• You hold a master’s degree, having graduated within the past ten years, but no doctoral degree.
• You have a strong connection with and understanding of the African continent. Any experience of working or studying in Africa will be a plus.
• You thrive on conducting impact-driven, interdisciplinary research, and are keen to learn more about other disciplines, which will help you as at least one of your publications is to be of an interdisciplinary nature..
• You are willing to work and study in the Netherlands, and travel to Africa.
• You meet the eligibility criteria as stipulated under the MSCA COFUND requirements.
• You harness your communication skills to connect with a wide variety of actors, ranging from scientists and decision makers to citizens. And with your entrepreneurial skills you know how to take initiative and open doors to relevant organisations.
• You have a good command of written and spoken English, as you will be working in an international environment and publishing in English.

Fixed-term contract: 4 years.

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 12-18 months contract – depending on the university of employment – with an official go/no go progress assessment within the timeframe. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 30-36 months assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 gross per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in your universities’ Graduate School. The Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor and an extra specialized programme within GROW. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

Each participating universities offers a customisable compensation package with e.g. discounts on health insurance and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

All universities have welcoming to the Netherlands services. These services provide information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands.

Delft University of Technology

GROW is a network of leading universities in the Netherlands collaborating closely with 22 academic and 17 non-academic partners on the African continent. We invest in training PhD students who have a strong connection with and understanding of the continent, while strengthening African-Dutch partnerships. We strive for collective learning and co-creation, creating a deeper understanding of the challenges, opportunities and their trade-offs. This will lead to more detailed specifications, earlier prototype testing, more opportunities for validation and transforming academic results into real-world solutions.

For GROW, Delft University of Technology, University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Leiden University and Erasmus University Rotterdam have teamed up and offer 51 PhD positions to conduct international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral (Triple-I) research. The GROW programme offers PhD students to equip themselves with an advanced, future-proof set of scientific and complementary skills that will help them pursue meaningful careers in an increasingly complex and connected world.

If you would like more information about this position or the selection procedure, please check the guide for applicants on the GROW website. This guide includes the detailed eligibility criteria, evaluation criteria, clear instructions on how to apply, and a description of what a GROW PhD project implies.

REGISTER NOW for our webinar on 5 December 2023, for more in-depth information and the opportunity to ask questions.