Improving the future for new generations, that is the mission of the Healthy Start program. This collaboration between science and practice revolves around increasing opportunities for young people from preconception to young adulthood, regardless of background and starting position. Healthy Start is a unique collaboration between Erasmus University, Erasmus MC and TU Delft – the Convergence Alliance – with partners from the field and the Rotterdam region as a testing ground. In this joint approach with medical, technical and social scientists, social partners and the young people themselves, innovative solutions and measures are being developed that have a direct impact on the child, the city and society. This Healthy Start PhD project is part of ambition 4 of Healthy Start: Mental wellbeing of Youth. Ambition ‘Mental wellbeing of Youth’ is led by an ambition core team, consisting of senior researchers from EUR, Erasmus MC and TU Delft, external partners, and a Healthy Start fellow. As a PhD student you are part of Healthy Start, the Healthy Start (Young) Community and all its activities. See more at convergence.nl/healthy-start.

We are seeking a highly motivated and talented PhD student to join our research team and contribute to an exciting project focused on the mental wellbeing of children and youth. This position offers an excellent opportunity to delve into the social, emotional, and behavioral dynamics that shape the mental wellbeing of young individuals. The successful candidate will play a vital role in investigating the resilience of youth. This project takes a novel approach by placing the perspective and viewpoint of youth at the center, adopting a bottom-up approach that complements existing research on youth resilience. The project entails a mixed-method study to gain a deeper understanding of youth perspectives on resilience. Subsequently, we will apply this "youth perspective" to analyze behavioral and neurocognitive data from large, longitudinal datasets such as Generation R and the students' wellbeing project.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct in-depth research on the social, emotional, and behavioral aspects of mental wellbeing and resilience factors in children and youth.
• Utilize qualitative research methods to gain insight into the youth perspective on resilience and its components.
• Develop and implement data collection strategies, including interviews, surveys, and observational studies, to gather comprehensive data for analysis.
• Explore and analyze the neurocognitive and behavioral measures related to mental health in young individuals using existing dataset (secondary data-analysis).
• Analyze research findings, interpret results, and contribute to the production of high-quality academic publications and reports.
• Present research outcomes at conferences and seminars, engaging with the scientific community and wider stakeholders.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and researchers to contribute to the field of mental health and resilience.

What we expect from you:

• Master degree in clinical, health or developmental psychology or a related discipline, with a good mastering of research methods and advanced statistical methods (preferably a Research Master);
• Expertise in mental well-being and/or youth development;
• Experience and/or ambition to conduct impact-oriented research, in co-creation with young people, professionals and policy makers;
• Highly motivated to contribute to open science;
• Strong creative and proactive working approach;
• At ease with working in a multidisciplinary context and open to collaborate in a large, very diverse team of professionals;
• Ability to work in a team, but also with a high degree in autonomy;
• Flexibility, good communication and organizational skills;
• Strong oral and written communication skills in both Dutch and English are required for this position

An internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with good working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The start date of this position is as soon as possible and you will be based at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB), campus Woudestein in Rotterdam. The position is for 0,8-1,0 FTE. We offer an appointment as PhD student for a period of 1.5 year, which will be extended with a second term of 2.5 years after positive evaluation. The salary will range from € 2541 in the first year to € 3247 in the fourth-year gross per month on a fulltime basis, in accordance with scale P of the CAO-NU. In addition, we offer an 8% holiday allowance, an end-of-year payment of 8.3%, and a very generous paid leave scheme. Furthermore, EUR is affiliated with ABP for the pension provision, and we offer partially paid parental leave, fully paid extended birth leave for partners, a personal career budget, work-life balance coaches, discounted collective health insurance, and more. As an employee, you can also use EUR facilities such as the University library and receive a discount on subscriptions for the Erasmus sports center.

Erasmus University Rotterdam offers a Dual Career Programme (DCP) to assist the life partners of new academic staff (on payroll) in finding employment in The Netherlands. The programme is offered in close cooperation with the nearby universities of Delft and Leiden.

Erasmus University Rotterdam aspires to be an equitable and inclusive community. We nurture an open culture, where everyone is supported to fulfill their full potential. We see inclusivity of talent as the basis of our successes, and the diversity of perspectives and people as a highly valued outcome. EUR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, functional impairment, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)

The Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences is home to a vast diversity of scientific disciplines: public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College, IHS, and two research institutes RISBO and DRIFT are linked to the faculty. This also reflects in the content of the (international) bachelor's and master's programs and in research.  Our activities are always focused on people and society. At the ESSB fundamental, internationally oriented research is of paramount importance. In addition, social research for professionals, policy makers, and the society is part of our research activities. ESSB offers a stimulating research environment where major national and international research grants are received. Appealing guest researchers and ambitious PhD candidates come along to conduct their research. Our education is small-scale and works with innovative forms of education such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Both the Dutch and English programs are highly ranked by students and alumni. ESSB is home to over 4000 students and more than 400 staff-members. The different disciplines are supported by the Faculty Office (for more information, please visit www.eur.nl/essb).

Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies (DPECS)

The Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies provides education and research in the area of pedagogical and psychological sciences and is embedded within the Faculty of Social Science. The education is characterized by a successful and innovative didactical approach: problem based learning in combination with extensive professional and academic skills training. Our bachelor and master tracks receive top rankings each year.

Convergence | Healthy Start

This PhD-position is part of the Convergence program Healthy Start.

Convergence is a collaboration between TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Erasmus MC to tackle the urgent and complex societal challenges of our time. These challenges require fundamentally new forms of collaboration, blurring the boundaries between institutions and disciplines to develop new perspectives and solutions. The Convergence combines the strength, knowledge and methods of the affiliated institutes to tackle societal challenges such as climate change, urbanization inequality of opportunity, pressure on healthcare and digitization. In meeting these challenges, Convergence works together with a large number of public and private partners in South Holland and beyond. By using the region as a living lab, the Convergence creates a leading ecosystem for research and innovation in South-Holland, with great (inter)national appeal and ambitions. See more at convergence.nl.

The Convergence | Healthy Start program is committed to a healthy and promising start for future generations. A diverse team of scientists and professionals is working on scientific and societal breakthroughs - focused on prevention and intervention - to strengthen the physical, mental and social health of youth, from conception to young adulthood. The integration between excellent medical, social and technical science combined with knowledge from and application in society is crucial in this regard.

This Healthy Start PhD-position is part of ambition 4 of Healthy Start: Mental wellbeing in Youth. As a PhD-student you are part of Healthy Start, the Healthy Start (Young) Community and all its activities. See more at convergence.nl/healthy-start.