Your function
We will be hiring a Postdoc 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 sophisticated data science techniques (i.e., statistically analyzing a large volume of social media data). You will present the findings at conferences and publish them in academic journals. 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
Your profile
- you have completed or will soon complete (before the position’s starting date) a PhD in criminology, psychology, data science, or other field relevant for the project.
- you have expertise in research relevant for extremism, radicalization, and terrorism
- you have a strong background in statistics and data science techniques
- you have demonstrable experience with quantitative analyses of a large volume of social media data
- 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. In return for these valuable efforts, we offer you:
- a salary of minimum € ,00 and maximum € ,00 gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO (University Job Classification) profile for the position of a Postdoc. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
- a position for 1 FTE. The initial contract will be for 1 year, which can be extended for two more years contingent on a positive evaluation.
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