Your function
We will be hiring a PhD student on a project to investigate Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) groups – that is, radical online groups (consisting of mostly adolescents and young adults) that are notorious for committing a broad range of crimes, consisting of members who appear to be driven less by a clear ideology than by general desires for chaos and online status. You will work within an interdisciplinary research team that includes Prof. dr. Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Prof. dr. Arjan Blokland, and Dr. Elanie Rodermond. You will investigate these issues with a mixed-method approach, combining sophisticated data science techniques (i.e., statistically analyzing a large volume of social media data) with qualitative analyses. You will present the findings at conferences and publish them in academic journals. You will also write a PhD thesis and publicly defend it at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The targeted starting date is 1 January at the latest.
Your duties
- map out existing literature on NVE groups and develop ideas for cutting-edge research on these groups
- explore existing data sources, find new data sources, and monitor them for updates
- analyze and curate data
- present the findings at (inter)national conferences
- publish the findings in academic, peer-reviewed articles
- assist in (minor) teaching activities within the department
- contribute to the team spirit and help others achieve their goals
- complete a PhD thesis and publicly defend it at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- participate in teaching by the Graduate School of the Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, and of the Kurt Lewin Institute.
Your profile
- you have completed or will soon complete (before the position’s starting date) a (Research) Master in criminology, psychology, data science, or other field relevant for the project.
- you have an interest in, or some expertise with research relevant for extremism, radicalization, and terrorism
- you have expertise in quantitative research methods and have a strong background in statistics
- you are open to learning a mixed-method approach that includes a quantitative analysis of a large corpus of social media data, as well as more qualitative approaches
- you have excellent verbal and written English language skills
- you are a team player with good communication abilities
As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.
We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore, we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.
What do we offer?
A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:
- a salary of minimum € 3.,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.,00 (PhD) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile PhD candidate. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
- a position for 1 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion exists.
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 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
- contribution to commuting expenses
- optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
- a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge