PhD position Eye for Environment (1.0 FTE)

More and more families receive care and support. Within many of these families, one or more family members are supported for the long-term with multiple professionals involved. Often, this support is (too) dependent on individually related classifications such as ADHD and autism. But also when there is a motor and/or intellectual disability, care and support is often one-sidedly focused on the child or adult with that disability. Little consideration is still given to the role and needs of the environment or how the environment helps improve the situation.



Do you want to work with us? As a PhD candidate ‘Eye for Environment’, you will have the opportunity to, under supervision, develop your own insights, collect data and share your findings with both scientific colleagues and practicing support professionals. Together with a motivated team, you will work on meaningful solutions and contribute to the future of your field.



Two research groups within Special Needs Education have joined forces. One, Wild & Willful, specialises in ‘de-labelling’ in mild/moderate problems'. The other, the Academic Collaborative Center Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities, specialises precisely in children and adults with intensive support needs where labels have never been central.



As a PhD candidate, you will investigate how we can ‘diagnose’ the environment around the care recipient in both types of situations. Perhaps the environment is part of the problem, or does the environment also have an unmet support need? The starting point is that paying attention to the environment of the care recipient can help improve the quality of life of the whole family.



You do this by



- Exploring how -historically- testing in the Netherlands has focused on the individual or on context.

- Engaging with families: where are their needs, how do they see the role of the environment, and how do they describe themselves?

- Developing a product to properly map out the environment.



As a PhD candidate, you perform the following tasks



- You conduct research that results in a dissertation and matches the objectives and requirements of the project.

- You organise and carry out data collection for the subprojects.

- You publish results of the research in international scientific journals.

- You present the research to a wide audience of both (international) fellow scientists and support partners.

- You collaborate with fellow scientists in the larger projects.

- You contribute to a limited number of teaching activities at the department of Special Needs Education, such as working groups and lectures.



This is where you will be working

The University of Groningen ranks among the top European universities and is internationally oriented. The university is socially engaged and actively involved in its environment. In a wide range of disciplines, researchers and teachers practice their disciplines out of scientific passion. Everyone is empowered to do their best. The talents, ambitions and performance of the 34,000 students and 6,500 employees of the UG are stimulated as much as possible.



The Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences is strong in research and teaching on human behaviour, thinking, learning, and coexistence. We work on social issues and problems that people experience in everyday life. Individual and societal resilience and how to increase it are central to our work. We focus on the topics of migration, environment and climate, health, parenting and education, the protection of vulnerable minorities, and sustainable partnerships. Over 650 employees work at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences.



More information about the faculty can be found at the link https://www.rug.nl/gmw/

Requirements:

It is a fun and varied PhD track, with diverse work. On the one hand, you will do historical and literature research, in which being able to work accurately is important. On the other hand, the research is practice-oriented and you will have a lot of contact with families. This track does not look at a small part, or specific issues. We look broadly at family life as a whole and everything that plays a role within it.



Specifically, we are looking for a broadly oriented PhD candidate who wants to contribute to the development of context diagnostics and who



- A completed (Research) Master's degree in behavioural, cultural, health or social sciences.

- Is enthusiastic about writing international publications and a PhD thesis.

- Has a good command of Dutch and English.

- Has good academic writing, social and communication skills and is willing to collaborate with other team members.

- Is enthusiastic about translating scientific insights into practical guidelines and advice.

- Possesses good organisational skills and perseverance.

- Demonstrates competences such as conceptual ability, presentation, planning and monitoring progress.

- Relevant additional work and/or experience with (the impact of) care and support are a plus.

Salary Benefits:

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities:



- A salary of € 2,901 gross per month in the first year to a maximum of € 3,707 gross per month in the fourth and final year for a full-time working week.

- 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus based on annual gross income.

- 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 Results and Development Interview, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of three years.

- Based on a 38-hour work week (full-time), you will receive 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.



Effective date: 1 September 2025

38 hours per week

Broerstraat 5