PhD position in Design Cultures

PhD Position at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam – Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

This four-year PhD student position is based at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam’s (VU) Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (Department of Art & Culture, History, and Antiquity), within the framework of the NWO-funded project Synthetic Adventures: (un)sustainability and (dis)comfort in the design, making and use of outdoor Clothing. This research project responds to the unsustainability of fashion and clothing production and consumption and will contribute to environmental debates on the future of design practices in the apparel industry.

This PhD position is part of a larger interdisciplinary project exploring cultural drivers for the growth of waterproof outdoor clothing consumption in the context of an over-carbonised economy and changing human experiences of weather. We are seeking a candidate interested in questions of environmental sustainability with experience researching material cultures of clothing/textiles. The PhD role is to research the presence of high-performance waterproof textiles in everyday wardrobes, which involves ethnographic fieldwork on how consumer-users form relationships with clothing objects (WP2). Alongside writing their dissertation, the PhD student will be involved in the organisation of public-facing events including the materials workshop that forms part of the overall project.

The PhD student will be employed by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands and enrolled in its doctoral programme, which is part of the Graduate School of Humanities. They will be supervised by dr. Jane Tynan (Design History and Theory) and dr. prof. Gert-Jan Burgers (Heritage and History of Cultural Landscapes and Urban Environments).

The expected starting date is 1 January 2026.

Your duties

• submit a PhD thesis on the above-mentioned topic within the period of appointment
• complete and submit at least two articles for international, peer-reviewed journals within the period of appointment
• participate in meetings, conferences, and workshops organised within the framework of the research project
• co-organise the project’s Material Workshop
• contribute to authoring reports, the project website and other documentation in the context of the Synthetic Adventures project
• participate in the PhD training program of the Graduate School of Humanities
• assist in teaching during the 2nd and 3rd year of the appointment (max. 0,2 FTE per year)

We are looking for candidates who meet the following qualifications:

• a relevant Master’s degree in the Humanities or Social Sciences (obtained by the latest on October 1, 2025)
• outstanding research qualities, evidenced in strong transcripts and a high-quality Master’s thesis
• familiarity with the methods, theories and history of design, evidenced through a university diploma in Design Studies, Fashion Studies or Cultural Anthropology
• demonstrable affinity with the subject of the research project
• enthusiasm for communicating academic research to non-academic audiences
• high level of proficiency in Dutch and English (oral and written)
• keen interest in interdisciplinary research methods and approaches
• ability and willingness to work in a team
• willingness to travel abroad for fieldwork, research stays, conferences and workshops
• strong organisational skills
• familiarity with ethnographic research methods desirable
• familiarity with the design industry desirable

What we offer

• a salary of € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
• an employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract
• opportunities for travel

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

• a full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

About the project

Synthetics might be very efficient in keeping people dry, but reliance on non-renewable textiles for outdoor leisure is unsustainable. Synthetic Adventures explores the cultural drivers for the growth of outdoor clothing consumption in the face of complex environmental problems. Observing designers and consumers, this research project explores whether normative understandings of weather perpetuate unsustainability in the apparel industry. By exploring historical dependencies, design ethics and consumer sensibilities that constitute the outdoor clothing niche, the research project identifies focal points that constitute barriers to change and asks whether anthropocentric conceptions of weather feed an appetite for water-resistant synthetic textiles in sport, leisure and fashion.

Dynamic material ecologies have seen the growth of a fashion and textiles industry intimately connected to the fossil fuel industry. Sustainability might be a buzzword for brands, but the apparel industry remains one of the least regulated and most polluting industries on the planet. By critically engaging with the political, material, and environmental ontologies of fashion and clothing this research aims to understand current trajectories in the industry through a fast-growing market segment: high-performance, weatherproof outdoor clothing. Synthetic Adventures explores the cultural drivers for the growth of outdoor clothing consumption in the face of climate risk and an over-carbonised economy. Designed around the ‘problem’ of weather, the growth of outdoor clothing is a route to understanding how climate is conceptualised, in the design process and in the everyday lives of product users. The package of European Green Deal proposals announced in 2022 to make sustainable products the norm in the EU aims to ensure that all textile products use recycled fibres free of hazardous substances by 2030. As the apparel industry adjusts to EU regulation, this research will contribute to debates arising in the next five years on corporate and consumer responsibility in the making, design and use of high-performance, weatherproof outdoor clothing.

About the sub-project

The PhD research is a material culture study attentive to the synthetic materials used in waterproof outdoor clothing (WP2). This forms part of a larger research project that moves from structural conditions for the emergence of synthetic fibres to the experience of makers and users in an arena of socio-technical complexity. Ethnographic fieldwork in the UK and the Netherlands will explore material and affective sensibilities informing consumer-user relationships with hydrophobic clothing objects. The PhD researcher will conduct a series of Wardrobe Studies as part of the fieldwork, exploring what constitutes durability in the design and use of outdoor clothing objects. The researcher produces a PhD thesis and two articles for peer-reviewed journals in the field.

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

A better understanding of ourselves and social communities, values and meaning, through social sciences and humanities. That is the aim of The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. No single discipline can do this alone. The SSH disciplines are characterised by an open way of thinking and the natural urge to seek coherence and connection. The faculty consists of nine academic departments within three schools: School of Religion & Theology (SRT), School of Social Sciences (SSc) and School of Humanities (SH).

Are you interested in joining Social Sciences and Humanities? You become part of a dynamic academic community with approximately 900 staff members, over 5,000 regular students and more than 5,000 course participants. In an inspiring and collegial environment, we work together on education and research with impact.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity

Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding. We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services. Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.