PhD position "Improvising security: subsistence in contemporary Rotterdam"

Life has become more expensive and uncertain for many people. How do they find everyday solutions to this? For this ethnographic research in Rotterdam, we are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate. 

Your job

We are hiring a PhD researcher to participate in the NWO/Vidi project "Improvising Security: Subsistence in Contemporary Urban Europe" and to write a dissertation based on urban ethnographic research in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Urban dwellers in Western Europe are facing new insecurities related to work, care, and access to basic infrastructures due to economic shifts and welfare reforms. This project investigates how individuals address these everyday challenges through various strategies. Specifically, it explores how urban Europeans, with a focus on Rotterdam, improvise what is conceptualized as subsistence security in their daily lives. This includes practices such as juggling multiple jobs, cohabiting, or establishing informal care arrangements.

The PhD researcher will collaborate with grassroots organizations in Rotterdam and employ qualitative interviews, artistic methods, and urban ethnography. Additionally, the researcher will work alongside a colleague conducting a comparative case study in Dublin, Ireland.

The project is part of the larger Improvising Security initiative led by Dr. Marguerite van den Berg. The PhD researcher will be employed at the Utrecht University School of Governance (USG) and will participate in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Law, Economics, and Governance (LEG) as well as the PhD programme of the Netherlands Institute for Governance (NIG). USG’s PhD programme offers strong support structures, including coaching, and extensive training and educational opportunities. The PhD researcher will be actively involved in the research community at USG.

Your qualities

We encourage applications from candidates who:

• Have a substantial interest in and/or experience with critical urban studies and feminist research.
• Have experience with or an interest in artistic methods.
• Have experience with or an interest in ethnographic methods.
• Possess strong writing skills.
• Have excellent Dutch language skills, given the qualitative and ethnographic nature of the research.
• Are team players.

Our offer

We offer:

• a position for 18 months. with an extension for 23 more months (total 41 months) upon a successful assessment in the first year;
• a gross monthly salary between €2.872 and €3.670 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU)); 
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus; 
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU. 

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

About us

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.

The Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance is a faculty at the heart of society, with a strong focus on social issues. Our subjects of Law, Economics and Governance give us a strong mix of academic disciplines that complement and enhance each other. This is a unique combination and a mark of our faculty's strength.

The Utrecht University School of Governance (USG) is one of the three departments within the Faculty of Law, Economics, and Governance at Utrecht University. USG studies public issues and public organizations in their interaction with political and societal developments. The key question addressed is how public organizations and private entities with a public mandate tackle current social issues, shape their public responsibilities, and deliver public value. Our academic research is renowned both in the Netherlands and internationally. It focuses on key themes such as accountability, professionalism, public service performance, organizational change, innovation, and public leadership. We pay particular attention to public organizations, including the European Union, central and local governments, the police, the armed forces, and the judiciary, as well as private organizations with a public mandate, such as hospitals, schools, housing corporations, sports organizations, and cultural institutions.

More information

For more information about this position or the project plan, please contact Marguerite van den Berg, (Associate Professor USG, Utrecht University) at m.a.vandenberg@uu.nl

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.

Apply now

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.

To apply, please send your curriculum vitae, including a letter of motivation, via the ‘apply now’ button.

The envisioned start date is Januari 1, with some flexibility.

The application deadline is 13 October 2024.