group at Wageningen University.

Are you interested in a PhD focusing on the role of the soil fauna in regenerative agriculture? Working with pioneer regenerative farmers across the Netherlands, this PhD will investigate which combinations of practices can support healthy multi-functional soil fauna communities. This PhD will quantify the role of soil fauna in supporting a range of soil functions for eight different regenerative agricultural business systems, working with 40 plus regenerative farms. The research will include questions like: 1) How do different soil fauna communities contribute to multi-functionality? 2) Can we recommend different combinations of management practices to enhance soil fauna diversity and associated multi-functionality? 3) What are the best indicators for wider monitoring of soil fauna and their functions in regenerative systems?

There is steadily growing pressure on agriculture and the entire food system to increase global production while promoting sustainability in terms of farmers' incomes, soil health, input use, and environmental and climate impact. Regenerative agriculture is a promising avenue to support a healthy, multi-functional and future-proof soil and farming system. Together with regenerative Dutch farmers, ReGeNL is developing a future-proof agricultural sector in which agriculture goes hand in hand with soil health and nature restoration, and a good revenue model for farmers. Between now and 2030, ReGeNL will start the transition to regenerative agriculture with 1000 farmers. The aim is to make regenerative agriculture the new normal by 2040.

This PhD is one of 19 PhDs to support the monitoring, modelling and valuing of regenerative farms in the Netherlands. This large-scale transdisciplinary project (ReGeNL), which started in 2024, will assess which combinations of practices are adopted/recommended for 8 different types of regenerative agriculture systems. The project aims to be an accelerator for the transition to a regenerative, profitable and socially supported agricultural sector. As part of this project, we monitor and model a range of different regenerative agricultural systems to understand which combinations of practices work for a range of agricultural, socio-economic and environmental outcomes. The outcomes assessed include; soil health, water and air quality, biodiversity and socio-economic goals such as farm income, citizen involvement, animal welfare and much more. Moreover, we will study how performance on these outcomes can be valued in food system governance.

As PhD you will work to support research and teaching activities within the A-LIFE section Ecology & Evolution. The role will encompass a variety of tasks including:

Your duties

• conduct field and lab research
• measurements and quantification of soil invertebrate diversity
• analyse links between soil fauna diversity and key ecosystem functions
• developing a biodiversity indicator tool
• teaching in a BSc or MSc course on a topic related to the PhD

promovendi adviseur

Als Graduate School of Humanities (GSH) vinden we goede begeleiding van al onze promovendi belangrijk, met oog op het welslagen van hun onderzoeksproject. Uitval willen we zo veel mogelijk voorkomen en daarvoor is vroege signalering van eventuele problemen cruciaal. Als promovendi-adviseur treed je op als laagdrempelig aanspreekpunt voor promovendi en promotoren. Je bent beschikbaar voor alle promovendi van de School of Humanities (SH). Ze kunnen bij jou terecht met vragen over het traject en dagelijkse problematiek en je fungeert als sparringpartner. Daarnaast heb je aandacht voor het mentale welzijn van promovendi en houd je de voortgang van het promotietraject in de gaten.

Als promovendi-adviseur ben je goed bereikbaar, als vraagbaak voor promovendi en promotoren. Je bent bovenal gesprekspartner en luisterend oor voor de promovendi: je voert voortgangsgesprekken en je denkt mee over het Opleidings- en begeleidingsplan. Daar hoort uiteraard ook bij dat je in staat bent om in vertrouwelijkheid gesprekken te voeren met promovendi over het verloop van het promotietraject. Via het eigen registratiesysteem van de Graduate School houd je een vinger aan de pols. Je signaleert problemen op tijd en onderneemt zo nodig actie, in overleg met de promovendus.

Je bent daarnaast verantwoordelijk voor de organisatie van activiteiten die door de Graduate School of Humanities aan promovendi aanbiedt. Hierbij denken we aan introductiebijeenkomsten, informele lunchbijeenkomsten en aan cursussen en workshops. Die kunnen gaan over het ontwikkelen van onderzoeksvaardigheden en thema’s als wetenschappelijke integriteit, verwachtingen ten aanzien van begeleiding en werkplanning.

Jouw taken

• begeleiden van promovendi door het zichtbaar aanwezig zijn en het voeren van vertrouwelijke (voortgangs)gesprekken in verschillende stadia van het promotietraject
• snel en adequaat beantwoorden van vragen van promovendi en promotoren rond het promotieproces. Je signaleert knelpunten, je adviseert over de kwaliteit van de begeleiding en denkt mee over het verbeteren ervan
• adviseren over wetenschappelijke integriteit en andere problematiek gerelateerd aan het promoveren, zoals de omgang met culturele verschillen
• adviseren over de samenstelling van het Opleidings- en begeleidingsplan, als onderdeel van het onboardingsproces van startende promovendi
• coördineren van het verplichte opleidingsprogramma van promovendi en portfolio beoordeling
• organiseren van activiteiten voor promovendi
• registratie en het bijhouden van de promovendi dossiers in Hora Finita, ook Key User Hora Finita
• bijhouden van de betaling van hun financiële bijdrage door externe promovendi
• Check van de (preventieve) controle van proefschriften op plagiaat met gebruik van de plagiaatscanner Itenticate, als key user
• deelnemen aan centrale overleggen en bijdragen leveren aan de formulering van het beleid voor promovendi van de GSH.

PhD Cross-sector collaboration for older people care

Population ageing is rapidly increasing the demand for long-term care (LTC) while labor supply is shrinking, and public expenditure is under growing pressure from pay-as-you-go pension payments. This applies across most high- and middle-income countries over the next two decades, and possibly beyond, given declining birth rates and societal reluctance to increase immigration from low-income countries.

In response, OECD countries have introduced a range of governance and financing arrangements to address barriers such as the wrong-pocket problem. These arrangements rely on horizontal coordination, meaning collaboration across sectors and stakeholders, and vertical coordination, meaning alignment across levels of government and financing arrangements. Together, these policy options aim to reduce barriers to collaboration across organizational and financial boundaries.

In the Netherlands, cross-domain collaboration in LTC was structurally embedded in legislation in 2026, opening up new opportunities to refine existing approaches and address long-standing barriers around governance complexity and cost-shifting. Building on this, more than 50 neighborhood initiatives have been launched, in which municipalities, health insurers, and care providers jointly organize and finance support for frail older adults.

The DOS PROJECT examines these initiatives along two lines. First, it develops a set of time-series models that provide timely insight into neighborhood-level future trends in care use and costs, enabling earlier responses to emerging developments. Second, it evaluates the impact of the DOS initiatives at both the neighborhood and aggregate level. The PhD candidate will dive into rich, nationwide administrative data and run advanced level causal analyses to find out how DOS initiatives actually shape people's care behavior and health outcomes. To identify broader trends and patterns at higher levels of aggregation, the project will apply hierarchical regression models with shrinkage.

Your duties
The DOS research project is conducted by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and is funded by Zorgverzekeraars Nederland. The PhD candidate will be employed at the department of Ethics, Governance & Society of the School of Business and Economics and supervised by prof. dr. X. Koolman in collaboration with dr. F. R. Portrait, dr. N. Stadhouders and dr. Y. Krabbe, the project leader.

Your duties include:

• Conduct high-quality doctoral research leading to scientific journal articles and a PhD dissertation.
• Develop nowcasting models, matching models, hierarchical regression models to evaluate the DOS initiatives.
• Present your work at scientific conferences and workshops with academic partners and stakeholders such as Zorgverzekeraars Nederland, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, care offices, municipalities and care providers.
• Contribute to the teaching activities of the department, including lectures, tutorials, exams and grading.