The Department of Sociology in collaboration with the Department of Interdisciplinary Social Science has a job opening for an Assistant Professor. The position is embedded within the area of Social Sciences at the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The assistant professor works at the department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Science: ‘Youth in Changing Cultural Contexts’, and contributes to the teaching programmes of both departments. The primary base for the assistant professor is at the department of Sociology. This vacancy is within the sector plan of Social Sciences & Humanities and more specifically related to the cross-sector theme on ‘Prosperity, participation and citizenship in a digital world’.

The Department of Sociology has strong research traditions in a wide range of topics in sociology including social inequality, crime, migration and integration, social networks, cooperative relationships, families and work, and computational sociology. It is part of the Dutch research school interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS). The department is known for its sense of community. The programme 'Interdisciplinary Social Science: ‘Youth in Changing Cultural Contexts’' centres on identifying opportunities for young people to thrive and grow within diverse contexts, including that of the family, peers, school and society. We seek to understand the interplay between these contexts and individual characteristics and their effects on adolescent and young adult risk behaviours, digital media use, mental health and social relations. Our research encompasses and combines quantitative survey research, including longitudinal and international comparative studies, qualitative research and experimental studies in the lab and the field.

We teach a Bachelor programme in sociology and in interdisciplinary social science and three Master programmes: the one-year master’s programme “Sociology: Contemporary Social Problems”, the one-year master’s programme “Interdisciplinary Social Science: Youth Development & Social Change” and a two-year research master’s programme “Sociology and Social Research”.

The position contains a standard combination of teaching activities (60%) and research activities (40%). In case you wish to focus your career on teaching, a 70% teaching and 30% research agreement is also possible, temporarily or structurally. In terms of research, we are looking for a candidate with a strong track record in research on social participation, youth, and democratic relationships. The research should connect to the UU strategic theme 'Dynamics of Youth'. The prospective candidate should also be broadly deployable in our teaching programmes.

We believe in a balance between individual and collective achievements. That’s why we assess on both individual and team performances. We stimulate academic leadership and motivate good academic leadership at all levels. We encourage to share the results of scientific research with society so that we collectively get more done and the social contribution of the university also grows.

We are searching for enthusiastic colleagues who recognize themselves in the values above and who meet the requirements below:         

• You hold (or have nearly obtained) a PhD degree in the domain of social or behavioural science or a related field.
• You have an inspiring research agenda in the area of social participation, youth, and democratic relationships.
• You have considerable quantitative research skills, visible from your PhD and publications.
• You have scientific creativity and productivity, as evident in recent publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
• You have experience in co-developing and co-coordinating academic courses.
• You hold a Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO) or are willing to acquire this qualification in the near future.
• Your English is fluent in speaking and writing at an academic level.
• You are able to teach in Dutch.

We offer a temporary position (0.8 FTE) for one year in an international working environment. After positive evaluation, this can be turned into a permanent position. The gross salary - depending on previous qualifications and experience - ranges between €3,974 and €5,439 (scale 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.

And that's not all. We are happy with you as a new employee and are happy to give you a warm welcome. That is why we organise a good introduction for our new colleagues, where we introduce you to and show you around our faculty and university.

Sharing science, shaping tomorrow. 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 strategic 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 anthropology, educational sciences, interdisciplinary social science, pedagogical sciences, psychology, and sociology. Almost 7,000 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has some 1,100 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. The department is located at Utrecht Science Park in the Sjoerd Groenman building.