The research assistant will be involved in a two-year project on strategies for disclosing evidence when interviewing suspects (e.g., the strategic use of evidence technique). Within this project we will develop and validate a training manual by synthesizing the scientific literature into a model. The model will then be translated into a manual that will be examined in training studies with US law enforcement.

Your duties

• collect and code existing studies
• synthesize the literature
• prepare research material
• coordinate data collections
• code and analyze data
• draft research reports

• Master’s degree in the social sciences, specializing in psychology, criminology or a related discipline
• good knowledge of experimental methodology
• experience with collecting data from role-playing participants (e.g., acting as suspects)
• excellent reading and writing skills (English)
• social and a good team worker

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. There is a fixed salary at the beginning of scale 7 (€2329,-). The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 1 FTE.
The employment contract will be for 10 months. When the project is prolonged extension is possible. 

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• discounts on collective insurances (healthcare- and car insurance)

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavour – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law provides bachelor’s degree programmes in three main fields: Law, Notarial law and Criminology. In addition, we offer an extensive range of Master’s programmes as well as contract education. Our teaching and research focus on the social function and relevance of law: from contracts in the platform economy to the new way of working, from colonial injustice to medical liability, from family reunification to civil participation, from sex offenses to ransomware. Our research is often both international and multidisciplinary in character.

Working at the Faculty of Law means being engaged in an active and inspiring academic setting. Together with your colleagues, you will contribute to the quality of teaching and research in a challenging and rewarding working environment. More than 300 people work at the Faculty of Law, which is home to some 3,000 students.
About the department
The research assistant will become a member of the Amsterdam Laboratory for Legal Psychology (ALLP), which is based at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology. ALLP members specialize in legal-psychological topics including eyewitness memory, testimonial evidence, suspect interviewing, geographical profiling, and expert witnesses in court.