You want to contribute to migrants’ well-being during migration, by researching and understanding their experiences and effects of small-scale interventions? 
This is your unique chance! 

Description of the project
Refugees are entitled to protection because they experienced persecution or because it is unsafe to return to their home country. Migrants (including refugees) often experience hardship, exploitation, torture and abuse also during the migration in the peri-migratory phase causing trauma and psychological problems. The victimisation of migrants during migration, which we coined victimmigration, is often neglected in transit and destination states. For instance, victimising experiences during the peri-migratory phase generally are of no relevance in the asylum procedure, but might have a serious impact on the migrants’ well-being. Especially, when the effects of these experiences are not treated. 

After arrival in a destination country in the post-migratory phase, migrants may face static immigration procedures, unwelcoming societies, and uncertainty about the outcome of these procedures, which as well creates risks for their psychological well-being.

Academic research on the traumatic experiences of migrants during the migration process is scarce, and if existent, focuses on the pre- or post-migratory phase. Only recently, have steps been taken to uncover migrant’s traumatic experiences in the peri-migratory phase and to research the impact of these experiences during the peri-migratory phase on the migrants’ well-being. The interplay with the legal and policy framework during the migration is another factor impacting the migrants’ well-being that has not been widely researched in the peri-migratory phase. The project aims to research this correlation and brings together academic research in the fields of cultural psychology, victimology and migration by conducting rigorous and innovative research into victimmigration using online platforms and narrative interviews. Within the multiplicity of topics linked to victimmigration this project seeks to answer the following research question:

How to strengthen migrants’ resilience to cope with the psychological consequences of victimmigration in the post-migratory phase, and does playing Tetris prevent the development of PTSD in migrants?

It will do so by addressing the following four sub-questions:

1. How does victimmigration occur in the peri-migratory phase?
2. What are the consequences of victimmigration on migrants’ psychological wellbeing in peri-migratory phase and how is the severity of these consequences related to the protective or risk factors, both internally and externally?
3. How does the psychological wellbeing of migrants relate to the national and European legal and policy contexts in which victimmigration in peri-migratory phase takes shape?
4. Does playing Tetris prevent the development of PTSD or related anxiety and depressive symptoms?

Part of the research will be conducted in Greece and part using online data collection. Apart from performing this research, the post-doc is involved in the supervision of the PhD candidate researching these questions for the post-migratory phase, and who is also part of the project team. 

We invite candidates with a legal background, a background in social sciences or an interdisciplinary background, with expertise in the field of migration, acculturation, transculturalism, victimology and/or psychological well-being, to apply. 

Tilburg University is curious about how you can contribute to our research, education, impact, and to the team you will be part of. Therefore, we would like to get the best possible picture of your knowledge, insight, skills, and personality. Below you can find the qualifications we consider important for the position. You:

• are an outstanding researcher with an excellent command of English and preferably Arabic (spoken by Iraqi and/or Syrian migrants);
• have completed a PhD in one of the fields relevant for this position, (e.g. psychology, cultural anthropology, sociology, victimology) and published on these topics in academic journals;
• have several years of experience in a research position and preferable with supervision of young researchers;
• have a strong interest in doing research and can clearly formulate views, ideas and concepts based upon complex information, as well as construct conceptual frameworks or models;
• have knowledge and experience in conducting qualitative and quantitative empirical research and experience with SPSS and/or ATLAS.ti or similar data analysis software;
• have excellent writing and presentation skills, you can easily transfer your knowledge to different target groups;
• have good planning and organizing skills and able to plan activities and set goals and priorities;
• finally, you are flexible, proactive, and able to work both independently and as part of a team. You are willing to contribute to the research community within our Law School.

To maintain a vibrant and active university community, it is important that we meet each other regularly and that the connection between us remains good. Therefore, the premise is that all staff members carry out their work in the Netherlands and that lecturing is done physically.

Personal qualities/talents

• You show personal leadership: you take responsibility for your work and career and possess a good level of self-knowledge.  
• You have team spirit: you feel part of a team and express this through collaboration, sharing knowledge and experiences, and contributing to an open and inclusive work environment. 

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Tilburg University offers excellent terms of employment with attention to flexibility and room for (personal) development. We recognize and reward our employees and encourage the use of talents and strengths.

Tilburg University is committed to an open and inclusive culture, embracing diversity, and encouraging the mutual integration of groups of staff and students. We create equal opportunities for all our staff and students so that everyone feels at home in our university community. 

We work in a vibrant and lively (work) environment on our beautiful campus, close to the forest and easily accessible by public transport. We are committed to a sustainable society and challenge you to make an active contribution to this. 

For this position, we offer:

• A position based on 0,8 fte (32 hours per week);
• It is a vacancy for which the work is (partly) temporarily externally funded by the “project Victimmigration” in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 7(a) of the CLA for Dutch Universities. You will be given a temporary employment contract for the duration of 48 months.
• A salary of minimum €3.974 and maximum €5.439 gross per month for full time employment, based on UFO profile Researcher 3 and salary scale 11 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system for salary scaling that is based on relevant education and work experience;
• Vacation allowance (8%) and a year-end bonus (8.3%);
• Vacation days (41 days for a 40-hour work week);
• Full reimbursement of commuting expenses for sustainable travel: walking, biking and public transportation
• Options Model for benefits and reimbursement of specific expenses;
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax-free allowance of 30% of their taxable wages. We will apply for this reimbursement for you;
• You will be enrolled in the General Pension Fund for Public Employers (ABP) through us;
• Various training courses, for example in leadership skills, personal effectiveness, and career development;
• A wide range of amenities and facilities and various arrangements to create an optimal work-life balance;

Visit working at Tilburg University for more information on our terms of employment. 

Tilburg University

Tilburg University's motto is Understanding Society. Based on this vision, our almost 2,800 employees conduct research, inspire more than 19,000 students of 110 nationalities, and bring people from different disciplines and organizations together to learn from each other. In this way, we want to contribute to solving complex social issues. In doing so, we work from the fields of economics, business and entrepreneurship, social and behavioral sciences, law and public administration, humanities and digital sciences, and theology. We seek the connection between the various disciplines to find solutions to the major issues we face as a society. Our students are educated to become responsible and entrepreneurial thinkers, driven by solidarity, a sense of responsibility, and empathy, who are able to influence and give direction to a rapidly changing society in an innovative way. Tilburg University has a culture of collaboration and co-creation, at local, regional, national, and international level.

Since its founding in 1963, Tilburg Law School has become one of the leading law schools in Europe.  Through top research and the provision of high-quality university education, the School contributes to society. Tilburg Law School is organized into five Departments: Public Law and Governance; Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, Markets and Society; Private, Business and Labour Law; the Fiscal Institute Tilburg; and Criminal Law. The mission of the School is to understand and improve the role of law and public administration in addressing the social problems of today and tomorrow. Through research and education, our scholars contribute to that mission. 

More than 4,000 students pursue a Bachelor's, pre-Master's or Master's degree at Tilburg Law School. Through this education, we train students in law, public administration, and data science. The Tilburg Educational Profile (TEP) is unique in the Netherlands. Central to it are three core concepts: knowledge, skills, and character. A university education provides students with the latest substantive knowledge and trains them to be critical thinkers and resilient professionals. In addition, the School is committed to innovative educational concepts and, partly in response to the coronavirus crisis, has invested heavily in the quality of online education and in innovative didactic tools to make and keep students inquisitive. 

Tilburg Law School's research is highly regarded nationally and internationally. The Tilburg Law School Departments work closely together in their research in four signature research programs: 1) Global Law and Governance; 2) Law and Security; 3) Connecting Organizations; and 4) Regulating Socio-Technical Change. 

Department of Criminal Law

The Department of Criminal Law has a multidisciplinary composition in which both criminal (procedural) law and social science approaches to crime and victimization have a place, and it provides education and research in the field of criminal law, criminology, victimology, and forensic psychiatry. Currently, the Department has about 30 permanent staff members. Particular value is placed on collaboration, both within the Department and with colleagues within Tilburg Law School and other Schools. The Department has an informal culture, where equality and providing an inspiring and safe working environment are paramount. Providing excellent education and conducting challenging research are seen as two main tasks that can only be accomplished together.