Maastricht University offers a unique 4-year PhD position to a student who is looking to make a difference. A student who wants to do research, but only with a clear societal goal. A student with an interest in novel technology and its potential to change human behaviour.

Fighting poverty is now more relevant than ever, and we are looking for someone who is excited to pick up this challenge, together with us. We will apply novel technologies such as virtual reality (VR) or other simulation methods to help prevent or eliminate poverty and debt.

The goal of this PhD project is to develop a tested intervention for behavioral change of policy makers or consumers. You will identify and develop simulation methods, such as VR and 2D storytelling, that allow users to experience what it means to live in poverty or debt, to experience financial stress, or to navigate the maze of complex financial decisions and planning. You will definitely not do this in isolation: this is a co-creation project with the help of an interdisciplinary team, and several external organisations and practice partners. The project is embedded in the Brightlands ELSA-lab Poverty and Debt.

After developing the intervention(s), you will research the effectiveness of these simulations methods on users (i.e. policy makers) through qualitative and quantitative research.

We offer a dynamic and challenging job in an internationally oriented organisation. The PhD Candidate will have the unique opportunity to carry out research in collaboration with the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, with BISS, the Brightlands Institute for Smart Society (more details below), and the Brightlands ELSA-lab Poverty and Debt. You will combine working alongside other PhD Candidates at the university’s School of Business and Economics in Maastricht, with the collaborative co-creation process and external partners at the Brightlands Smart Services Campus in Heerlen.  We believe that this challenge can only be addressed if we all work together!

We are looking for a candidate who shares our passion and motivation. We welcome candidates from a variety of academic backgrounds since this project is highly interdisciplinary in nature.

What we require:

• A strong research mindset and knowledge of research methods;
• Knowledge of statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R or Stata);
• Experience in conducting experimental research is an advantage;
• Programming skills are not required, but affinity with coding is considered a plus;
• The candidate should be fluent in Dutch and English and should possess good academic writing skills (in English);
• The candidate should be open minded and willing to learn more about the context, VR, and different research methods;
• The candidate should feel comfortable in working in interdisciplinary teams and in collaboration with policy makers and citizens.

The PhD candidate can make use of all research facilities offered by the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, the School of Business and Economics, and BISS. These include fully equipped research labs (30 partially enclosed cubicles), a virtual store, eye tracking material, etc. Funding is available for short-term visits (3 months) to international top schools. Furthermore, the project in close cooperation with institutes such as Nibud, and governmental organizations.

Are you just as passionate as we are to do research with a clear societal purpose? Does the idea of working on this topic together with many different internal and external partners appeal to you? Are you interested in the potential, but do you at the same time see the risks of using novel technology? 

Let’s then join our forces for this challenge.

Fixed-term contract: 1 + 3 years.

Remuneration will be according to standard salary levels for PhD students starting with a salary of €2,541,00 with a yearly growth to € 3,247,00 gross a month (based on a full-time appointment). Each year the standard salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% of the yearly gross income.

Other secondary employment conditions apply such as a pension scheme, a corporate fitness plan, a bicycle scheme, 232 hours of yearly leave hours, and partially paid parental leave.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 22,000 students and about 5,000 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The university hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. For more information, visit www.maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management, within the School of Business and Economics (SBE)

The Department is committed to excellence in teaching and research. We provide our students with the best possible education, at the Bachelor, Master, PhD and Executive level. We always strive to bridge the gap between academic rigor and real-world impact by integrating real-life cases and projects into our programs.

Our research is published in the top academic journals and has been rewarded with several international awards and is often funded by prestigious grants from NWO (The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research), the European Union, or the Marketing Science Institute. We are proud of our excellent reputation in our fields of expertise and enjoy sharing our knowledge with the business community to help solving some of the pressing questions that managers face.

Apart from education and research, our school also recognizes and rewards societal impact and academic leadership. It is expected to transfer knowledge and expertise to the outside world (societal impact). For example, through projects for companies via one of our innovative outreach centers (e.g. Brightlands Institute for Supply Chain Innovation, Service Science Factory)  or involvement in our executive programs.

The department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management is a young, international and dynamic department with around 70 members. We regularly host researchers from different countries, contributing to a lively atmosphere.

Brightlands Institute for Smart Society (BISS)

At Brightlands Institute for Smart Society (BISS), Maastricht University scientists work on innovative and responsible solutions to data challenges. All disciplines and faculties collaborate in applying data science and technology to solve real life societal and business needs. BISS was set up by Maastricht University, the Province of Limburg and APG. BISS is located on the Brightlands Smart Services Campus in Heerlen, the Netherlands.

BISS’ mission is to empower people and organisations through the socially responsible application of digital technologies. We focus on privacy preserving technologies, on value creation from data, and on human-technology interaction.