The Department of Education at Utrecht University offers a postdoc position in Educational Sciences/Pedagogy/Communication Sciences on the NWA project of prof. dr. Liesbeth Kester. This project seeks to disentangle the relations between childrens and youths (C&Y) digital media use in the media landscape, their development and equality of opportunity. The project’s approach is knowledge-chain-wide to ensure its impact on practice.

Today’s C&Y are immersed in digital media. The Covid pandemic revealed unequal opportunities for C&Y to use digital media. There are differences in digital media access, motivation/skills to use digital media, and support of key persons (e.g., parents/teachers/peers) herein. Understanding mechanisms in C&Y’s digital media use related to their development, can help them and key persons to act in evidence-informed ways to reduce inequality.

A better understanding of these factors is especially important during transition periods (i.e., from kindergarten to primary school or the early years in secondary school). During these periods, deviations in development could strongly impact C&Y’s opportunities. Our aim is that scientists, parents, professionals and C&Y understand the mechanisms that influence the relations between C&Y's digital media use, their development and opportunities. Furthermore, we want to develop skills and tools to support a positive impact of C&Y’s digital media use on development and equality of opportunities.

This research project is innovative in taking the full cross-contextual media landscape into account. We study the impact of digital media use on development and equality of opportunities in a longitudinal perspective, at cognitive, social and identity level. We combine longitudinal studies with experimental and/or ESM studies for insight in real-time processes in the daily lives of adolescents, including the role of key persons, individual dispositions and background factors in development. Hereby, we adopt a knowledge-chain-wide research approach that combines fundamental, applied and practice-oriented research resulting in tested interventions/tools for practice.

• Conducting research (literature research, designing the experiments, recruiting participants, pre-registering studies, collecting and analysing data, preparing and storing data packages for sharing);
• writing international scientific publications;
• giving presentations at (inter)national scientific conferences;
• actively engaging in outreach activities and disseminating findings to educational professionals and the general public;
• active participation in the local and (inter)national research team involved in this project.

• PhD in educational sciences, educational/(applied) cognitive/social psychology (completed or defense date scheduled, i.e., thesis approved by committee);
• experience with experimental research and (advanced) statistical methods: dynamic structural equation modeling and experience sampling method;
• experience with publishing and presenting research (preferably to diverse audiences);
• ambition to become a high-potential researcher and conduct excellent scientific research;
• social, organizational, and self-regulatory competencies;
• good communication skills (written and oral);
• proficiency in Dutch (mandatory) and English;
• ambition to collaborate with schools/youth professionals/youth (and preferably, experience in doing so);
• ambition to collaborate with and visit (inter)national partners.

We offer a postdoc position (0.5 FTE) for five years in an international working environment. The gross salary ranges between €3,839 and €4,123 (scale 10/11 according to the Collective Labour Agreement Dutch Universities) per month for a full-time employment. Salaries are supplemented with a holiday bonus of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% per year.

In addition, Utrecht University offers excellent secondary conditions, including an attractive retirement scheme, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). For more information, please visit 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, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is one of the leading faculties in Europe providing research and academic teaching in cultural anthr opology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. More than 5,600 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 850 faculty and staff members, all providing their individual contribution to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues.