phd position amsterdam university

How do I find a doctoral position?

Many PhD candidates are employed by the University as doctoral researchers with a view to completing a doctoral programme. Consult the list of vacancies for available doctoral positions.

Obtaining a PhD without an employment contract

It is also possible to obtain a doctorate without being employed by the UvA. Contract PhD candidates are those who have concluded an agreement with the UvA or a third party with a view to obtaining a doctorate. They may be funded by, or given time to pursue their studies by, an employer. Or they may receive a scholarship from the University or from another organisation. In both cases, they themselves are responsible for finding a supervisor.

It is also possible to obtain a doctorate from the UvA as an external PhD candidate. In this case, candidates do not enter into an agreement with a third party and do not receive a salary, but sometimes receive some material and/or financial support.

Specific doctoral programmes

For specific doctoral programmes, consult the website of the relevant research institute or Graduate School.

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PhD research

How to become a phd student.

The main route to becoming a PhD student at the Amsterdam School of Economics is to follow the intensive 2-year Research Master's programme at the Tinbergen Institute (TI). The aim of this excellent Master's programme in economics, econometrics and finance is to prepare students for further academic research. In the 2 nd year of the Research Master's programme, students are usually assigned a supervisor, based on their research interests. Students who are assigned a supervisor from ASE have the opportunity to apply for a PhD position at our School.

For fields not covered by the TI, and for specific projects, vacancy announcements are posted on the website of the University of Amsterdam.

Candidates who are financially self-supporting (usually those who wish to pursue a PhD next to an appointment in a company or elsewhere) can apply for an external PhD. The conditions are stated in below document 'External PhD students ASE'.

Tinbergen Institute

Tinbergen Institute (TI) is one of Europe's top graduate schools and research institutes in economics, econometrics and finance. The institute uniquely combines the best of 3 leading universities in the Netherlands: the University of Amsterdam (UvA), VU University Amsterdam and Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). TI offers a Research Master's programme in Economics (with 3 tracks: Economics, Econometrics and Finance) as well as PhD opportunities under expert supervision by our international research fellows. With 30 nationalities in the institute and 70% of our students coming from abroad, Tinbergen Institute provides a truly international experience. The 3 universities also work together in the joint Research Master's Business Data Science .

PhD Council

At the beginning of 2021, the UvA Economics and Business PhD council was started. It represents the interests of all PhD candidates at the Faculty of Economics and Business, from both the Amsterdam School of Economics and the Amsterdam Business School. Aim of the council is to be a sounding board for organisational developments within the faculty that concern PhD candidates. In addition to this, they want to stimulate interaction and communication between PhD students at different sections and departments.

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Application and Admission

Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research / AISSR

Application procedure

Check out the available PhD positions at the UvA vacancy portal.  

Private funding

If you submit your own research proposal you should be aware of the following:

• Which topic would you like to explore?
• Which programme group would you like to join?
• Which supervisor do you have in mind?
• What funding is obtained to cover the associated fees?
• How does your time plan roughly look like?

If a PhD project is financed by the University of Amsterdam or through a grant awarded to the University by a third party, the PhD degree is conferred by the University of Amsterdam.

Fees for scholarship and external PhD candidates

PhD candidates who are not employed by the University of Amsterdam  but receive a scholarship, pay a fee of €4.545 up to €15.000 annually (depending on the specific situation). This fee covers a variety of costs such as the selection procedure, supervision, PhD training (core courses, seminars) and a small research budget.

Self-funded external PhDs can ask for a tuition fee waiver, but still need to bring their own budget to cover costs of living (see explanation below).

Scholarship PhDs

If you have obtained a scholarship to pursue your PhD, please provide additional information about the conditions.

External PhDs

What funding is obtained to cover the monthly allowance for the duration of the PhD trajectory (in general 4 years, full-time)? When you will be residing in Amsterdam this minimum monthly allowance is rated at €1,717.

Scholarship and self-funded external PhDs will need a research budget of at least €9,000 for the whole PhD trajectory.

For the complete information regarding external PhD’s, please check out the PhD Admission Manual. 

Admission criteria

The minimum requirements  for all PhD candidates are:

• Master’s degree, or academic degree that is equivalent to Dutch final university examination

English language proficiency test

(one of listed)

• TOEFL Internet-based test (minimum total score 100, minimum score on each component: 22) Paper-based test (minimum total score 600, minimum score on each component: 57)
• IELTS (minimum total score: 7.0, minimum score on each component: 6.5)
• CAE and CPE (minimum score: C)

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The UvA uses cookies to measure, optimise, and ensure the proper functioning of the website. Cookies are also placed in order to display third-party content and for marketing purposes. Click 'Accept' to agree to the placement of all cookies; if you only want to accept functional and analytical cookies, select ‘Decline’. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking on 'Cookie settings' at the bottom of each page. Also read the UvA Privacy statement .

PhD in Theoretical Physics

A PhD is the highest academic qualification in the Netherlands. It generally involves four years of original research on a specific topic. Students who have a Master's degree can apply for a position, and are selected on the quality of their (educational) background.

The programme

A regular PhD programme takes 4 years of independent research, supervised by a professor. The programme is concluded by a thesis (dissertation) and/or a series of articles in scientific journals. As PhD student you get the opportunity to contribute to the development of deep knowledge in your subject. 

There are several ways to obtain a PhD. Most PhD candidates in the Netherlands are not students but employees of the university. The primary criterion for admission to a PhD programme is the quality of the candidate. 

Candidates can obtain a PhD:

• As an employee of the UvA. Job vacancies at the Institute of Physics can be found on this page .
• On a scholarship, for example from a foreign government, an international organisation or a Dutch fund.

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The UvA uses cookies to measure, optimise, and ensure the proper functioning of the website. Cookies are also placed in order to display third-party content and for marketing purposes. Click 'Accept' to agree to the placement of all cookies; if you only want to accept functional and analytical cookies, select ‘Decline’. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking on 'Cookie settings' at the bottom of each page. Also read the UvA Privacy statement .

Becoming a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Humanities

• PhD candidates employed by the Faculty of Humanities

Self-funded PhD candidates

Phd candidates employed by the faculty of humanities.

PhD candidates employed by the Faculty of Humanities receive funding from the Faculty or from the inter-faculty research institute ILLC. THese PhDs are a small minority of all the PhD researchers in the Faculty.

Externally Funded PhD candidates

These researchers receive a salary form the Faculty of Humanities and are employed just like the previous group, but their funding derives from external sources like the ERC and NWO.

Vacancies for positions in these two categories are advertised on the UvA vacancies website and/or on the websites of the AIHR research schools  and the ILLC. For more information concerning admission to the ILLC PhD programme please refer to the programme's admissions page .

If you wish to start your PhD as a self-funded candidate (i.e. not employed by the university, not receiving a salary from the Faculty, but maybe with funding from a research institute in your home country), the first thing to do is to choose one of the  AIHR research schools  or institutes that suits your proposed research project.

The next step is to find a potential supervisor affiliated with the selected research school who is willing to supervise your research project. Each research school lists its academic staff on its website. Candidates are required to find their own supervisors, though the coordinator of the chosen research school might be able to assist you with selecting a suitable professor.

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Opportunities

We announce several PhD and postdoc positions at the GRAPPA institute, related to gravitational waves, fundamental physics and cosmology.

PhD Student

Apply by 31/01/2024

Apply by 28/02/2024

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Besides regular postdoctoral jobs, we also offer postdoctoral fellowships supported by the Netherlands and the EU. We encourage strong candidates to apply. Contact one of the core faculty whom you are interested in working with!

Quick facts

• Recruitment

Categories:

• Media and Communication

Apply by: 2024-07-04

PhD: Transgender People and the Labor Market: Content and Consequences of Media Portrayals in NL

Job description.

Transgender and Gender Nonconforming (TGN) people are in a precarious position, often more so than other LGBTQIA+ people. One of the most notable challenges they experience is low rates of employment, at least partially due to negative employability perceptions. As most people have limited contact with TGN people, these perceptions are related to (news) media portrayals. How are TGN people depicted in media and how does this portrayal affect employability perceptions among potential employers? How are the media portrayals perceived by TGN individuals and how do they experience the communication in the job application process? Join our PhD project and explore these questions with us! We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic PhD candidate for the project “Transgender people and the labor market: Content and consequences of media portrayals in The Netherlands” under the supervision of dr. Anna Berbers, prof. dr. Theo Araujo, and dr. Anne Kroon. The project is embedded in the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam. What are you going to do In this 4-year PhD project, you will explore employability perceptions of TGN people from various angles. As media plays a central role in perceptions about social groups, the first step will be to analyze the frames used in news media about TGN people. Furthermore, the effect of these frames on employability perceptions will be examined. The content of vacancy texts is also very relevant to the employability of TGN people, as lack of inclusive language and use of gendered language can deter them from applying for a particular position. Lastly, you will analyze how TGN people experience the communication used in the application process. This PhD project will examine: (1) news media portrayal of TGN people, (2) how these portrayals affect employability perceptions (3) the use of inclusive and/or gendered language in vacancy texts, and (4) the perceptions of TGN people on the communication in the job application process (including news media portrayal, recruitment texts, corporate communication). Various methods are used in this project: quantitative and qualitative content analysis, experiments, and in-depth interviews. The PhD candidate will write a paper-based dissertation and strives to publish the results of individual studies in leading journals in the field of Communication Science. In addition to the scientific impact, the project will also have a societal impact, with outreach to interested stakeholders within and outside academia to disseminate the research conclusions. Tasks include

• Conducting a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of news media portrayal of TGN people;
• Conducting experiments on effects of TGN frames on employability perceptions;
• Conducting content analysis of vacancy texts;
• Conducting in-depth interviews with TGN people;
• Completing a dissertation consisting of research articles within the appointment period;
• Presenting your work at national and international conferences;
• Contributing to the vibrant academic life in Amsterdam by attending workshops, meetings, and lectures;
• Spending 10% of your time on teaching-related tasks.

What do you have to offer You have

• a (research) master’s degree in Communication Science or will have obtained this degree before the start of the project. Candidates with another (research) master’s degree are welcome to apply, but should motivate why their experience suffices for this project;
• a strong interest in, and preferably knowledge of, framing of minoritized groups and related effects, both on majority group and the minoritized groups themselves (i.e. minority stress model);
• a firm basis in, and ideally experience with, research methods and data analysis, in particular quantitative and qualitative content analysis, interviews, experiments, and open science practices;
• an excellent spoken and written command of English (as you will be writing an English language dissertation and presenting at international conferences; Dutch is an important plus).
• passionate about research;
• have a strong affinity for the research topic;
• eager to learn and to develop new skills and theoretical perspectives;
• able and enjoy working in a team;
• able to work independently and show initiative;
• organized, flexible and attentive to detail.

What can we offer you The planned starting date for this project is September 1st, 2024. The position concerns temporary employment of 38 hours for a maximum term of 4 years. The initial employment is for one year. Following a positive assessment and barring altered circumstances, this term will be extended by a maximum of 36 months, which should result in the conferral of a doctorate. We will put together a curriculum which will also include the opportunity to attend training courses and both national and international events. You will also be tasked with teaching (Bachelor's) students for approximately 10% of the contract. For this position the University Job Classification profile “promovendus” applies. Your salary will be €2.770 gross per month in the first year and will increase to €3.539 in the final year, based on full-time employment and in keeping with the  Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities . We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education. What else do we offer

• a position in which initiative and input are highly valued;
• a nurturing environment that allows you to develop your talents and skills;
• an enthusiastic and warm supervision team;
• an inspiring academic and international working environment in the heart of Amsterdam.

About us The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) is the research institute for the Communication Science Department in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. A challenging work environment with a variety of duties and ample scope for individual initiative and development within an inspiring organization. The social and behavioral sciences play a leading role in addressing the major societal challenges faced by the world, the Netherlands and Amsterdam, now and in the future. To work at the University of Amsterdam is to work in a discerning, independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterized by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society. Read more about  working at  the University of Amsterdam. Questions Do you have any questions, or do you require additional information? Please contact dr. Anna Berbers, Assistant Professor,  [email protected] Job application Do you recognize yourself in the job profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application by July 4th, 2024. You may apply online by using the link below. Applications  in one bundled .pdf  should include

• a curriculum vitae;
• a letter of motivation (max. 2 pages) that outlines your preparation and motivation to pursue this PhD project. Please be as specific as possible in describing how you meet the selection criteria. If you do not meet all of the criteria yet, please explain how you will acquire the required skills;
• a grade transcript of the followed BSc and MSc courses;
• a recent individual English and if possible Dutch writing sample (e.g., a master thesis or other recent individual essay).

Please upload this package as a single PDF on the next page in the 'CV' box. The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritise diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity. No agencies please. If an ‘Error GBB451’ occurs, please click  here  for more information and help.

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