Vacature Two PhD positions in STS and ageing

Two PhD positions in STS and ageing in Heerlen

Requirements

All applicants must fulfil the following general eligibility criteria for the Digi4Age doctoral network:

• must have completed a Master's degree or equivalent at the time of start (Sept 2026);
• must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment;
• should comply with the mobility rules, where they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months, at any point during the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date (short stays such as holidays or compulsory military service are not taken into account).

Specific requirements for these PhD positions:

We encourage applications from individuals with varied backgrounds and experiences to join our research team.

In particular, we are looking for candidates who meet some or all of the following criteria:

• Holding a Master’s degree ideally in the areas of Science and Technology Studies, critical, cultural or social gerontology, social anthropology, health humanities, or a related field.
• Demonstrating a strong academic track record and a keen interest in conducting original, critical research at the intersection of Science and Technology Studies and ageing.
• Possessing expertise in qualitative, empirical research methods; experience with ethnographic fieldwork is desirable.
• Showing interest in co-creation and participatory research methods.
• Thriving in inter- and transdisciplinary environments, working collaboratively with societal partners, engineers/designers, caregivers (formal and informal), and older people.
• Communicating effectively with diverse stakeholders and demonstrating strong analytical skills.
• Having excellent written and oral communication skills in English; while Dutch is not required at the start, a willingness to acquire a good command of the Dutch language within one year is expected.

Conditions of employment

Fixed-term contract: for a period of 12 months. The appointment will be extended to 36 months after a successful assessment after in the first year.

You will first be appointed for a period of 12 months. The appointment will be extended to 36 months after a successful assessment in the first year. The salary is € 3.059 gross per month in the first year and is expected to increase to € 3.708 in the third year, for a full time appointment, contingent on satisfactory performance. The OU offers good secondary and flexible employment conditions as well as an 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

At OU, you will become part of the OU Graduate School (OUGS) that is a vibrant community of PhD researcher from different faculties. The OUGS school provides a high-quality training program that offers abundant opportunities for personal and professional growth.

For 19 consecutive years, the OU has ranked among the top three universities in the Netherlands in student evaluations, and in 2026 it was designated the highest-rated university nationwide We take pride in sustaining this standard.

Location

In good consultation, you are expected to be present in Heerlen (The Netherlands) on a regular basis (in the case of a full-time appointment at least 2 days a week).

Employer

Faculty of Humanities at Open Universiteit

The Faculty of Humanities focuses on the cultural dimension of major societal challenges of our time, including technological innovation and digitalisation, identity, diversity and inclusion, and (mental) health. The faculty is completing a re-profiling programme called Connected Humanities (Cultuurwetenschappen in verbinding), which supports new and non-traditional forms of humanities research that reach beyond its classic fields of history, art, philosophy, and culture. Connected Humanities encourages close collaboration with the Social Sciences and other disciplines. The announced position is part of the research group on ageing, care and technology, led by Prof. Alexander Peine, which studies how social, infrastructural, cultural and material factors influence the ways ageing, care, (mental) health and technology interact and develop together.

More information about the Open Universiteit and the Faculty of Humanities can be found on our website www.ou.nl