The Department of Public Administration and Sociologyhas a vacancy for a:

Postdoc in Sociology in particular Sociology of Stratification (1.0 FTE)

Job description

There is a 4-year Postdoc position vacant in Jeroen van der Waal’s research program A Mechanism-Based Approach to Social Stratification addressed below. Research time: 65%; educational tasks: 35%.

Together with various junior and senior scholars Jeroen van der Waal scrutinizes why social stratification is linked to political attitudes and behaviors and health disparities in Western societies. They analyze how both economic and cultural stratification affect these attitudes, behaviors and disparities through different mechanisms. Their aim is not to re-establish widely known and well-established stratified patterns. Instead, the analytical-sociological approach applied considers those patterns as mere starting points for explanatory research. That is: as patterns that need to be explained by uncovering the mechanisms that underlie these, informed by Mertonian middle-range theories.

Research- and education tasks

The Postdoc will:

• Perform theoretically relevant empirical research that fits abovementioned research program, in collaboration with Jeroen van der Waal. This can be in the form of theory testing (hypothetico-deductive research) and/or theory development (inductive research). The Postdoc will be encouraged to develop their own research profile within the broad research program;
• Publish in international peer-reviewed journals together with Jeroen van der Waal;
• Develop research proposals aimed at attracting additional research funding (e.g. NWO, ERC);
• Perform educational duties (0.35 FTE), most notably in the Dutch Bachelor program in Sociology (http://www.eur.nl/bachelor/sociologie), and/or the international Master program Politics & Society (http://www.eur.nl/en/master/politics-and-society). The educational duties include coordinating and teaching courses and supervising Bachelor’s and Master’s theses.

• A PhD in Sociology or a related field;

• Experience in independently carrying out social-scientific research, as witnessed by high-quality scientific publications;

• Excellent didactic skills and relevant teaching experience at academic level;

• Basic Qualification Teaching (BKO) or willingness to achieve this qualification;

• Excellent written and oral skills both in Dutch and English

Internationally-oriented and varied work within an enthusiastic and ambitious team of top researchers and lecturers, with attractive fringe benefits in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (Cao NU).

Employment preferably starts in September 2018. The initial contract will run for a term of 1 year, which – depending on performance – will be extended with a second term of 3 years. The trial period is two months. The conditions of employment correspond with the CAO Nederlandse Universiteiten (CAO NU). The Erasmus University offers a salary between € 3.475,- and € 4.757,- gross per month (salary scale 11, CAO NU). Your remuneration will depend on your specific knowledge and experience. Salary is based on a fulltime occupation.
The EUR has attractive employment conditions, which include holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, an end-of-year payment of 8.3% of the yearly salary and 232 hours leave per year (based on a full-time appointment of 38 hours). In case of a working day of 8 hours, you will weekly save 2 hours extra for annual leave (totally 328 hours).

In addition, EUR takes part in the ABP pension scheme, and we also offer partially paid parental leave. Moreover, EUR staff members can make use of the facilities at the EUR campus, including the Erasmus Sports Centre and the University Library. Substantial tax benefits apply to non-Dutch citizens, conditional on permission granted by the Dutch Tax Office. Applicants should have the right to work in the Netherlands for the duration of the contract.

More information about working conditions a can be found at: https://www.eur.nl/english/workingat/

Diversity is one of our strategic priorities. Female candidates and/or candidates from an ethnic minority, candidates with an international background are encouraged to apply. Under the condition of equal quality and suitability, these candidates will have a priority position.

The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after Rotterdam-born humanist and theologian Erasmus, is a research university with a strong international orientation and a pronounced social focus, both in its education and research activities. On the lively, modern campus, more than 28.000 students and scholars of more than 100 nationalities are constantly encouraged to develop their talents and meet their ambition. Our more than 2700 scientists and employees work together with all our students to solve challenges faced by global society, drawing their inspiration from the consistently dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. The academic education offered at our faculties is intensive, engaging and strongly focused on practical application. We increasingly perform our research in multidisciplinary teams, which are closely interwoven with international networks. In terms of research impact and the quality of its degree programmes, EUR can compete with the foremost universities in Europe, which is reflected in its consistent top-100 position in most major universities rankings. Erasmus University Rotterdam’s key values are daring, curiosity, social involvement, breaking new ground and striving for success.

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 programmes 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 programmes are highly ranked by students and alumni. ESSB is home to over 2500 students and 300 staff-members.

Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS)

The department benefits from a key position in the European public administration landscape through numerous editorial board positions and participation in several cross-national networks. Leading sociologist in the field of migration, political sociology and families are based in the department and participate actively in public debates and international research projects. Cooperation with third parties and conducting research with societal impact are key values of the department. The bachelor and master programmes reflect our diverse expertise and educate students to become active professionals.