PhD “Reclaiming EdTech Imaginaries” (NWO Vidi)

Are you interested in reimagining the future of digital education beyond the dominance of Big Tech and AI? With this PhD position, you will join the research team of the NWO Vidi project Reclaiming the Digital Classroom (RECLaiM-EDU, 2026–2031). RECLaiM-EDU investigates a pressing question for contemporary education: How can European primary and secondary schools (re)claim control over public education in an era increasingly shaped by Big Tech and AI?

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The project addresses this question through an empirical investigation of Digital Autonomy Innovators (DAIs)—pioneering yet often fragmented initiatives across Europe that seek to safeguard public values in digital education. These initiatives experiment with alternative approaches to educational technologies and infrastructures, ranging from new forms of collective imagination and design practices to the development of public digital infrastructures. Within the project, these efforts are studied across three interrelated domains: imaginaries (PhD), design (Postdoc), and infrastructures (PI, Dr. Niels Kerssens).

Building on these empirical insights, RECLaiM-EDU aims to advance a new conceptual understanding of digital autonomy as a distinctly European strategy for securing public value in education amid rapid digitalization and deepening technological dependencies. This theoretical and empirical work will feed into the co-creation of the Digital Autonomy Framework for European Public Education (DAF-EU): a strategic roadmap and call to action designed to stimulate bottom-up, public-interest innovation across Europe and to support schools in reclaiming agency over their digital classrooms.

As a PhD researcher within the RECLaiM-EDU project, you will lead the project’s imaginaries pillar. Your research will examine how practices of world-building, future-making, and speculation shape alternative visions of digital education and open up possibilities for more democratic technological futures in European primary and secondary education. You will conduct in-depth empirical research on pioneering initiatives across Europe while developing a strong analytical and conceptual approach to imaginaries as a pathway toward digital autonomy in education.

Working in close collaboration with the PI and the postdoc, you will be an integral member of a dynamic research team and actively engage with academic and societal partners across Europe. In doing so, you will contribute to positioning RECLaiM-EDU at the forefront of scholarly and public debates on digital autonomy, democratic innovation, and the future of digital education.

Your main duties and responsibilities include:

• developing an independent research plan on Reclaiming EdTech Imaginaries, aligned with the empirical, theoretical, and practice-oriented objectives of the Vidi project;
• conducting high-quality empirical research (e.g., case studies, participatory research, qualitative fieldwork, document analysis) in close collaboration with the PI and the Postdoc;
• publishing in leading international peer-reviewed journals and contributing to edited volumes or policy-oriented publications where relevant;
• presenting research findings at international conferences, workshops, and academic networks;
• contributing to the development of the Digital Autonomy Framework for European Public Education (DAF-EU);
• supporting the organization of international symposia and a final international conference;
• engaging with stakeholders in education, policy, and civil society, including reactive and proactive policy engagement at national and European levels;
• contributing to public communication and media engagement, such as podcasts, opinion pieces, and knowledge dissemination activities;
• participating actively in the intellectual life of the research group, including seminars, reading groups, and collaborative writing processes.

We are looking for a highly motivated and analytically strong candidate with a clear interest in critical research on digital technologies in public education, and the capacity to combine independent scholarship with collaborative, practice-oriented engagement.

Must-have qualifications:

• a completed (Research) Master’s degree in Media Studies, Communication and Information Studies, Education and Technology, Science and Technology Studies (STS), or a closely related field;
• experience with qualitative research methods (e.g., interviews, ethnography, participatory research, co-design, discourse analysis) and/or design-oriented or practice-based methodologies;
• demonstrated excellence in independent academic research, as evidenced by an outstanding (R)MA thesis and/or academic publications;
• a strong and demonstrable interest in critical EdTech studies, platform studies (particularly in educational contexts), digital governance, and/or related fields;
• excellent academic writing and presentation skills, with the ambition and capacity to publish in leading international peer-reviewed journals and to present at international conferences;
• experience with organizing academic events such as workshops, symposia, or conferences, and enjoyment of such organizational work;
• demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a research team;
• a proactive and organized work attitude, with the ability to manage a multi-year research project;
• excellent command of English (written and spoken).

Nice-to-have qualifications:

• affinity with, or experience in, interdisciplinary research and collaboration with societal partners (e.g., schools, teacher educators, policy actors, public organizations);
• experience in non-academic publishing, public scholarship, or communication with broader audiences (e.g., policy briefs, blogs, opinion pieces);
• interest in engaging with actors in media, governance, and policy circles, and in contributing to societal impact;
• reading proficiency in Dutch and willingness to engage with Dutch educational stakeholders.

• a temporary fulltime job for initially 18 months with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 36 - 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between € 3,059 and € 3,881 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

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The Faculty of Humanities has around 7,000 students and 1,100 staff members. It comprises four knowledge domains: Philosophy and Religious Studies, History and Art History, Media and Culture Studies, and Languages, Literature and Communication. With its research and education in these fields, the Faculty aims to contribute to a better understanding of the Netherlands and Europe in a rapidly changing social and cultural context. The enthusiastic and committed colleagues and the excellent amenities in the historical city centre of Utrecht, where the faculty is located, contribute to an inspiring working environment.

The faculty strives for diversity among its employees and students and is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for everyone, as can be read in Utrecht University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy.

The core values of the faculty for Humanities are professionalism, transparency, responsibility, connectedness and safety. These values apply to everyone and we uphold these values in our work and in our communication with each other and with others.

Our department of Media and Culture Studies has a staff with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and views. As a department, we are committed to support our staff and their development and we foster various forms of interdisciplinary collaboration and team-based teaching and research. In our department, we study a wide range of media as well as cultural and artistic expressions, also in their intermedial relations. We interpret culture as a dynamic combination of artistic, creative, and everyday activities that people use to shape their identities, and within which social processes, structures and institutions are shaped. We welcome colleagues who can further strengthen the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds in our department.

As PhD candidate you will be member of the Institute for Cultural Inquiry (ICON) – one of the four research institutes of the Faculty of Humanities – and the interdisciplinary focus area Governing the Digital Society (GDS), which fosters the collaboration between the Departments of Media and Culture, Law, Governance, and Information Science. PhD candidates are also embedded in the Graduate School of Humanities, which offers seminars and courses to improve your academic skills.

For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Niels Kerssens at N.Kerssens@uu.nl

Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.