Professor of Social Decision-Making

What you will do

The research within this chair focuses on the fundamental mechanisms underlying social decision-making, with particular attention to interpersonal and/or intergroup processes – such as cooperation and conflict, trust and distrust, justice and fairness, social and economic inequality, power and status, stress and resilience, and group dynamics and social influence. The chair complements the two existing chairs within SEO: Social Cognition and Decision Making (Lotte van Dillen) and Economic Psychology and its Applications (Wilco van Dijk).

You will play a central role in three areas: research, teaching, and leadership.

• You lead a research programme of high scientific quality and broad societal relevance that fits this profile, and take a leading role in the strategic development of research lines of the SEO unit.
• You actively secure external funding, supervise PhD candidates, and support colleagues in strengthening their research skills.
• You develop and deliver high-quality teaching within the bachelor's, master's, and/or research master's programmes in Psychology, and contribute to the strategic development of existing and new teaching programmes.
• You use a connective leadership style that brings people, ideas, and initiatives together, and actively contribute to a healthy, stimulating work climate where colleagues have room to develop and grow.
• You actively advocate the principles of Open Science and Recognition & Rewards (see the Leiden Academia in Motion programme), and help strengthen a work culture centred on Team Science and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• You take on governance and leadership roles within the section, institute, faculty, and/or university.

Where you will work

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences consists of five institutes: the Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Education and Child Studies, Political Science, and Psychology. The faculty is home to approximately 7,000 students and 1,000 staff members. Our institutes are dedicated not only to education but also to groundbreaking research that expands our understanding of human behavior and societal structures. What makes our faculty unique is the diversity of research topics, the variety of teaching approaches, and the structure of professional support. This provides you with the opportunity to explore and develop your interests and expertise. For an introduction to our faculty, visit our website: Welcome to the Leiden Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences – Leiden University.

The Institute of Psychology trains new generations of students to address the challenges of our society, both now and in the future, through leading behavioral science research and education. This is achieved through collaboration, both within and outside the institute, in the field of psychology and related research areas, covering both fundamental and applied aspects. The broad bachelor’s program and a wide range of master’s specializations further contribute to this mission. Within the institute and the academic community, a dedicated and passionate atmosphere prevails. The themes of Health and Wellbeing, Social-Cognitive-Affective Decision Making, Development and Learning, and Advanced Behavioral Science Methods guide both research and education. The institute places great importance on fostering a safe and inclusive environment, with room for new developments such as open science, recognition and valorization, and interdisciplinarity, which are firmly embedded in the institute’s strategy. The institute, with approximately 5,000 students and 600 staff members, comprises the Institute Office, the Bachelor’s Education Department, and six research and teaching units: Health, Medical and Neuropsychology, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Social and Organizational Psychology, and Methods and Statistics.

The Social, Economic, and Organisational Psychology (SEO) unit

The SEO unit conducts scientific research, provides academic education, and actively applies knowledge for the benefit of society. Human behaviour is studied within its social context – and these insights are used to promote choices that strengthen the wellbeing of individuals, groups, and society as a whole.

Our research, teaching, and societal impact are not separate tasks but form a coherent whole. Research expands fundamental knowledge of human behaviour. Teaching trains students to become skilled, critically thinking academics and science-based professionals. And insights gained are actively translated into policy advice, professional training, and collaboration with societal partners – with knowledge exchange explicitly working in both directions: knowledge is shared with society, and questions and insights are actively gathered from practice.

We strive for research that is independent, of high integrity, and transparent – meeting the highest standards of ethics, reproducibility, and robustness, and in line with the principles of Open Science. Societal impact is not a side note here, but an integral part of our work as a unit.

The SEO unit is well embedded within Leiden University: both within the Institute of Psychology and in connection with disciplines such as Public Administration, Economics, and Law. Nationally, societal partners – such as the ministry of Finance, the ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), and the ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) – and implementing agencies such as the Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst), the Benefits Service (Dienst Toeslagen), and the Education Executive Agency (DUO) offer a societally relevant context for collaboration on policy and implementation.

More information about the SEO unit can be found here.

What you bring

We are looking for someone who combines scientific quality with connective leadership. You recognise yourself in the following profile:

• You lead your own research programme with demonstrable scientific and societal impact within social and/or economic psychology.
• You apply a connective leadership style that contributes to an inclusive, reflective, and psychologically safe work environment.
• You have a genuine commitment to Open Science, Recognition & Rewards, and Team Science.
• You have broad methodological expertise, a strong record of scientific publications, and a proven ability to secure external research funding.
• You have experience with academic leadership, governance tasks, and building sustainable national and international collaborations.
• You have leadership and governance experience, along with the ability to help shape strategic issues and act as a figurehead for overarching themes and partnerships.
• You have teaching experience at the bachelor's and master's level, and a track record of successfully supervising PhD candidates.
• You have excellent command of English, and (near) native proficiency in Dutch, or you are willing to attain professional fluency in Dutch within two years (funding for languages courses is provided).
• Leiden University expects professors to hold a University Teaching Qualification (BKO). If you do not yet hold this qualification, or an equivalent, you are willing to obtain it within two years.
• You live in the Netherlands and are officially registered as resident, or you are willing to relocate upon starting the position.

If you immediately recognise yourself in this profile, or if do you not quite meet all the requirements, but you believe that this is the right job for you, we look forward to your application!

What we offer

Our goal is to work together to create a transparent and inclusive work environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated. Our organisation is always evolving and we need your ideas for improvement and innovation to take us further. We want to devote attention to your personal development.

You can count on an enjoyable job within the socially relevant world of education and research. The University's challenging and international work environment is located just steps away from Leiden’s lively city centre or the bustling city centre of The Hague. We also want to work with you to devote attention to your health and vitality, for example with the fun activities we organise through Healthy University.

We also offer:

• An employment contract for the duration of one year with the prospect of a permanent employment. This contract falls under the CLA of Dutch Universities;
• A salary between €7475 - €10.815 gross per month, based on a full-time appointment (38 hours) (Professor 2);
• A holiday allowance (8%), an end-of-year bonus (8,3%), and an attractive pension scheme at ABP;
• Full reimbursement of public transport commuting costs for home-to-work travel;
• Flexible working hours: as a standard, you are entitled to a minimum of 29 leave days on the basis of a full-time working week of 38 hours; you can also save for extra leave, for example by working 40 hours a week, and in this way accrue an extra 96 leave hours, or exchange 96 leave hours for a 36-hour week.
• Lots of options when it comes to secondary employment conditions; we can, for example, discuss options for a sabbatical or paid parental leave. Within our terms of employment individual choices model, you can exchange leave days and/or salary for benefits such as an advantageous sports subscription and bicycle scheme;
• If your work allows it, hybrid working is possible within the Netherlands;
• A home-working allowance (day and internet allowance) and attention for good workplaces. The University will also provide you with a laptop and a mobile telephone.

For more information about employment conditions, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions.

What we value

Promoting an inclusive community is central to Leiden University’s values and vision. We strive to be an open community in which all students and staff members feel valued and respected, and are able to fully develop themselves. We consider an inclusive academic environment, where students and staff can share their experiences and viewpoints, to be essential for the development of talent.

Want to apply or find out more?

If you would like more information about what the job entails, please contact Wilco van Dijk, chair of the SEO-unit, at +31 6 43446432 or dijkwvan@fsw.leidenuniv.nl. You can apply until 23 October 2026; applications will be processed immediately.

To help us get to know each other better, we follow a number of steps in the application procedure. For more information, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions.

We believe mobility is very important. That is why we are also publishing this vacancy internally. In case of equal suitability, we will give priority to the internal candidate.

A pre-employment screening (references, diplomas, certificate of good conduct (VOG)) may be part of the selection procedure.

Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated. If you nevertheless choose to send us CVs, no rights can be derived from this.