The Departmentof Sociology and the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development have a PhD or Postdoctoral researcher position Mixed classes And Pedagogical Solutions. 

In many cities around the world – including those in countries of Northern Europe – forces leading away from educational inclusion and equality of opportunity seem to be gaining the upper hand. Getting a grip on the complex interweaving of macro-, meso-, and micro-level processes at work here will require advances grounded in detailed investigations across strategically chosen settings. The MAPS project therefore sets out to illuminate potentially scalable policies and practices of inclusion at the (pre-) primary educational level in three contrasting educational contexts: Finland, Iceland and the Netherlands. The explicit goal of this comparative effort is to connect new scientific insights, breakthrough programs and actionable tools for policy-making to actual educational practice. As more and less inclusive educational experiences are inextricably linked to other scientific and thematic areas – such as urban planning, housing, and public health – MAPS will also contribute to a number of academic debates and policy discussions all too often ignored in studies focused narrowly on educational inclusion and segregation.

In one case, that of 'high dosage math tutoring' in Haarlem, the PhD candidate or Postdoctoral researcher will focus on policies and practices related to a pre-selected project set to get underway in February of 2018 and to run for a minimum of three years. The candidate or researcher will also select at least one other particularly illuminating case involving one or more primary schools in or around Amsterdam.

The candidate/researcher is expected to:

• carry out ethnographic fieldwork in the context of diverse classroom settings;
• conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders;
• assist in (administrative aspects of) maintaining the MAPS consortium;
• present work to an (inter)national audience of academics and practitioners;
• participate in conferences, workshops, seminars and other scholarly activities.

In the case of a postdoctoral researcher the following applies:

• write four articles to be published in international peer-reviewed journals.

In the case of a PhD candidate the following applies:

• write a doctoral dissertation based on four articles in international peer-reviewed journals within four years;
• teach at the (under)graduate level in one or more of the related disciplines (10% of the time);
• participate in the AISSR PhD programme.

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a research master diploma or PhD in Sociology, Human Geography, Anthropology, or another relevant social science field with demonstrable interest in the topic of the MAPS project. Candidates should be able to prepare and conduct qualitative and especially ethnographic research in both independent and collaborative ways. Candidates will collaborate closely with other researchers within the international consortium. The candidate will also be closely involved in project management.

Applicants should possess strong writing skills and have an excellent command of English and Dutch. Relevant experience working within or investigating educational programs policy domains relevant to MAPS will be taken into consideration.

The preferred starting date is 1 April 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter. In the case of a PhD candidate the appointment will be full-time (38 hours per week) and for a period of four years (12 months plus a further 36 months contingent on a satisfactory performance during the first year). In the case of a postdoctoral researcher the appointment will be either 0.5 FTE (19 hours per week) for three years or 0.8 FTE (30.4 hours per week) for two years.

Based on a full-time position (38 hours per week), the gross monthly salary candidate will be €2,222 in the first year and €2,840 in the last year in the case of a PhD candidate. In the case of a postdoctoral researcher the salary will range between €3,475 and €4,757 (scale 11) gross per month, depending on qualifications and experience. The salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year allowance of 8.3%, in conformity with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

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Department of Sociology and the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) is the largest social-science educational and research institution in the Netherlands. The Faculty serves around 7,500 students in numerous Bachelor's and Master's programmes in Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Communication Science, Psychology, Social Geography, International Development Studies and Educational Sciences. The academic staff is employed in education as well as research. There are over 1,100 employees at the Faculty, located in a number of buildings in the centre of Amsterdam.

Research and education are carried out by special institutes. The College of Social Sciences (CSS) and the Graduate School for the Social Sciences (GSSS) are responsible for the undergraduate and graduate teaching programmes in the social sciences. Research takes place under the aegis of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), a multidisciplinary research institute, the biggest one of its kind in the Netherlands and possibly in Europe. The broad scope and pluralism of our education and research programmes are inspired by and reflect a strong degree of internationalisation.

The Department of Sociology and the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development are looking to fill one PhD or Postdoctoral researcher position. The PhD candidate or Postdoctoral researcher will participate in the research project Mixed classes And Pedagogical Solutions (MAPS) under supervision of Dr Bowen Paulle and Dr Willem Boterman.