PhD Position in Wellbeing Economy Research

Do you like/are you looking for a challenging job in a dynamic setting? The department GPIO of the faculty Social and Behavioural Sciences is looking for a PhD candidate.

Are you exceptionally interested in doing academic research, and specifically in the field of wellbeing economy and citizens’ science? Do you want to work transdisciplinary, in collaboration with locally embedded residents and professionals? Is it your ambition to become a top-tier researcher? We are seeking a PhD candidate for the Amsterdam Wellbeing Economy research project, which is funded jointly by the Municipality of Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam. The PhD track is part of the Governance and Inclusive Development (GID) programme group.

At the GPIO department, research and education focus on spatial-social relations (both within and between the North and South), on urban aspects and on the social, economic and environmental aspects of development and sustainability. The GID programme group is one of four research groups within the GPIO department. At GID, research critically analyses and rethinks dominant development paradigms, and engages with international, national and local development practices, policies and debates to identify viable and socially just alternatives. The Amsterdam Wellbeing Economy Research project is dedicated to interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research framed around a rigorous approach to measure wellbeing bottom-up. The project collects and analyses grassroot-validated data to offer a broader insight than economic indicators or top-down framing of wellbeing issues. The ultimate aim is to bridge a scientific evidence-based approach with local community platforms in 3-5 neighborhoods, collecting and analysing data as a concrete input into effective policy and social participation.

What are you going to do

The PhD candidate will collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative data on social and economic wellbeing in multiple neighbourhoods in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, through a co-creation process, in-depth interviews and survey research with local community groups, and compare the results with similar data collected in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost. The comparative analysis will focus on the neighbourhood specific Wellbeing Dashboards and their sets of indicators, to derive patterns in indicators, priority rankings and predicted economic behaviour. Furthermore, the bottom-up collected data will be compared and contrasted with existing databases. Quantitative techniques for data analysis that will be used include principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and multiple regression analysis. Excellent field research and communicative skills are a pre-requisite, as well as the ability and motivation to work with social-economically and culturally highly diverse citizens and , and formal and informal urban policy stakeholders. For more information on the project see: Home - Welzijnsdashboard Amsterdam

You will/your tasks

• Literature review;
• Data collection through co-creation workshops, in-depth interviews & survey research;
• Advanced quantitative data analysis of Wellbeing Dashboards, including their economic and non-economic indicators; database integration; database comparison with existing databases;
• Communicate results to science, policy and practice (in an accessible manner).;
• Support to maintain the project’s (growing) database.
• Publish 4 academic articles.
• Present at national and international conferences.
• Engage in project team discussions and knowledge exchange.
• Supervise Master student thesis research upon request and interest.

What do you have to offer

You are a socially engaged scholar who is interested in urgent societal issues and debates, e.g. on inequality, sustainability, inclusivity and participation. You work well in diverse teams and can manoeuvre easily between the ‘systems’ world of Municipal Governance and the ‘life world’ of citizens. You are communicative and resilient when dealing with a dynamic research environment.

Your experience and profile

• Research Master in Economics or in Social Sciences;
• Quantitative data collection and analysis skills;
• Proven knowledge of alternative economics ;
• Experience with working in an international team (research or practice);
• Excellent writing skills (shown by academic papers or essay assignments);
• Proficiency in Dutch and English (C2)
• Knowledge of Amsterdam City and its’ varied neighbourhoods;
• Skills working with secondary databases

What can we offer you

The position concerns temporary employment of 38 hours per week for a maximum term of 3,5 years. The initial employment is for one year. Following a positive assessment and barring altered circumstances, this term will be extended by a maximum of 30 months, which should result in the conferral of a doctorate. We will put together a curriculum which will also include the opportunity to attend training courses and both national and international events. You will also be tasked with teaching appropriate to interest and availability. For this position the University Job Classification profile PR applies.

Your salary will be €2.770,- gross per month in the first year and will increase to €3539,- in the final year, based on full-time employment and in keeping with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.

The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

What else do we offer

• a position in which initiative and input are highly valued.
• an enthusiastic and warm team that is open to new colleagues.
• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

About us

The University of Amsterdam is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.