PhD Candidates for the Behavioural Science Institute Graduate School

Employment

0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary

€ 2,770 - € 3,539

Required background

Research University Degree

Organizational unit

Faculty of Social Sciences

Application deadline

21 April 2024

Apply now

Each year, the Behavioural Science Institute (BSI) Graduate School offers seven Master students the opportunity to become PhD candidates. If you are interested in becoming a behavioural scientist and want to work at an institute where multiple disciplines of behavioural science are studied under one roof, we invite you to apply for our 2024 PhD positions.

The BSI’s overall aim is to strengthen people by means of high quality research on human behaviour. BSI has a strong tradition of linking fundamental and applied science from an interdisciplinary perspective in order to contribute to societally relevant research themes.

This year the seven PhD positions are linked to the research theme “Empowering the Young”. “The Young” refers to the full range of young people: from infants, children and adolescents to young adults – such as students, early career workers and young parents.

Young people are faced with many challenges in today’s society. For example, society and social relations are rapidly changing, social media are playing an increasingly important yet controversial role, education is becoming more diverse whilst being under pressure, and performance pressure among children, students and early career workers is omnipresent. Mental health, health behaviour and well-being are at stake. The BSI aims to study the challenges that young people face and to contribute to their empowerment and well-being.

Below, the seven BSI research programmes are listed. These BSI programmes represent our seven disciplines. Each research programme will contribute to the theme “Empowering the Young” with one PhD position:

• Behaviour Change and Well-being (discipline of Social Psychology)
• Communication & Media (discipline of Communication Science)
• Developmental Psychopathology (discipline of Pedagogical Sciences)
• Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment (discipline of Clinical Psychology)
• Learning, Education and Development (discipline of Pedagogical and Educational Science)
• Social Development (discipline of Developmental Psychology)
• Work, Health and Performance (discipline of Work and Organizational Psychology)

In this file , you will find descriptions of our seven BSI research programmes. Each of the seven programmes offers one PhD position for which it has indicated one or more pre-specified topics that the PhD-project will focus on within the BSI theme ‘Empowering the Young’.

When applying, you are asked to indicate which particular (max. 3) BSI research programme(s) appeal(s) to you most.

Profile

• You hold a Master's degree (e.g. a taught or research Master's degree in Behavioural Science, Psychology, Pedagogical Sciences, Educational Sciences or Communication Science).
• You have excellent research, methodological and statistical skills.
• You have good written and spoken English language skills as required for scientific publishing.
• You are a team player and are able to work proactively and independently.

We are

The Behavioural Science Institute (BSI) is an interdisciplinary research institute where fundamental, applied, and translational research takes place, often with the aim of understanding important societal issues and contributing to their solutions. The BSI is one of three research institutes in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Radboud University. Our researchers collaborate across the boundaries of psychology, communication science, and pedagogical and educational science. Our mission for the upcoming years is to join forces in interdisciplinary research on the theme “Empowering the Young”. We study the challenges that young people face in our current society and contribute to their empowerment.

The BSI performs high-quality research with scientific and societal impact. To foster this, the institute provides excellent research facilities and has strong collaborations with non-academic partners. Moreover, the BSI is known for its successful graduate school and strong dedication to open science and team science. We stand for a warm, inclusive, and cooperative research environment in which our employees are well-supported in a work culture that promotes collaboration and respect.

Radboud University

At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. Will you also contribute to making the world a little better? You have a part to play.

If you want to learn more about working at Radboud University, follow our Instagram account (link is external) and read stories from our colleagues.

Faculty of Social Sciences
At the Faculty of Social Sciences , humanity and society are our focus; we study how people behave, think and feel. Within this context, we look at themes such as human behaviour and the human psyche, education and upbringing, communication, society and culture. The faculty provides education to 6,000 students and employs 700 staff. Education is organised into six programme clusters: Psychology; Artificial Intelligence; Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Sciences; Communication Science; Sociology; and Cultural Anthropology and Developmental Sociology. Our research is carried out within three research institutes: the Donders Centre for Cognition, the Behavioural Science Institute, and Radboud Social Cultural Research.

We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (0.8 FTE 5- year contract - 1.0 FTE 4- year contract) of 1,5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract) or 3.5 years (5-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,770 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,539 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P ).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Support Service . The Dual Career Programme assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands. Our Family Support Service helps you and your partner feel welcome and at home by providing customised assistance in navigating local facilities, schools, and amenities. Also take a look at our support for international staff page to discover all our services for international employees.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

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Practical information and applying

You can apply no later than 21 April 2024 (23:59 Amsterdam Time Zone), only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Sander Berends. Please attach the following documents as separate PDF files.

• One general letter of motivation of not more than one and a half pages, in which you state
  • (1) your motivation for applying for specific BSI research programmes (up to a maximum of three) which you also indicate in the obligatory application question, and
  • (2) your research ideas, interests and expertise on “Empowering the Young” and their fit with the offered project topics per research programme.

• A curriculum vitae including overall grades obtained for BSc and MSc degrees.

You would preferably begin employment on 1 September 2024, but no later than 1 November 2024.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure . It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates. If you wish to apply for a non-scientific position with a non-EU nationality, please take notice of the following information (link is external) . 

Attachment
Description of the seven BSI programmes
pdf 606.11 KB

Apply now Application deadline 21 April 2024

We would like to recruit our new colleague ourselves. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be appreciated.

Would you like more information?
A.C. Berends (Sander)
managing director
[email protected]
Last modified: 22 March 2024
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