PhD Understanding Student Engagement in Education (part of the StudentLines Project)

The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

FEBRI, the graduate school and research institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business has available one PhD position in the field of Understanding Student Engagement in Education (part of the StudentLines Project).

What are you going to do?

As a PhD candidate, you will:

• Conduct a literature review on student engagement networks and their influence on well-being, academic performance, and career development.
• Contribute to longitudinal and mixed-methods data collection within the StudentLines project.
• Analyse how student characteristics, institutional features, and contextual factors shape engagement and related educational, well-being, and professional outcomes.
• Co-design, with students and partner institutions, a sustainable data and feedback process that fosters ongoing engagement.
• rite three academic papers suitable for submission to leading management and organization journals.
• ork closely with researchers, educators, and regional employers to translate findings into practice.

Project Context

Students’ engagement with their personal development in higher education programs is a key driver of learning success and career progression. Yet, since the COVID-19 pandemic, student participation has declined sharply and has not fully recovered. Many students struggle with motivation, mental well-being, and a sense of purpose, leading to lower involvement in both curricular and extracurricular activities.

Existing research shows that the networks students form create a form of persistent “social memory” of formative interactions with peers, mentors, and professionals. These networks continue to shape students’ access to knowledge, support, and opportunities long after formal education ends. Early experiences of collaboration, feedback, and institutional support leave lasting career imprints that influence how individuals later engage with employers and professional communities. Recognizing this persistence highlights the importance of strengthening students’ engagement within these networks.

However, we know relatively little about how educational institutions can intentionally create conditions that support enduring engagement rather than allow disengagement to accumulate over time. Without understanding how to cultivate positive network imprints, declining engagement risks becoming self-reinforcing, limiting students’ capacity to learn, collaborate, and transition effectively into meaningful professional roles.

To address this challenge, this PhD project develops a data-driven approach to strengthen long-term engagement between students and their educational programs and institutions. It is part of a larger initiative, StudentLines, which aims to develop improved monitoring infrastructures that support the continuous enhancement of educational quality and alignment with labour market needs.

The PhD project will examine how student engagement develops over time within higher education and investigate how interactions between students and institutions shape engagement. Insights will contribute to theoretical advancements on the development and persistence of engagement during formative years and the transition into working life, as well as practical recommendations to improve tools and processes for student engagement.

Research Focus

The PhD will explore three interrelated questions:

1. What is the current state and longitudinal development of student engagement with their educational institutions and programs?

2. Why is student engagement changing? Which mechanisms shape student engagement, considering students’ personal characteristics and experiences, institutional factors, and the broader socio-technical environment?

3. How can engagement be strengthened? Based on the patterns and mechanisms identified, what actions can enhance students’ engagement with their programs and institutions?

The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse both online and offline antecedents of engagement. Data will be collected through surveys, focus groups, and digital behaviour tracking, and linked to educational performance data within the StudentLines infrastructure.

We are seeking intellectually curious, self-driven individuals who thrive in complex, evolving research environments. While qualified candidates have a thorough training in research skills, speak and write English fluently and have obtained excellent results and successfully completed the Master phase, success in this PhD position requires more than academic ability alone—it calls for a mindset shaped by creativity, resilience, and a willingness to explore the unknown.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate:

• Practical and creative intelligence – a solutions-oriented thinker who approaches challenges with originality, flexibility, and a hands-on mindset.
• Perseverance – the ability to stay motivated and engaged through setbacks, uncertainty, and prolonged effort.
• Tolerance of ambiguity – comfort with navigating open-ended questions and incomplete information.
• Self-direction – capable of independently setting goals, managing time, and sustaining research momentum.
• Critical analytical thinking – open to experimenting with unconventional ideas and learning through failure.
• Excellent academic writing – eager to engage with high quality theoretical papers and clearly explain our project’s contribution to the knowledge base.
• Intrinsic motivation – driven by deep curiosity and a desire to make meaningful contributions, beyond external rewards.

We value diverse perspectives and non-linear paths. If you are energized by uncertainty, think beyond established boundaries, and are ready to grow through challenge, we encourage you to apply.

• 232 vacation hours per year, based on a 38-hour workweek (1.0 FTE). You can also work more or fewer hours in exchange for more or fewer free hours. For example, with a 40-hour workweek, you save 96 extra free hours, and with a 36-hour workweek, you lose 96 hours.
• End-of-year bonus of 8.3% and 8% holiday allowance.
• Extensive opportunities for personal and professional development.

At the University of Groningen (UG), researchers from all fields of academia and technology are working on academic challenges and societal questions. Lecturers prepare their students for meaningful careers within or outside the academic world. Interdisciplinary research and teaching, sharing of knowledge, collaboration with businesses, government institutions, and societal organizations are aspects that are of the utmost importance to this European top university. The UG aims to be an open academic community with an inclusive and safe working climate that invites you to add your value.

Shaping a better future together – your career starts at FEB The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) at the University of Groningen is a vibrant academic community with a clear mission: to develop knowledge that matters. With students and staff from over 100 countries, we foster an international working and learning environment where societal impact, world-class research, and innovation are at the core. At FEB, you’ll join committed colleagues who inspire and challenge one another. Whether you're a researcher, lecturer, or support professional, your skills and ambition will contribute to educating tomorrow’s leaders and thinkers. We encourage personal development and provide plenty of room for initiative and growth. Ready to take the next step in your career? Explore our vacancies and become part of one of the Netherlands’ leading faculties.

The PhD position is embedded in the Research programme I&O (https://www.rug.nl/research/io/) of FEB’s Research Institute. 

You will join an interdisciplinary team committed to improving the connection between education and the regional labour market. Your work aims to not only advance scientific understanding of student engagement but also contribute to higher employment participation, stronger student well-being, and greater social cohesion in the region. This project will be supervised by Dr Eveline Hage and Prof. David Langley

Do you have any questions or need more information?

Questions about the content of the job?
Eveline Hage (Associate Professor): M.L.Hage@rug.nl

Questions about your application process?
Rina Koning (Policy Officer): A.C.Koning@rug.nl