"14 PhD Positions in Doctoral Network “Future Leaders in Ageing and Digitalizing Societies (Digi4Age)”"

Become a leading expert in ageing and digitalization! The Doctoral Network “Future Leaders in Ageing and Digitalizing Societies (Digi4Age)” is hiring 14 PhD students across Europe. We offer fully funded PhD positions, supervision by some of Europe’s leading researchers in this area, tailor-made career development plans, training in cutting edge techniques and methods, secondments, and collaborations with stakeholders.

This network trains doctoral researchers as future leaders with scientific expertise in both digitalizing and ageing societies, who can creatively steer academia, the public sector, private sector, and civil society towards solutions benefitting older individuals, European societies, and businesses. To do this, it explores changes in health and long-term care, in work and the economy, and in society and social structures. The network is funded by the prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action programme of the European Commission. It is organized by six research institutes and 13 stakeholders from across Europe.

Eligibility

• Have obtained a master-level degree or diploma in a relevant discipline (e.g., sociology, political science, social work, business, health sciences, or economics) before the beginning of the programme
• Comply with the MSCA mobility rule: Must not have resided or carried out main activity in the host country for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the beginning of the programme
• Neither hold a doctoral degree nor have successfully defended a doctoral thesis at the time of recruitment
• Fulfil possible additional requirements of the doctoral programme at the hosting institution
• Have a strong interest in ageing and digitalization
• Possess good written and spoken English skills

Please see the descriptions presented on the project homepage http://www.digi4age.net to learn more.

Employment conditions and benefits

The job openings are located across Europe at Karl‑Landsteiner University of Health Sciences in Austria, LUT University in Finland, TU Dortmund University in Germany, the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences in Lithuania, the Open University of the Netherlands, and University Rey Juan Carlos in Spain.

The positions span several research fields, including social sciences, humanities, business, health sciences, and care research. The expected start date for all positions is October 2026. Please have a look at the information presented on http://www.digi4age.net to learn more about the individual positions, the application procedure, and the fascinating opportunities they bring.

The benefits include a fully funded 3-4 year PhD position with an employment contract that provides social security coverage and a competitive MSCA salary, complemented by mobility and, when applicable, family allowances. Researchers receive interdisciplinary supervision and training, participate in three spring schools and a seminar series, and complete secondments with both academic and non‑academic partners. The programme also offers strong career development support and extensive opportunities for international networking.

Interested? Please submit your application by 30 March 2026 at 23:59 (UTC+3h). Fill out the online application form and attach the following documents in English and in PDF format:

• A motivation letter: outline your reasons for applying and the fit of your previous experiences with the advertised positions. Specify which position(s) you are applying for.
• A Curriculum vitae, specifying your education, work history, publications (if applicable), project relevant skills, any further information you consider relevant, and the contact details of 2 referees.
• A copy of your master’s degree certificate. If you did not yet complete your master’s degree, please state in your CV when you will obtain it and include a current transcript of the master’s courses you completed.
• One scientific text you wrote in English, e.g., the summary of your master’s thesis, or part of an essay. You can choose the topic.
• An essay about your ideas for your doctoral thesis. Describe why this topic is relevant, what is already known about it, which research questions you want to answer, and which method and data you want to use (3 pages maximum).

Please see the descriptions on http://www.digi4age.net of the individual positions for possible additional attachments that are required.

Please note that we only accept applications submitted through our recruitment system. For data protection reasons, we do not process applications sent by email.

For more information about the positions, please contact d4a-info@lists.lut.fi.