Postdoctoral researcher studying the impostor phenomenon

Join this ERC-funded project as a Postdoctoral researcher studying the impostor phenomenon to develop a new perspective on the impostor phenomenon in the workplace as part of a broader programme examining how organizational systems shape impostorism and careers.

• MF Gebouw
• Amsterdam
• 0.8 / 1
• Researcher / Postdoc
• the possibility to work partly from home

Your function

The ERC Starting Grant project IMPOSTOR: From Impostor Syndrome to Impostor System investigates how workplace contexts shape experiences of impostorism and how these experiences affect career development. Grounded in Social Identity Theory, the project aims to transform the way researchers, organizations, and society understand the impostor phenomenon.

The project consists of three work packages. As a postdoctoral researcher, you will be responsible for the first workpackage, which focuses on developing and validating a novel state-based conceptualization of impostorism. This work package provides the theoretical and methodological foundation for the subsequent project stages, which examine how organizational systems may shape impostor experiences and their consequences.

Start date: November 1st (or as soon as possible thereafter)

In close collaboration with Dr. Sanne Feenstra, within the Organizational Psychology section, you will:

• develop a validated measure of State-Based Impostorism (SB-IP)
• conduct scale development studies, including item generation, factor analyses, and validation research
• design and test an innovative experimental manipulation of impostorism
• recruit and manage participant samples across multiple countries and occupational groups
• analyse quantitative datasets
• publish findings in leading international journals
• present research at national and international conferences
• contribute to open science practices, including preregistration and open data

Your profile

We are seeking an ambitious and highly motivated researcher with:

• a PhD in Organizational Psychology, Social Psychology, Work & Organizational Psychology, Management, or a related discipline
• strong expertise in quantitative research methods and statistics
• experience with scale development, psychometrics, and/or experimental research
• demonstrated publication potential through peer-reviewed scientific publications
• a strong interest in topics such as social identity, workplace diversity, leadership, and/or the impostor phenomenon
• excellent written and spoken English
• the ability to work independently while also thriving in a collaborative research environment

What do we offer?

We offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.706,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.760,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience
• a position of at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion with 1 year exists based on satisfactory performance

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. 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
• the possibility to work partly from home
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

About us

Amsterdam Leadership Lab
The Amsterdam Leadership Lab is part of the Organizational Psychology section within the Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology at VU Amsterdam's Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences. The lab conducts internationally recognized research on leadership, collaboration, and human behavior in organizations. In close partnership with public and private organizations, Amsterdam Leadership Lab develops evidence-based knowledge and interventions that address real-world organizational challenges.

Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences
Are you interested in joining Behavioural and Movement Sciences? You are the kind of person who feels at home working in an ambitious faculty, with an informal atmosphere and short lines of communication. We offer you all the space you need for personal development.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research.