We are seeking a candidate for a PhD project titled Social networks in the emergence of sustainable cooperation: the case of care cooperatives. This position focuses on the social network of care cooperatives, and it will examine conditions under which care cooperatives are developed and sustained. We will seek to collaborate with a national network of care cooperatives to collect survey data among members of multiple care cooperatives measuring social networks of participants, the nature of participation, care needs, and other relevant variables. In addition, laboratory experiments will be designed to study causal mechanisms that link social network structure, group size, and institutional factors to cooperation in cooperatives. Depending on the expertise and interests of the candidate, alternative research designs around the theme of emergence of (care) cooperatives can also be considered. A detailed project description can be found here.

The project is part of the transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research program SCOOP: Roadmaps to Resilient Societies. SCOOP is a research and training centre dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of sustainable cooperation as a key feature of resilient societies. SCOOP brings together researchers of the University of Groningen, Utrecht University, VU Amsterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Radboud University Nijmegen. The PhD student will participate in the SCOOP PhD training program.

Your responsibilities will be:

• conducting the research (literature research, collecting and analysing data, reporting results), resulting in international scientific publications and a dissertation;
• assisting in data collection, experiments and advanced methods of statistical data analysis;
• presenting results at national and international scientific conferences;
• teaching (max. 10% per year);
• active participation in the research group of the project and of the department;
• ambition to collaborate with (inter)national partners and to pay visits to these partners.

You should have:

• (almost) finished a (Research) Master's degree in the domain of Sociology, or a related discipline;
• a solid training in analytical sociology or related field;
• eagerness to learn to work in an interdisciplinary research team and to conduct interdisciplinary research in the SCOOP programme;
• an excellent academic record;
• eagerness to publish international articles and write a dissertation;
• good social and communication skills;
• excellent command of English and academic writing skills;
• motivation and ability to teach undergraduate Sociology courses.

We offer a position (1.0 FTE) for one year. In case of good performance, the employment will be extended with another three years. The gross salary ranges between €2,325 in the first year and €2,972 in the fourth year (scale P 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, the choice for a good balance between work and private, (partly paid) parental leave and flexible employment conditions (multiple choice model). More information about working at Utrecht University can be found here.

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 societal themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Sustainability.

The city of Utrecht is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, with a charming old centre and an internationally oriented culture that is strongly influenced by its century-old university. Utrecht city has been consistently ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the Netherlands.

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 Sciences, Pedagogical Sciences, Psychology and Sociology. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences plays a significant role in Utrecht University’s strategic themes 'Institutions for open Societies' and 'Dynamics of Youth'.

More than 5,600 students are enrolled in a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programmes. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences has about 850 faculty and staff members, all contributing individually to the training and education of young talent and to the research into and finding solutions for scientific and societal issues.

The Sociology department is one of the oldest and largest in the Netherlands, conducting research on and teaching a wide array of sociological themes, such as social inequality, crime, migration and integration, social networks, policy and organisation, cooperative relationships, families and work.