PhD position ERC-CAPE (1.0 FTE) in Groningen

Department

Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences

Organisation

University of Groningen

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative centre of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 30,000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is an international place of knowledge.

The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences of the UG excels in teaching and research in the fields of behaviour, thinking, learning and how people live together. We want to continue developing our well-founded theoretical and methodological knowledge domains: psychology, sociology, pedagogy, educational sciences and teaching methodology.

The Faculty aims for a leading position in studying and solving social issues and problems people encounter in everyday life. Our ambition is to develop and assess scientifically substantiated interventions, in consultation with social parties. We aim to develop the Faculty infrastructure for empirical research to a leading global level.

Job description

We invite applications for a 4-year PhD position (1.0 FTE) to join the European Research Council funded project called “Ghosts from the Past: Consequences of Peer Experiences across Contexts and Generations (CAPE)“. CAPE is headed by Dr Tina Kretschmer at the Department of Pedagogy and Educational Sciences, University of Groningen, Research Unit Youth Studies.

CAPE aims to understand the long-term consequences of adolescent peer experiences for early adult romantic relationships and friendships, and explores the intergenerational transmission of peer experiences from a biosocial perspective, that is, elucidating parenting and epigenetic modification as pathways and taking into account the potential role of genetic transmission as explanatory mechanism for intergenerational transmission. CAPE is embedded within TRAILS (Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives’ Survey) and TRAILS-The Next Generation, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study with an intergenerational spin-off, both led by the Interdisciplinary Centre of Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation (UMCG). In CAPE, additional qualitative data are collected to support conclusion drawn from quantitative data gathered in TRAILS and TRAILS-The Next Generation.

The focus of the PhD student will be on the transmission of peer experiences from one generation to the next and the role parental beliefs and parenting play in this transmission. As such, the PhD student will contribute to all project parts, including data collection (interviews with young adults, home visits to families) and analysis (qualitative and quantitative) and writing up and disseminating results.

In detail, the tasks of the PhD student will be to:
• together with the TRAILS NEXT team coordinate and carry out home visits to conduct interviews with young children (4-6 years) and their parents
• use secondary and newly collected data to analyze long-term outcomes of adolescent peer experiences and underlying mechanisms (e.g. growth and mediation models)
• get acquainted with biosocial approaches and incorporate genetic information into models of parenting
• write up analyses for publication and present results at national and international conferences.

The CAPE project prioritizes open and transparent scientific practice so the PhD student is required to get acquainted with relevant platforms and procedures (e.g. Open Science Framework, pre-registration).

Requirements

We are looking for a passionate and enthusiastic PhD researcher, who:

• has completed a Master’s degree (ideally Research Master) or is close to completion in a field related to the project (e.g. social and behavioural sciences)
• has a quantitative background and interest for qualitative research
• previous experience in contributing to publications or presenting research is a plus as is experience in collecting data from children or families
• works well within a research team, is communicative and reliable
• is proficient in English and Dutch though the latter may be acquired within two years.

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 48 maanden.

The University of Groningen offers a salary of € 2,222 gross per month in the first year of the appointment, rising to € 2,840 gross per month in the fourth year for a full-time position. This temporary position lasts four years. You will first be appointed for a period of 12 months. After a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining period.

The starting date should be as soon as possible, and no later than Fall 2018.

Application

You may apply for this position until 24 May 23.59h / before 25 May 2018 Dutch local time by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

To apply for this position, please submit in English:
• a motivation letter stating your research interests and how they align to ERC CAPE
• your CV, including an overview of research experience and skills
• names and contact details of two referees.

Job interviews will take place in early June 2018.

Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.
Additional information