We are looking for two PhD candidates who will work on two projects. These two projects are part of an NWO-VIDI Grant on the “Gig Economy”, which funds research on online labour markets and their institutional foundations. Enabling the hiring of service workers via internet-based platforms, the gig economy is revolutionizing traditional employment. The socio-economic consequences are massive, ranging from increased work-autonomy to the possible erosion of labour standards. Interestingly, the opportunities and threats of the gig economy are perceived differently across countries, also depending on national regulation of dependent employment.

To understand the gig economy – its institutional foundations, its impacts on national labour markets and necessities for regulation – the PhD candidates will collect and analyze data on gig workers, online platforms and the social partners. Analyses will include different regression techniques, discrete choice experiments and sequence analyses.

The candidates will become part of the NWO-VIDI project team and its international network, as well as the wider Innovation Studies group – led by Koen Frenken, Marko Hekkert and Ellen Moors – of the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. A three- to six-months research stay at a foreign University or Research Institute is envisaged as part of the project. The students will be supervised by Associate Professor Andrea Herrmann.

We seek highly motivated candidates with an MSc degree in any (combination) of the following disciplines: Business and Management Studies, Political Economy, Political Sciences, Industrial Relations, Sociology, Economics, Innovation Studies or a related discipline.

We are looking for candidates who:

• have knowledge of and interest in institutional theories;
• have strong analytical skills and a background in quantitative methodologies;
• are proficient in English;
• have excellent scientific writing and planning skills.

The successful candidate will be offered a full-time PhD position, initially for one year. Upon successful evaluation of the first year, the contract will be extended for three more years. Employment conditions are based on the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. In line with the agreements, the gross monthly salary increases each year and accordingly ranges from € 2,222 to € 2,840 (full-time employment).

The salary is supplemented by a holiday allowance of 8% per year and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%. We offer a pension scheme, collective insurance schemes and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). Facilities for sports and childcare are available on our campus, which is only fifteen minutes away from the historical city centre of Utrecht. Here you'll find more information about working at Utrecht University.

A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, colleagues from various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Sustainability, Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, and Life Sciences.

Utrecht University has been ranked in the 2017 Academic Ranking of World Universities as the best university in the Netherlands, and as one of the leading research universities in Europe. Utrecht University’s sustainability research has the greatest citation impact worldwide according to a study conducted by Times Higher Education (2016). The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the Netherlands.

Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences offers education and research concerning the geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the Faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organized in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Urban & Regional Planning, Physical Geography, and Innovation, Environmental & Energy Sciences (IEES). The research of the IEES Department is organized in the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development.

The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development has been evaluated in a 2014 international review as the highest ranked Research Institute in Environmental Sciences in the Netherlands. Since then, the Institute has intensified its efforts in maintaining its leading position, among others by investing in several new international Faculty appointments and by developing new, internationally oriented teaching programmes.