The Department of Sociology is looking for a Junior researcher in Student Development. At the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam students are encouraged to develop a broader mind. “A Broader Mind” is also the name of an innovative educational program for all Bachelor's students at the VU. The program is supported by the Executive Board of the Vrije Universiteit and is part of one of the profile ambitions. A longitudinal study will be designed to track the civic, social, and professional development of successive cohorts of students at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam participating in the program, starting in the 2018-2019 academic year. The pilot study will lay the foundation for a long term study. We seek a candidate with enthusiasm for longitudinal data and interest in the analysis of panel data and a Master’s degree in sociology, social psychology, developmental psychology, or educational science. The appointed researcher is working with the project leader, René Bekkers, and a postdoctoral researcher to design a pilot study for the longitudinal survey.

Tasks
The candidate will be expected to
• work with René Bekkers and the postdoctoral researcher to develop the survey instrument for the longitudinal study;
• assist with a systematic review of the research literature and analysis of data from existing surveys on student development;
• assist with the documentation of the survey instruments for the longitudinal study;
• analyze data from the pilot survey for the longitudinal study;
• participate in everyday departmental activities and tasks.

The successful candidate must have a Master degree in one of the Social Sciences, preferably in a Research Master program. The candidate should:
• have a strong interest in student development and longitudinal panel survey data;
• have excellent research skills, demonstrated by an excellent master thesis;
• have the ability to work in an interdisciplinary team;
• have good communication skills;
• be fluent in English.

We would like our department to reflect our diverse student population and therefore especially encourage female candidates to apply.

The appointment will be for a total of 1.5 years. The starting date is September 1, 2018.

You can find information about our excellent fringe benefits of employment at www.workingatvu.nl like:
• remuneration of 8,3% end-of-year bonus and 8% holiday allowance;
• a minimum of 29 holidays in case of full-time employment;
• generous contribution commuting allowance based on public transport.

The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts
€ 2,640.00 gross per month (salary scale 10.0) in the first year, based on a full-time employment.

http://www.vu.nl/en/index.asp

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a leading, innovative, and growing university that is at the heart of society and actively contributes to new developments in teaching and research. Our university has ten faculties which span a wide range of disciplines, as well as several institutes, foundations, research centres, and support services. Its campus is located in the fastest-growing economic region in the Netherlands (the Zuidas district of Amsterdam), and provides work for over 4,500 staff and scientific education for more than 23,000 students.

The Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) looks at the major social problems of our time from more than one perspective. From bullying at school to how to deal with illegal immigration, from the rise of populist politicians to the shaping of a self-reliant society. FSS combines all the disciplines that are needed to be able to understand these 'wicked problems': in addition to classical disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and political science and public administration, also new social sciences such as communication science and management and organization science. In our education and research we do not settle for easy answers. Our scientists and students are critical thinkers and doers who together develop surprising solutions. At the Department of Sociology, one of the research groups is the Center for Philanthropic Studies, housing expertise in teaching and research on philanthropy.