PhD position on Life course decision-making (1FTE)

Do you want to contribute to meaningful research that investigates how people want to live their lives? Are you looking for a PhD position in which you can turn your curiosity into concrete research results and a dissertation? In that case, this PhD position might just be what you are looking for!

Demographic developments are the result of choices that people make regarding important decisions in their lives, such as when to leave home, where and with whom to live, if and when to have children or when to retire and how to spend ‘old age’. The main aim of this project is to map out the views of the population regarding major decisions in life, investigate to what extent and between which groups these views differ and what people expect from the government regarding major life choices.

How these decisions turn out depends on the wishes of individuals and their possibilities to realize these wishes. Government policy often plays an important role in this, because policy can enable or hamper people to realize their wishes and dreams. People’s wishes may not align with what government policy (implicitly) assumes their wishes to be, as these policy assumptions may be wrong, outdated or only apply to certain group of people.

As a PhD candidate you will have the opportunity to develop your own insights, conduct research, and share your findings with both scientific colleagues and a wide range of policymakers. Under the guidance of your supervisors and together with a motivated team, you will work on meaningful research and contribute to the future of population studies in the Netherlands and abroad.

AB2050: Background Studies Population 2050

You will join the project ‘Background studies Population 2050’ (AB2050), which provides insight into the societal consequences of future demographic developments and investigates drivers of population change. These demographic developments not only affect the individual and society, but also policy in various domains. In the AB2050 project, funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, we investigate what the demographic challenges are both now and in the future and we want to map out the policy implications for specific sub-domains. The AB2050 consists of a flexible research team at NIDI that works closely together with Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

Each year a  thematic focus is chosen in the project AB2050. For the PhD project this provides the unique chance to study different life course decisions and views people hold but also what they expect from policy.

 Why should you apply for this position?

1. To make an impact: in this role, you will directly contribute to scientific insights that address societal issues. Your research will not only translate into scientific publications for your PhD thesis, but you will connect with policymakers ensuring your findings will have impact.
2. Personal development: you will have the opportunity, with the support of experienced scientists, to develop yourself into an expert in the broad field of population research. The PhD journey offers plenty of opportunities for professional and personal growth.
3. Vibrant academic environment: Join the vibrant NIDI community of international staff in the heart of The Hague.

​​​​​​As a PhD candidate, you will perform the following duties

• You will conduct research that results in a dissertation and is consistent with the goals and requirements of the project.
• Organizing and conducting data collection for ‘AB2050’ projects. The PhD project will be based on both existing data (registry data, survey panel data, such as GGP and LISS) and newly collected data. The PhD student will have an important role in collecting data for the project.
• You will publish research results in international scientific journals and popular science outlets.
• You will present the research to a wide audience of both domestic and international fellow scientists and partners from the professional field and policymakers.
• Share scientific knowledge with policymakers and the public through various communication channels.
• You will be ‘part and parcel’ of the AB2050 project team: contributing to a wide variety of tasks from organizing dissemination activities, like in house seminars and policy briefs to editing website articles, and contributing to organizing data collection.
• You will collaborate with fellow scientists in the AB2050 project at the NIDI and external partners such as Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

For this position, we are looking for someone who

• Has a Research Master or Master's degree in the field of social sciences or data science/statistics with a demonstrated interest in population studies.
• Is enthusiastic about writing international publications and a dissertation.
• A solid background in quantitative data analyses and strong skills in advanced statistical methods and programming.
• Has an interest in doing policy-relevant research.
• Is enthusiastic about translating scientific insights into publications for a broad interested audience including policymakers.
• Has a good command of English and preferably also Dutch or is willing to learn Dutch.
• Possesses good academic writing, social and communication skills and is willing to collaborate with other team members.
• Possesses good organizational skills and perseverance.

This is where you will be working

The Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) is a leading European demographic research institute. NIDI is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and affiliated with the University of Groningen. It is located in the center of The Hague providing a unique and stimulating research environment in the broad field of population studies. Currently the staff of the institute consists of about 80 employees of different levels of seniority and organized in a rather horizontal structure within five thematic research groups. The working environment is highly international and NIDI provides ample opportunities for training and development. We expect employees to live within manageable travel distance of NIDI, of course permitting time to relocate if necessary. The work climate is based on mutual respect, openness, and direct contact. Many employees collaborate both across and within levels of seniority. Training the next generation by supervising PhD projects and guiding postdocs is one of the institute's key tasks, and NIDI prides itself on a tradition of close and successful supervision. NIDI participates in giving courses at universities, supervises national and international internships, and supervises master theses.

The PhD candidate will be embedded in the AB2050 project team. The AB2050 project team consists of a flexible group of NIDI researchers who study population dynamics.

More information about NIDI staff can be found at https://nidi.nl/en/about-us/employees/

Information

For additional information, you may contact dr J.J. (Jornt) Mandemakers, research and project leader AB2050 (mandemakers@nidi.nl).

And also check out: Background studies Population 2050 (Achtergrondstudies Bevolking 2050)

Terms of employment

• Depending on education and experience, the minimum salary is € 2,901 for year 1, and the maximum salary is € 3,707 gross per month in year 4 for a full-time appointment (scale P Collective Labor Agreement of Dutch Universities /KNAW).
• 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance, and pension accrual with ABP.
• A temporary employment of 1.0 FTE for a period of four years. You will first receive temporary employment for the period of one year. After a positive review, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of three years.
• Based on a 38-hour work week (full-time), 232 annual leave hours. It is possible to choose a 36- or 40-hour work week. If you choose a 40-hour work week, you accumulate an additional 96 hours of annual leave. If you opt for a 36-hour work week, you will lose 96 leave hours per year.
• A good pension plan with the ABP pension fund.

For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.

Application

Does this sound like your dream job? In that case, we cannot wait to get to know you.

To apply, please submit:

• Letter of motivation (max 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae (max 2 page)
• Copy of university BA and MA grades (transcript)
• One sample of written work (copy of master dissertation, published article, or coursework)
• Names and contact details of one referee
• All these should be included in a single PDF file

The deadline for submitting your application is April 30, 2025.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Diversity & Inclusion
The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.

We will not respond to any supplier enquiries based on this job advertisement.