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We are a leading research center and graduate school in the Netherlands.

Latest news.

In the coming weeks, this list of available PhD vacancies at ICS departments (RUG/UU/UvA/RU) will be updated regularly.

In the spotlight

Private: Volkswagen Foundation Grant for Basak Bilecen

Project 'Do migrants in Europe age well? A mixed methods and intervention study in four countries (MIG-AGE)’ rewarded

Our PhD Program

The ICS PhD program is designed for graduates in sociology or related disciplines who would like to acquire a PhD degree and pursue a scientific career. We hire graduates in social, behavioral, and economic sciences and in some cases other sciences such as computer sciences or mathematics.

As a leading institute we provide:

• full four-year positions
• more than 10 vacancies a year at 4 universities in the Netherlands
• a structured program with training in advanced theory construction and research methods by means of courses, tutorials, and individual study
• support by a personal supervision team and meetings on a regular basis

Upcoming events

• Annual ICS Lecture
• News Archive
• Privacy Statement

Erasmus Graduate School for Social Sciences and the Humanities

We welcome you to Erasmus Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Humanities (EGSH). We host over 500 PhD candicates at our lively, spacious campuses in the cosmopolitan cities of Rotterdam and The Hague. 

We offer  dozens of courses  to nurture innovative and interdisciplinary research excellence. The diverse international backgrounds of our candidates enhance a vibrant academic community.

PhD support

We offer various services to support and guide PhD candidates throughout their project

We are a joint venture of several partners

• Sign up for our EGSH newsletter

Join the course Quantitative and qualitative text analysis with MATLAB

• Tuesday 9 Apr 2024

New edition of workshop Research grants: Opportunities and core skills now open for registration!

And the winners of the 2023 EGSH PhD Excellence Awards are...

• Friday 29 Mar 2024

Challenges for supervisors (Edition 2)

• Thursday 6 Jun 2024, 10:00 - 11:30

Conversations with the dean

• Wednesday 12 Jun 2024, 10:00 - 11:30

Upcoming courses

Designathon ai in transdisciplinary research.

• Tuesday 14 May 2024

Mixed-method research: how to combine diverse quantitative and qualitative methods

• Not available yet

SICSS-ODISSEI Summer School on Computational Social Science

Action-oriented research for social change, bounce back: handling the mental and emotional challenges of doing a phd, brush up your research design, brush up your spss skills, creating societal impact, data analysis with r, data carpentry for social sciences and humanities, compare @count study programme.

• Duration: @duration

Open call for five fully funded PhD projects at the AISSR

18 December 2023

Our goal is to assemble a diverse and exceptional cohort of candidates. We aim to recruit candidates with a broad range of epistemologies, disciplines, and backgrounds. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to join the AISSR’s PhD program and embark on their individual research projects under the supervision of AISSR faculty members.

Applications will be assessed according to three criteria:

(1) Quality, significance, and feasibility. We are in search of proposals that hold the potential to deliver groundbreaking insights. Applicants should provide a clear and comprehensive plan for how these insights will be generated.

(2) Fit with the AISSR. The proposals should align well with existing research and expertise within the institute to promote synergy and ensure high-quality supervision.

(3) Diversity, broadly defined. We are looking for candidates with distinct profiles and expertise, perspectives, and backgrounds and the potential to help shape the future of the social sciences.

An interdisciplinary committee, comprising representatives from all four departments within the AISSR, will evaluate the applications.

Who are we looking for ?

You are an ambitious and talented researcher with a passion for the craft of social science research. You are excited about your research project and have a clear, feasible plan on how to conduct this research. You are committed to contributing to the academic community in different ways, from helping with the organization of activities to participating in interdisciplinary debates. You have excellent oral and written communication skills in English.

If this vacancy appeals to you, but you are uncertain whether you might be the person we are looking for, please do consider applying. We strongly encourage applications from all qualified candidates and specifically from people from backgrounds underrepresented at the AISSR.

Eligibility

Applicants must have a master's degree or equivalent within the social sciences by September 1st 2024.

What can we offer you?

We offer a temporary employment contract of 38 hours per week for a maximum term of four years. The initial employment is for one year and the preferred starting date is September 1, 2024. Following a positive assessment, this term will be extended by a maximum of three years, which should result in the conferral of a doctorate. You will attend courses offered by the AISSR and the Graduate School of Social Sciences as part of the PhD program. In addition to doing research, publicizing your findings, and participating in academic events, you will be involved in teaching (roughly 10% of your time).

For this position the University Job Classification profile “Promovendus” applies. Your salary will be €2,770 gross per month in the first year and will increase to €3,539 in the final year, based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week and in keeping with the  Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities . We additionally offer an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UvA offers excellent possibilities for further professional development and education.

17 March 2024, 23:59 (CET).

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The Graduate School of Social Sciences

Our aim is to provide a stimulating scientific environment in which young researchers, experienced staff and international scholars can mutually inspire one another. VU-GSSS focuses on some of the most pressing challenges to society, related to topics such as societal resilience, integration & diversity and security & conflict. 

VU-GSSS monitors the application and admission procedure, a review procedure at the end of the first year, annual progress reports and the final stages of the PhD, leading to the actual defense. At the same time VU-GSSS stimulates all supervisors to achieve a high quality of supervision through training and annual evaluations by our PhD candidates. 

VU-GSSS organizes a PhD Study Programme providing Phd candidates solid theoretical and methodological knowledge and strengthening academic skills. VU-GSSS favors an adaptive PhD programme in which PhD candidates can flexibly choose their own set of courses and organize small group tutorials from renowned experts on specialized topics.

Doing your PhD at the Faculty of Social Sciences

See the video for more information about the VU Graduate School of Social Sciences. 

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More information about VU-GSSS

Starting your phd trajectory.

Application

There are two ways in which PhD candidates can be admitted to VU-GSSS:

• Through recruitment as an employed PhD candidate. Available PhD positions are advertised in different ways, including on the VU website and on international platforms like Academic Transfer, on behalf of an already determined supervisor or supervisory team. The supervisor (promotor) of the proposed candidate sends all necessary documentation to VU-GSSS for further admission and registration of the PhD candidate. See Admission documents for a list of the documents that must be submitted.
• As an external PhD. External PhDs will fund their project either through a(foreign) bursary, public organization, or privately. External PhD’s should first find a supervisor (look for a full professor or associate professor with ius promovendi ), have the supervisor's agreement to supervise them, and then formally request admission to the VU-GSSS. See Admission documents for a list of the documents that must be submitted.

If you have an occupational disability, we invite you to follow the procedure on the page Funding and guidance for PhD students with an occupational disability .

When you send your admission documents to the VU-GSSS, please make sure to include all necessary attachments as we won’t be able to proceed with incomplete applications. Your application will be assessed by the Graduate School and the candidate will be informed about the decision as soon as possible.

VU-GSSS advises a preferential starting date on 1 September for all PhD’s, to facilitate their participation in the 1st-year PhD training program. It is therefore recommended to submit all PhD application documents before 1 May.

You can find an overview of the application, admission, and registration process in the document Application, admission, registration to the PhD program .

Duration of the project

Regular PhD trajectories at the FSS last 4 fte and are usually completed in four years (48 months) when there is a PhD labor contract or an international fellowship. If the PhD candidate combines the PhD research with other work, execution is usually spread over six years (72 months). The intended duration of a project is calculated as the time between the start of the project and the intended approval by the supervisor. A project shorter than 4 FTE is allowed in exceptional cases and requires the approval of the GSSS. These policies are further elaborated in the document Admission with a regular, short or long PhD trajectory .

Budget plan

Your PhD application should include a budget plan. We encourage you to use our Budget Plan Template . 

Please take Graduate Fund into account (see the document Guidelines for the Graduate Fund ). 

Note that all PhD candidates who provide the University Library with a free license for non-exclusive publication of the dissertation in electronic form, if necessary with a temporary publication embargo, are entitled to a dissertation remuneration of € 500,- (see instructions in the document Dissertation remuneration ). 

For further guidance on how to calculate your PhD costs, see the document Tuition fee and costs to conduct PhD research .

Registration

After admission, all PhD candidates need to register with VU through Hora Finita. The process of registration, facilitated by VU-GSSS, needs to be completed within two months of the admission date. PhD candidates receive a letter of acceptance after completing the registration procedure.

During the registration phase, you will also be asked to draft a feasible work plan for your PhD, for which you can use the document Work Plan Template .

Training plan

After admission, and as part of your registration, you will draft a training plan. Please use our Training plan template when drafting this document. For details regarding the requirements for the training plan, please see our Training Plan Manual (currently being updated, contact the GSSS for more information). The training plan should always be discussed with and approved by the GSSS Program Director.

Supervision plan 

In your supervision plan, you and your supervisors describe who is responsible for the supervision and how supervision is organized. Please read the document Standards of supervising PhD candidates by academic staff when discussing and drafting your supervision plan.

Joint doctorate

If you intend to pursue a Joint doctorate, a special agreement needs to be drawn and approved by the two universities within the first year of the PhD trajectory. Information about joint doctorates can be found at this link .  

In case you have any questions about the application, admission, and registration procedures, please email us at [email protected]

Documents referred to in the text above 

• Admission documents
• Application, admission, registration to the PhD program
• Admission with a regular, short or long PhD trajectory
• Data on supervisors at the start of a PhD
• Budget Plan Template
• Work Plan Template
• PhD training – summary information for potential candidates and supervisors 
• Training Plan Manual (currently being updated, contact the GSSS for more information)
• EC calculation
• Training plan template
• Tuition fee and costs to conduct PhD research
• Standards of supervising PhD candidates by academic staff

Assessments during your PhD trajectory

In order to monitor the quality and progress of PhD trajectories, the VU-GSSS organizes several assessments during your PhD trajectory. 

Go No Go assessment

Eight months after the start of a full-time PhD project, the candidates’ project progress is assessed on the basis of a so-called Go No Go product. For candidates with other obligations, this term can be extended to submitting a product within the first year, if this is agreed upon in the registration phase.

Please carefully read the document Go No Go assessment - introduction and explanations .

For your Go No Go you will have to submit a substantial product (an extended research plan or a combination with the short research plan and an article). The product will need to be submitted to the VU-GSSS together with the filled VU-GSSS Go No Go assessment - portfolio , a data management plan, and a plagiarism check report.

For your Go No Go product you will have to do a plagiarism scan with the software iThenticate. PhD candidates receive the log in information to iThenticate after their registration, so please check your vu.nl inbox for emails from UBVU iThenticate. For further information on the plagiarism scan, see Plagiarism check - background and procedure .

Annual Progress Interviews 

Once a year, both employed and externally funded PhD candidates have the opportunity to speak formally about development, results, and working conditions with their supervisors. Supervisors and PhD candidates look back together at the previous year, and they make concrete and transparent agreements about how the PhD candidate is expected to perform and develop. 

For employee candidates, this may coincide with the annual review conversations, of which the results are stored on the VU-dashboard. 

For candidates within a part-time project that is stretched over a longer period of time, the review is held regularly, such that a minimum of five reviews take place.

Half-way assessment

PhD candidates who are about halfway through their PhD trajectory will carry out a " Self-monitoring risk inventory" . There will also be a short meeting between the PhD candidate and one of the Graduate School Program Managers. You will receive an invitation for the meeting once you are halfway your PhD trajectory.

Documents referred to in the text above

• Go No Go assessment - introduction and explanations
• VU-GSSS Go No Go assessment - portfolio
• Report on the plagiarism check of the GNG product or the final thesis
• Plagiarism check - background and procedure
• Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate
• VU-GSSS Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate (fill-in document to prepare and record)

Training and courses

The VU-GSSS PhD training program is designed to support PhD candidates at the Faculty of Social Sciences in their project progress and individual development. All courses are designed to enhance the academic knowledge and skill development of PhD candidates, not only to enable successful completion of their PhD project, but also to prepare them for a career as an applied or postdoctoral researcher, Assistant Professor, or other professional. The program is tailored to serve the needs of PhD candidates at different stages of their project, regardless of their topic or methodological approach.

Training plan and requirements

To stimulate careful planning at the start of each PhD trajectory, PhD candidates and their supervisors are required to design and submit a detailed individual training plan for the PhD trajectory. This plan is discussed with the Program Director, and submitted as part of the registration. Please use the Training Plan Template when drafting the training plan.

Every PhD candidate needs to obtain 30 EC during their trajectory (exemptions are possible). This is a VU-wide requirement and applies to all PhDs who started after 1 April 2015.

As a general rule, and aimed at acquiring the final attainment levels for PhD candidates, the training plan should be designed such that PhD candidates develop their knowledge, expertise, and skills in the three areas specified below:

• Area 1: Social scientific content and theory
• Area 2: Social scientific methodology, methods, and techniques
• Area 3: Academic and transferrable skills

The following courses/EC are mandatory:

• Research Integrity and Responsible Scholarship (first year)
• Writing a Data Management Plan (before Go No Go)
• Attend or present your research at a relevant academic conference

For more details on the requirements and recommendations for the PhD training plan see the training plan manual  (currently being updated, contact the GSSS for more information).

VU-GSSS courses 

The VU-GSSS offers a wide range of courses every academic year. Individual PhD candidates, or small groups of up to five participants, can also organize tutorials on topics of interest. The training program is designed such that PhD candidates can fulfill their 30 EC internally. For an overview of our upcoming courses, please see the PhD courses website or the overview under "News and Events" below.

External courses

Depending on individual needs and wishes, PhD candidates can also follow courses outside the VU-GSSS program, given that the courses are at least research master's or PhD candidate's level. These may be courses and workshops offered at other VU faculties , in (inter)national research schools, or VU Interfaculty Research Institutes. The VU-GSSS has an agreement for the exchange of course participation free of charge with Zeppelin University and AISSR (UvA).

Training for teachers

The VU Center for Teaching & Learning offers training to obtain the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO) several times every year. In addition to the course, teaching PhDs are also welcome to join their PhD Teaching community , where PhDs can join so-called ''Spark sessions'' every month on topic such as education innovation, supervision and interdisciplinary teaching. Find the schedule for these sessions here .

Academic career development

To prepare yourself for an academic career, you can consider these activities beyond your training. 

International Research visit

A PhD trajectory offers great opportunities to visit other institutions as a visiting PhD candidate. Such visits can help to create a network of collaborators and get to know fellow researchers in similar and different fields of research. Note that you do not receive EC for the research visit, but you can obtain EC for training you may take during the research visit. Please find more information in the document Research Visits .

PhD candidates with a PhD contract generally have a teaching obligation as part of their contract. Other PhDs do not have a teaching obligation as part of their PhD agreement. However, external and self-funded PhD might benefit from obtaining teaching experience. Please discuss this with your supervisors and Head of Department. When making agreements about teaching, consult Agreements on the teaching role of PhD candidates . When you would like to teach at a Dutch university after your PhD, you need the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ/BKO). Note that you need to teach a course when you take the University Teaching Programme. The certificate is recognized by all Dutch universities. The course fee is to be paid by your department. The Graduate School has a limited budget to fund participation in this course for some participants (for VU-GSSS non-employed PhD candidates only). To apply for this funding, please contact the Graduate School. You will receive 6 EC from VU-GSSS after obtaining your UTQ. 

Career orientation

If you are unsure about your professional life after the PhD, the VU offers coaching and courses that might be useful for you. The Forum for Young Scientists offers workshops regularly, read more here . The VU career services offer career guidance and coaching , as well as peer coaching .

Activity Funding

VU-GSSS Graduate Fund

In order to support PhD candidates to orientate themselves internationally and to promote a broad academic development, VU-GSSS provides financial support through the VU-GSSS Graduate Fund. Internal PhD candidates can apply with this form for various international activities, for instance for attending a summer school, presenting a paper at an international conference or workshop, participating in international education abroad, or conduct of fieldwork or a research stay at a foreign university. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed monthly. Please note that your application has to be approved before the activity takes place. 

For more details regarding the Graduate Fund, please see our document Guidelines Graduate Fund .

• Guidelines Graduate Fund
• Graduate Fund application form

From dissertation to defense

The VU doctorate regulations specify the VU requirements for the dissertation in Article 21. In addition to these requirements, the Faculty of Social Sciences has formulated Rules for the PhD thesis .

Towards the end of the PhD trajectory, several steps are required before the PhD title is obtained.

Plagiarism scan & portfolio

All PhD candidates must perform a plagiarism scan of their final manuscript in iThenticate. The results of the scan are discussed with the supervisors, and subsequently, the PhD candidate fills in the Report on the plagiarism check of the GNG product or the final thesis . The report is sent to [email protected] .

Before the manuscript can be uploaded to Hora Finita, all PhD candidates must also fill in and submit the Final PhD portfolio for award of the degree . This document is submitted to [email protected] , or uploaded in Hora Finita under courses as 0 EC. When submitting/uploading the portfolio document, the PhD should also make sure that all their course ECs have been uploaded to Hora Finita.

The Graduate School reviews the plagiarism scan report, final portfolio, and ECs. The faculty data steward reviews the ethics and data management sections of the final portfolio.

Data management, ethics & authorship

The PhD portfolio serves as a checklist to make sure all requirements for obtaining a PhD are followed. The portfolio was adopted by the Faculty Board on 22 March 2021 and has been a mandatory requirement for all graduating FSW PhDs since 1 January 2023. 

The final portfolio needs to be approved before the thesis can be sent to the doctoral committee for assessment. PhDs should check the requirements specified in the portfolio in due time before finishing their manuscript. Start preparing the final portfolio well in advance of the thesis being ready to be sent to the committee, as the data management aspects take time. Important requirements include the safe storing of research data (as a minimum requirement uploading their data in Yoda and generating a DOI). For questions on and assistance with research data management, please contact [email protected] . For questions on authorship, plagiarism check, or other parts of the portfolio, contact the Graduate School.

Doctorate Committee

Before uploading the manuscript to Hora Finita, a Doctorate Committee (assessment committee) must be appointed. This is the responsibility of the supervisor and should be done in due time before the hand-in of the manuscript.

The supervisor fills in the Proposal for the designation of a Doctorate Committee (fill-in document) and submits it to the Graduate School. The Graduate School sends the proposal to the Pool of Professors for approval (approval takes 5 working days).

Manuscript and assessment procedure

Once the plagiarism scan and portfolio have been approved in Hora Finita, and the Doctorate Committee has been pre-approved, the PhD candidate can upload their manuscript in Hora Finita. The supervisor will then be requested to fill in the details of the Doctorate Committee, which will be approved by the Graduate School and the Dean in Hora Finita. Once approved, the manuscript is automatically sent out to the Doctorate Committee for assessment.

The Doctorate Committee has 30 days to make their assessment. 

When the manuscript is approved by the Doctorate Committee and the Dean, the PhD candidate and the supervisors start planning the defense. See Dissertation submission & defense for instructions.

Overview of documents/links:

• Final PhD portfolio for award of the degree
• Rules for the PhD thesis
• Hora Finita Manuals
• Proposal for the designation of a Doctorate Committee (fill-in document)
• Assessment of the quality and scope of the PhD thesis
• Dissertation submission & defense
• Dissertation review procedure
• Dissertation Remuneration
• Request for information on degree ceremony by chair, to be provided by the first supervisor

Who is Who in the Graduate School of Social Sciences

Graduate School Management Team

• Prof. dr. Madalina Busuioc (Academic Director)
• Dr. Sarah van Duijn (Program Director)
• Drs. Saskia Jans (Program Manager)
• Alexandra Filius MSc (Program Manager)
• Nina Kaufmann MA (Program Manager)
• Dr. Antonella Sciancalepore (Program Manager)

PhD buddies

PhD buddies are there to welcome new PhD's to the department.

• Communication Science (CW):  Dian van Huijstee
• Organization Sciences (ORG):  Charlotte Vaaßen
• Political Science and Public Administration (BP):  Bram Verhulst
• Social and Cultural Anthropology (SCA):  Lisa Ausic
• Sociology (SOC): Ying Shen

Who is who at the Graduate School of Social Sciences

PhD Trustee and how to handle issues

The PhD Trustee is Dr. Lorraine Nencel. 

You can contact Lorraine for a low profile and confidential conversation in case you are facing issues that hinder the progress of your PhD project. For more information about the position of the PhD trustee, please read this document.

PhD advisors

The Graduate School managers are also PhD advisors. Both PhD candidates and PhD supervisors can contact any of the Graduate School program managers if you have any type of preoccupations about your PhD, about your wellbeing, or about your relation with your supervisors or other members of your research environment. (see "Who is who" for contact details ) . If you want to talk confidentially, make that clear beforehand. They will listen to you and, in case you want, will advise you on how to proceed and who to further contact. 

Confidential counselors 

In case you prefer to talk with someone else than the PhD Trustee, you can contact another confidential counselor. The Confidential Counsellor for inappropriate conduct is Prof. dr. Bastiaan van Apeldoorn . The Confidential Counsellor for academic integrity is Prof. dr. Henk Overbeek . 

Please visit: https://vu.nl/en/about-vu/more-about/academic-integrity  > More information on academic integrity > Confidential Counsellor

The VU mediation pool offers mediation and counselling when friction arises between employees. If you have a dispute with a colleague (such as your supervisor or manager), consider turning to the mediation pool for help. Under guidance of an experienced mediator, you can enter into a conversation with the other person. Read more here or contact the mediation pool directly on [email protected] .

Are you an external PhD? Contact the Graduate School for advice.

PhD support

Occupational Social Work (OSW) offers advice and short-term counseling to employees who are at risk to get sick for work and/or private reasons. That may be functioning problems, dismissal, reorganization, problems in collaboration (with colleagues or management), inappropriate conduct, and traumatic events at work. It also covers work/life balance issues, relationship, and family problems, coping with grief and loss, and other psychological problems. The occupational social worker is bound to professional secrecy. The counseling is voluntary and confidential.

For more details check here . 

Head of Department

PhD candidates and PhD supervisors can contact the Head of Department to raise issues. 

Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory  

Problems at work? How do I handle it?

For internal and external PhD candidates and for supervisors there is an extra procedure at FSS in addition to the VU Doctorate Regulations (see below). The purpose of the FSS procedure is to resolve any problems in the working relationship between the PhD candidate and supervisor and vice versa in an easily accessible and satisfactory manner. Please consult the " Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory" for more information.  

• Position of the PhD trustee
• Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory

VU-GSSS Events

The Graduate School regularly organizes social and academic events. 

Lunch and borrel sessions for PhD candidates

The Graduate School organizes lunch and borrel (drink) sessions for PhD candidates. During these social events, we discuss interesting and relevant topics related to the PhD trajectory. Recurring themes include "How to supervise your supervisor" and "How to finish on time". PhD candidates will be invited by email, and are also invited to approach the Graduate School with ideas or requests for specific topics to be covered.

Borrel sessions for supervisors 

While the role of the supervisor is crucial for every PhD trajectory, it sometimes receives less attention than it deserves. VU-GSSS, therefore, organizes informal events during which we can socialize and discuss relevant topics. 

Writing marathons

The GSSS organizes writing marathons about 2-3 times a year for FSS PhDs and master students of the Societal Resilience Research Master . A writing marathon is nothing more and nothing less than a "shut-up-and-write" session. The idea of a writing marathon is that we come together with a group of PhDs for a whole day/week to write. We also welcome you to organize a writing marathon yourself. If you would like to do so, please contact the Graduate School for room booking and budget.

Induction 

At the start of the academic year, we invite all first-year PhDs to the induction conference to prepare you for the PhD journey ahead. Other FSS PhD candidates are welcome to join part of the social program and meet the new PhDs.

Prepare your defense

Toward the end of your PhD trajectory, you are invited to join the "Prepare your defense" session which is organized by the GS and covers the crucial last steps of your project, from finishing your dissertation, up until your defense.

Winter dinner

Every year in December, before the holidays, we invite all FSS PhDs for a winter dinner. 

Other VU PhD events

VU Social Gatherings for PhD candidates

Information for supervisors

Start of the project

• Are you planning on supervising a new PhD candidate? Please fill in the document Data on supervisors and collect the Admission documents and submit them to the Graduate School.
• Questions on admission and registration phases? Application, admission, registration to the PhD program
• Familiarise yourself with the rules and policies: read the VU PhD regulations  and the faculty rules supplementing the VU Doctorate Regulations ( Rules for the PhD Thesis  and the Doctorate Regulations - Implementing Guidelines ).
• Is your supervision time compensated? VU-GSSS Funding for time spent on PhD supervision 
• Have you discussed the supervision with your PhD candidate? This is where to start: Agreements between supervisors of PhD candidates at the start of a project
• Make sure you know what are the FSS Standards of supervising PhD candidates by academic staff
• 8 months after the start of their PhD, your supervisee will have to pass the Go No Go assessment. Think of possible reviewers for their GNG product and contact them: Go No Go assessment - sample letter of invitation to a potential GNG reviewer
• Reviewers will have to use this form: Go No Go assessment - form for reviewers (fill-in document)

Annual progress  interview

• Twice a year during the first year of their PhD trajectory, and once a year after that, the PhD candidate meets their supervisors for a progress interview. This is what you can discuss during this meetings: Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate
• Want to keep record of what was discussed? VU-GSSS Annual Progress Review by supervisors and candidate (fill-in document to prepare and record)

PhD end phase

• The supervisors reach out to colleagues to become members of the doctorate committee: Sample letter for inviting someone to become member of a Doctorate Committee
• Once you have a committee, send this to the VU-GSSS: Proposal for the designation of a Doctorate Committee (fill-in document)
• If needed, the supervisors reach out to colleagues to become members of the committee of the doctoral ceremony: Sample letter for inviting a member of the Doctorate Committee to the doctoral ceremony

Issues and changes

• Changes in the supervisory team? Notify the VU-GSSS through the document: Change the composition of the supervisory team
• Issues in the PhD trajectory? Procedure for PhD candidates and supervisors in case of an issue in a PhD trajectory

Obtaining ius promovendi

Are you an associate professor and wish to obtain ius promovendi? Consult the document VU-GSSS Procedure for assigning ius promovendi to an associate professor .

Rules, regulations, and policy

Please find here a list of important rules and regulations that apply to the PhD project within the Faculty of Social Sciences.

• VU Doctorate Regulations    -    Dutch: VU Promotiereglement
• FSS-specific rules supplementing the VU Doctorate Regulations: Rules for the PhD Thesis  and Doctorate Regulations - Implementing Guidelines
• Information about Joint doctorate
• Formal position of the VU-GSSS  
• FSS Research Data Management policy  
• Agreements on the teaching role of PhD candidates
• Possibilities for departmental policy towards PhD candidates
• Buddy system

Information for Doctorate Committee members

If you are a Doctorate Committee member, the PhD manuscript will be sent to you via the Hora Finita doctoral examination system. Please note that these e-mails might end up in your spam folder. It is possible to request a hard copy of the manuscript, the PhD candidate is responsible for sending this to you.

You give your assessment of the manuscript within 30 days. You provide your review through Hora Finita. The chair of the committee will summarize all the reviews and submit the advice to the dean in Hora Finita.

The date of the defense ceremony is determined after the manuscript has been approved.

The documents below provide detailed information on the requirements set by the Faculty of Social Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam:

News and Events

Course updates 2024.

Register on the course pages linked below. Registration closes four weeks before the start of the course. For courses by the Research Master, email the GS to register.

Find the full schedules for the courses on the respective course pages. 

Upcoming courses 2024

• PhD-organized tutorial on Q-methodology : starting 22 April
• Communicating Science : starting 6 May (by Research Master)
• Finding Typologies in Data : starting 14 May
• The Quality of Qualitative Research : starting 29 May

Zeppelin University

Courses offered by Zeppelin University are open to participation from VU-GSSS members (max. 5), free of charge. Please find the program for 2024 here . 

VU-GSSS members can also follow courses offered by the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) , free of charge. Find the program for 2024 here . 

Other VU courses

https://vu.nl/en/education/phd-courses

Upcoming activities

• Prepare your defense borrel , 23 May 2024, 16.00 - 17.00
• PhD lunch meet-up, 7 May 2024, 12.00-13.00
• PhD lunch meet-up, 4 June 2024, 12.00-13.00
• Poster session, 27 June 2024, 15.30-17.00

Upcoming defenses

• Cletus Barié, 6 May 2024, 11.45 (auditorium)
• Busisiwe Ntsele, 5 June 2024, 09.45 (auditorium)

Introducing: monthly PhD lunches

The GSSS invites all PhDs from the Faculty of Social Sciences to join us for monthly lunch meet-ups. The Graduate School provides a room, you bring your own lunch. Meet with fellow PhDs and take the opportunity to ask the program manager(s) questions. Find the dates for the upcoming sessions under "upcoming activities". PhDs will receive more information, including locations, via our newsletter.

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International Institute of Social Studies

ISS Master Open Day!

Join us on 1 June 2024 for ISS Master Open Day, visit the ISS building and explore study opportunities in Development Studies.

Why study at ISS? Here are the top 10 Reasons!

Discover the Top 10 Reasons Why ISS Should Be Your Study Destination Choice!

MA in Development Studies

Mundus ma in public policy, iss phd programme, iss research, phd defence by libby leher.

Finding a pathway to peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through economic interdependency

Meet ISS in your country

Ask all your questions about ISS during one of our many Meet and Greets around the world

Gaza/Israel file

ISS researchers are writing analyses and opinion pieces on the on-going Gaza/Israel crisis

• Vacancies at ISS
• ISS newsletter

Innovating Indonesia’s tech industry

• Thursday 25 Apr 2024

How local scientists are shaping health equity

• Wednesday 17 Apr 2024

Social accountability in Morocco, Tunisia and Lebanon

• Thursday 11 Apr 2024
• Publication

ISS Major webinar session 2024

• Friday 5 Apr 2024, 13:39 - Thursday 23 May 2024, 13:39

'October 7, 2023: Terrorism or National Liberation Movement?'

• Monday 13 May 2024, 16:00 - 17:00

Understanding and measuring women's psychosocial agency: a methodological framework

• Thursday 16 May 2024, 13:00 - 14:00

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• Duration: @duration

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Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Courses for phd candidates.

[More general information for PhD candidates can be found on Intranet ]

PhD candidates follow specific courses and training to deepen and broaden their knowledge and expertise, and to acquire the academic and career orientation skills necessary to become independent scientists or to prepare for a career outside academia. PhD candidates are expected to take the initiative, to look for solutions and to be proactive. At the start of the PhD track, the PhD candidate and the supervisor draw up a development plan [intranet] together and decide which courses are appropriate and relevant. This plan is updated annually.

Unless described differently, the courses and training listed below are intended for PhD candidates from the Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, but PhD candidates from other graduate schools can also attend (in that case please contact the PhD Office via [email protected] ).

Furthermore, courses in the research Master’s programmes of the Graduate School of Social and Behavioural Sciences are open to FSBS PhD candidates as well (if the courses are not fully booked). Information on availability can be requested at the Student Information Point .

The Graduate School of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers several courses, some of which are organized in collaboration with local research programs, with national research networks or research schools or a combination of these.

If a course provider requests a course fee, PhD candidates can apply for a reimbursement from the PhD Office on beforehand, via [email protected] (with the exception of discipline-specific courses). The PhD-office will assess whether the course is eligible for reimbursement.

Missing anything?

If there are specific courses that you think are missing in this list, please let us know via [email protected] .

Domain specific skills

• Domain specific courses

Research skills

• Rethinking and redesigning your research proposal (Dutch)
• Methods & Statistics
• Introduction to R and data

Research integrity

• Responsible Conduct of Research (mandatory)
• Learn how to write your Research Data Management plan
• Quick start to Research Data Management
• Handling personal data in research

Personal Effectiveness

• Research planning and Timemanagement
• Online programmes Caring Universities
• Smoothening your writing process
• PhD's: Tackle stress met mindfulness - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• Energiemanagement - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• PhD's: Manage your supervisor - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• Beïnvloedings- en conflictstijlen - Development Guide [Intranet UU]

Communication

• Writing in English for Publication
• Breaking Science
• Dutch language courses for international employees [Intranet UU]
• Online blogtraining voor onderzoekers: So We Think UU Can Blog - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• PhD's: Interculturele communicatie - Development Guide [Intranet UU]

Societal impact / public engagement

We are working on a training on impact/ public engagement, in the meantime information can be found here:

• Societal Impact Social Sciences [Intranet UU]
• Training and development [Intranet UU]
• Public Engagement at Utrecht University [Intranet UU]

Professional and employability skills

• Future crafting - Development Guide [Intranet UU]
• Research Funding Academy - Research - Utrecht University
• Career Services voor PhD
• Workshop: Your future academic career
• Selling your Science
• Ready to Start – Online course on starting a science based start-up/company - download pdf 'Ready to Start'
• Thesis supervision training [Intranet UU]
• Deelcertificaat training onderwijs geven [Intranet UU]
• Teaching in tutorials and seminars
• Start to Teach [Intranet UU]
• Supervising student research
• Introduction to Intercultural Awareness [Intranet UU]

Summerschool (and Winterschool)

NOTE : the faculty/Graduate School will reimburse up to a max of three summer and winter school courses per calendar year; if you wish to take more than three courses, you may do so with your own budget.

• Homepage Utrecht Summer School

Funding opportunities / experience abroad

• Support & Counseling RSO/ funding [Intranet UU]

UU Development guide

UU offers a broad range of training for staff, including PhD candidates. See the Development Guide .

Assessment & Development

Make sure you get an Assessment & Development interview (B&O gesprek) each year [Intranet UU]

PhD traject

Useful links.

• University PhD programme website
• Reimbursement of doctoral thesis printing costs (intranet UU)

Utrecht University Heidelberglaan 8 3584 CS Utrecht The Netherlands Tel. +31 (0)30 253 35 50

PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam

Existing for over more than a century, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) has developed into an inspiring place where talented researchers from the Netherlands and abroad have the opportunity to obtain a PhD degree. Read how you can become a PhD candidate at Erasmus University Rotterdam and what this trajectory can look like.

A PhD degree is a necessity for researchers in academia and the first step in academic research. Also, society at large profits from PhD candidates taking up positions in companies, non-profit organisations and governmental institutions. 

The PhD candidates who start their PhD research at EUR are diverse, in terms of their age, background, gender, nationality and in the way their research is financed.

What you do as a PhD candidate

As a PhD candidate, you work on a research project under the supervision of a professor, which results in a dissertation or a series of articles in scientific journals. In addition, PhD candidates follow courses at the graduate schools or institutes of Erasmus University Rotterdam. They often teach bachelor or master students. Teaching requirements vary depending on a research school and the type of your PhD trajectory.

A PhD degree at EUR can be obtained in various ways

Apply for a paid phd position, enrol in a structured phd programme, obtain an external funding & pitch your idea, what your trajectory may look like.

• You develop a Training and Supervision Plan (TSP)
• You formalize the research proposal of your PhD thesis
• You register yourself in Hora Finita

• You revise the research proposal
• You collect data
• You might submit articles for publication

Year 3 and 4

• You analyse your data
• You write, write, write...
• You finalise the PhD thesis
• You might revise and submit articles for publication
• You might contemplate your next step after the PhD

The final stage

• You finalize your PhD Dissertation
• The supervisors review your work and the PhD committee assesses your work
• You defend your PhD dissertation

Why Erasmus University Rotterdam?

Erasmus University Rotterdam has an excellent academic reputation and maintains a high position in international rankings. 

PhD in the Spotlight: Emma van Gelder

Our PhD community

There are many ways to connect with fellow PhD candidates and researchers of our university. 

Share this page

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• Duration: @duration

• All categories

Political Science

Doing a PhD is both demanding and rewarding. Whether it is a step in your academic career, or the crown on your university education, doctoral research calls for intellectual prowess, creativity, and stamina. Leiden University’s Institute of Political Science offers you a professional and supporting environment for realising your scholarly ambitions.

University-funded and self-funded positions › Applying for a PhD › Job openings › Graduate School › Training › Regulations ›

University-funded and self-funded positions

There are two possibilities for pursuing a doctorate at Leiden University:

• university-funded PhD position: these positions are limited to relevant job openings for PhD candidates; there are no post-graduate tuition fees.
• self-funded PhD: these positions depend on successful application and acceptance by a supervisor; funding depends on the student’s self-obtained grants, job, or other arrangements; there are no tuition fees.

Applying for a PhD

University-funded PhD-positions are advertised ( Job openings › ), when they are available. The application procedure for self-funded PhD positions is outlined here . All candidates are expected to have

• considerable methodological knowledge and skills;
• some experience in setting up and carrying out small-scale research projects;
• knowledge of the literature relating to political science;
• good writing skills; and
• a strong interest in doing original research at the highest level.

Further background information about the Institute’s research programme and supervisors’ areas of expertise can be found here:

› Institute of Political Science: Research

Job openings for PhD candidates

Current vacancies for university-funded PhD candidates are listed on the PhD positions site .

Graduate School

Leiden University’s Institute of Political Science participates in the Graduate School of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The Graduate School facilitates PhD admission and registration, and provides some training and assistance. Further information can be found on the Graduate School website . There you will also find an extensive section for prospective PhD candidates .

A PhD first and foremost means conducting research and writing your dissertation. But as a PhD candidate you will also be stimulated to develop your skills through:

• training tailored to your research needs, offered in-house, and by the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) ;
• courses offered through the Graduate School;
• training and coaching from Leiden University’s programme for young academics .

Regulations

Our PhD Guide is a good starting point if you consider doing a PhD at the Institute of Political Science.

Leiden Universityߴs PhD regulations, an overview of the formal procedure from starting to defending the PhD, as well as a number of relevant forms and templates are published on the PhD guidelines and regulations page .

PhD Programme

Welcome to the pages for Wageningen University & Research PhD candidates! Your starting point to find the information you need. Foto: Koen Manusama – ko-en photography

About the PhD programme

Learn more about the PhD programme at WUR and its rules & guidelines.

Practical information

All practical information about the WUR PhD programme, required documents, procedures & info about housing in Wageningen and visas for and residence in the Netherlands.

Contact & support

The Doctoral Service Centre manages the admission and immigration of new doctoral candidates at Wageningen University, the PhD and EngD skills course program and the logistics regarding the PhD and EngD defence.

Why choose Wageningen University & Research?

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has a name for innovative and ground-breaking research. When it comes to research and providing education, Wageningen University & Research enjoys an outstanding international reputation. As a PhD candidate at WUR, you will develop knowledge that serves mankind and society at large.

Research Awards for inspiring supervisor and study on animal welfare

Wgs effective behaviour in your professional surroundings (1.3 ects), wias midterm reflection course (0.3 ects), phd defences.

Digital soil mapping using uncertain soil observations to support agricultural intensification in West and Central Africa

Soil health risks caused by interactions of microplastics and pesticides

Gene drive technology as human intervention into nature. On the fate of environmental ethics in the anthropocene

Improving the world one monomer at a time: in silico and on silica investigations of polymerization reactions and polymers

Wageningen graduate schools.

PhD & Postdoc courses

Learn more about all Wageningen Graduate School courses.

PhD Vacancies

Postdoctoral researcher, postdoctoral researcher in ethnographies of indigenous knowledge, climate change, and mobile livelihoods in senegal, postdoc in erc project 'politics of the periphery in urban latin america' - medellín, phd 'optimizing the sustainability of freight transportation through a digital platform: investigating the role of information sharing in logistics', phd researcher- biological pest control with biodiversity in and around greenhouses, phd position: development and characterization of bio-inspired, fiber-reinforced modular walls.

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Events See all →

Earth week 2024.

This is a campuswide week of events, lectures, and volunteer opportunities designed to educate and inspire action related to environmental justice, climate, and nature-based solutions. This year’s theme is Restore & Regenerate.

Various locations

Excellence in Graduate Teaching Reception

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Penn Graduate Student Center, 3615 Locust Walk

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

College Green

Maggie Nelson

6:30 p.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

Campus & Community

Five from Penn elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024

Dolores albarracín, charles l. kane, edward d. mansfield, virgil percec, and deborah a. thomas are recognized for their contributions to mathematical and physical sciences and social and behavioral sciences..

Five faculty affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , an honorary society and independent research center founded in 1780. They are Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor Dolores Albarracín and School of Arts & Sciences professors Charles L. Kane , Edward D. Mansfield , Virgil Percec , and Deborah A. Thomas , who are respectively being recognized for their contributions to psychological sciences, physics, political science, chemistry, and anthropology and archaeology. They are among the 250 new members elected in 2024.

“We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, non-profit, and private sectors for their accomplishments and for the curiosity, creativity, and courage required to reach new heights,” says David Oxtoby, president of the Academy. “We invite these exceptional individuals to join in the Academy’s work to address serious challenges and advance the common good.”

Dolores Albarracín is the Alexandra Heyman Nash University Professor; a PIK Professor with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication , School of Arts & Sciences , School of Nursing , and Wharton School ; and the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center ’s Communication Science Division . As a social psychologist who studies social cognition, attitudes, and behavioral change, Albarracín has published six books and nearly 200 journal articles. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and American Academy of Political and Social Science and the editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition . The Society of Social and Personality Psychology, of which Albarracín is past president, recognized her with the Award for Outstanding Scientific Contributions to Research on Attitudes and Social Influence in 2018 and the Diener Award in Social Psychology in 2020. She was recently elected a 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow.

Charles Kane, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics in the School of Arts & Sciences, is a theoretical physicist whose groundbreaking work on topological insulators—materials with a special kind of electrical conduction on their surface—has initiated a new field in condensed matter physics and garnered external recognition at the highest levels. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and he has received numerous awards, including the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, Benjamin Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute, Dirac Prize of the International Center for Theoretical Physics, Oliver Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society, and Physics Frontiers Prize of the Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation. In addition to his research, Kane has taught physics courses at all levels, ranging from topics in quantum condensed matter for advanced graduate students to introductory honors electromagnetism for freshmen, for which he received Penn’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. 

Edward D. Mansfield is the Hum Rosen Professor of Political Science and director of the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics in the School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on international political economy, international institutions, and international security. He is the author of “Power, Trade, and War,” “Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War,” “Votes, Vetoes, and the Political Economy of International Trade,” and “The Political Economy of International Trade.” A recipient of the 2000 Karl W. Deutsch Award in International Relations and Peace Research, Mansfield has served as a National Fellow at the Hoover Institution, chair of the International Political Economy Society’s Steering Committee, vice president of the International Studies Association, and term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mansfield is co-editor of the Cambridge University Press Elements Series in International Relations, and he has served as co-editor of the University of Michigan Press Series on International Political Economy and associate editor of the journal International Organization .

Virgil Percec, the P. Roy Vagelos Professor of Chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences, is a chemist whose interests lie at the interface between organic, macromolecular, supramolecular chemistry, catalysis, nanoscience, complex systems, and synthetic biology. He holds 80 American and European patents and has presented more than 1,296 endowed, plenary, and invited lectures in more than 30 countries. He also has more than 827 publications, including 20 books. He has received many honors, including honorary memberships to Romanian, European, and Royal Swedish of Engineering Sciences Academies, the National Science Foundation Research Award for Creativity in Research (1990, 1995, 2000, 2016), the ACS Inaugural Kavli Foundation Innovation in Chemistry Award and lecture (2011). He came to Penn in 1999 from Case Western Reserve University, where he held the Leonard Case Jr. Chair of Macromolecular Science and Engineering. 

Deborah A. Thomas is the R. Jean Brownlee Professor of Anthropology in the School of Arts & Sciences, where she is also core faculty in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies with secondary appointments in the Graduate School of Education and the Department of Africana Studies. Her written work includes “Political Life in the Wake of the Plantation: Sovereignty, Witnessing, Repair,” for which she won the Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Book Award from the Caribbean Studies Association and the Senior Book Prize from the American Ethnological Society and was runner-up for the Gregory Bateson Prize. Thomas also co-directed and co-produced two films, “Bad Friday: Rastafari After Coral Gardens” and “Four Days in May,” both of which explore issues of culture, power, violence, and post-colonialism in Jamaica. Prior to her life as an academic, Thomas was a professional dancer with the New York-based Urban Bush Women, a company committed to using art as a means of addressing issues of social justice and encouraging civic engagement.

Picturing artistic pursuits

Penn celebrates operation and benefits of largest solar power project in Pennsylvania

Solar production has begun at the Great Cove I and II facilities in central Pennsylvania, the equivalent of powering 70% of the electricity demand from Penn’s academic campus and health system in the Philadelphia area.

Education, Business, & Law

Investing in future teachers and educational leaders

The Empowerment Through Education Scholarship Program at Penn’s Graduate School of Education is helping to prepare and retain teachers and educational leaders.

Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences

‘The Illuminated Body’ fuses color, light, and sound

A new Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of work by artist Barbara Earl Thomas features cut-paper portraits reminiscent of stained glass and an immersive installation constructed with intricately cut material lit from behind.

25 years of ‘LOVE’

The iconic sculpture by pop artist Robert Indiana arrived on campus in 1999 and soon became a natural place to come together.