"Three PhD candidates: The Collective Bystander"

Job Description

Your project will be a part of the European Research Commission funded Consolidator project “The Collective Bystander”, led by Professor Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard, that aims to understand why bystanders take collective action in real-life emergencies. The project utilizes state-of-the-art video analysis to advance an explanatory model that identifies the causal mechanisms that drive helping.

The three PhD candidates will carry out video analysis of CCTV footage of emergencies in Amsterdam and Cape Town. The video analysis will provide insights into how helping happens in specific emergency contexts. PhD1 will focus on two-sided emergencies (e.g. street fights or quarrels in shops); PhD2 on one-sided emergencies (e.g. robberies or sexual assaults), and PhD3 on non-sided emergencies (e.g. medical or traffic incidences).

We are seeking candidates who are interested in learning or already have experience with video analysis, are proficient in observational and statistical methods, and are passionate about working in an interdisciplinary team.

• Focus on one of the three types of emergency contexts.
• Exploratively analyze existing CCTV footage of emergencies from Amsterdam and Cape Town with the rest of the research team during data sessions.
• Potentially collect additional CCTV video footage from the police and municipality about the chosen emergency context.
• Develop a video observational measurement instrument and use this to conduct video analysis of the footage.
• Carry out various statistical analyses.
• Publish in academic journals and translate findings into fact sheets for practitioners.
• Pool data with the rest of the team to work on shared research output.
• Present results at academic conferences and workshops, and to relevant stakeholders.
• Participate in and co-organize video data sessions, workshops, discussions groups, and research team activities, as well as communication and dissemination activities of the team.
• Take relevant courses and training.
• Join and actively contribute to the De-Escalation Lab and the Social Change and Conflict group at the VU and participate in the intellectual life of the Department of Sociology.

Requirements

This position is a good fit for you if you have:

• A (Research) master’s degree in Criminology, Sociology, Communication Studies/Science, Psychology, Crisis and Security Management, Behavioral Biology or a related social science field.
• Excellent study results and academic skills.
• Solid knowledge of and experiences with using qualitative research methods and statistical methods; experience with observations and video analysis is a plus.
• Substantive interest in and knowledge of violence, helping and bystanders, especially interactional studies of aggression and conflict management.
• Previous experiences with doing empirical research, during internships, research assistance or junior positions.
• Willingness and ability to contribute to teaching in the BA and MA in Safety Studies and in supervising BA students in topics related to the PhD.
• Ability to work independently, willingness to collaborate with other team members.
• Excellent command of English (C1).

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset. We realise that everyone brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore, we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Conditions of Employment

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So, in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• A salary of € 3.059,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.881,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for full-time employment
• An employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.
• We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:
• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
• contribution to commuting expenses
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge

All PhD candidates of the School of Social Sciences will be enrolled in the Graduate School of Social Sciences (VU-GSSS) and admission to the VU-GSSS is part of the hiring procedure. More details can be found on their website and are available upon request.

For more information about employment conditions, see Guideline appointment policy PhD candidates - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Employer

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

You will become a member of the research group “Social Change and Conflict” which is a part of the Department of Sociology within the new Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities at the VU. You will also take part in the interdisciplinary “VU De-Escalation Lab” involving scholars within the VU community, and international collaborators, working on violence, conflict and emergency related topics, some of them video based.

The Department of Sociology is a vibrant and international community of dedicated researchers and teachers specializing in contemporary societal development such as globalization, modernization, individualization, and multiculturalism—and their impact on cohesion, inequality, and identity. It offers Bachelor's, Master's, and Pre-master Sociology programs (in Dutch) and provides methodology courses for other Social Sciences programs. Research focuses on five themes under the Participation in Society (PARIS) program. Both research and education are carried out in collaboration with societal partners to maximize impact.

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities

A better understanding of ourselves and social communities, values and meaning, through social sciences and humanities. That is the aim of The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. No single discipline can do this alone. The SSH disciplines are characterised by an open way of thinking and the natural urge to seek coherence and connection.

The faculty consists of nine academic departments within three schools: School of Religion & Theology (SRT), School of Social Sciences (SSc) and School of Humanities (SH).

Are you interested in joining Social Sciences and Humanities? You become part of a dynamic academic community with approximately 900 staff members, over 5,000 regular students and more than 5,000 course participants. In an inspiring and collegial environment, we work together on education and research with impact.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity

Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.

Additional Information

Are you interested in this position and do you believe that your experience will contribute to the further development of our university? In that case, we encourage you to submit your application. We require:

• An academic CV: Please include your language skills in English
• A motivation letter: Please indicate your preference for emergency context and a motivation for this preference in your letter
• A writing sample, for instance a chapter of your MA thesis.

Interviews will be held halfway December, the intended start date is the 1th of March 2026, depending on your availability. A pre-employment screening (references, diplomas), may be part of the selection procedure. Applications received by e-mail will not be considered. Acquisition in response to this advertisement is not appreciated.