Postdoctoral Researcher in Health and Behavior in Disadvantaged Populations

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced researcher to join our team at the Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting research on health and behavior in disadvantaged populations during and beyond COVID-19.

The researcher will be part of a multidisciplinary team and will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Conducting interviews and surveys with residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods and patients with Diabetes Mellitus 2;
• Quantitative analysis of data from health questionnaires and general practitioner information systems (Rijnmond Gezond);
• Qualitative analysis of interviews;
• Reporting on the research in scientific articles and public reports.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Extensive experience with conducting quantitative and qualitative research;
• A PhD in psychology, health sciences, epidemiology, or sociology;
• Excellent written and spoken Dutch and English language skills, as demonstrated by scientific publications;
• Excellent analytical skills, as demonstrated by working with complex datasets and data processing software such as R, SPSS, and
• Be a motivated and enthusiastic colleague with a strong work ethic, who is able to work in a team environment;
• Be able to empathize with the situation of residents of Rotterdam's disadvantaged neighborhoods;
• Have good communication, social, and organizational skills.

We offer a challenging and rewarding job in a dynamic and international environment, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The starting date of the position is 1 November 2024. The salary is dependent on your knowledge and experience and ranges from € 4,492 to € 6,148 gross per month, scale 11, in accordance with the CAO-NU. The workplace is Campus Woudestein - Rotterdam, at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). The position is part-time (0.8 FTE - 1.0 FTE). The contract will be for a period of one year.

We offer everything you need for a good work-life balance: home working in consultation, 41 vacation days at a 40-hour workweek, 8% vacation allowance, and 8.3% end-of-year allowance, and a significant discount on a subscription for our sports center on campus.

We offer a sustainable, inclusive, and diverse work environment with an open culture where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and the world. Make use of our bike allowance or participate in networks such as Fame, or QuEUR.

We offer time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.

We offer a good pension with ABP where we contribute 2/3, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, Allianz, and a travel, home working, and internet allowance.

Combine your job with parenthood or do you have this wish for the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional maternity leave for partners, and there is a childcare facility on campus (childcare at own expense).

Are you moving to the Netherlands for a job at EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30% ruling if you meet the conditions of the Tax Authority, and we will also help your partner find a job with our Dual Career Programme.

Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a clear social mission in education and research - our mission is 'Creating positive societal impact'. At EUR, over 4,100 employees work and almost 30,000 students from 140 countries follow our scientific education. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way - Making Minds Matter. We are world citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially engaged. These Erasmian Values serve as our internal compass and make the Erasmus Universiteit recognizable and distinctive in the outside world. From these values, with a broad view and with attention to diversity, different backgrounds, and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive social impact of our education and research, and our characteristic mentality, the EUR can measure itself with the top of the European universities.

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)

The Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences has a large diversity of scientific disciplines: public administration, educational sciences, psychology, and sociology. Furthermore, the Erasmus University College, IHS, and two research institutes RISBO and DRIFT are affiliated with the faculty. This large diversity is also reflected in our (international) bachelor and master programs and in the research. The activities of the faculty are always focused on people and society. Our activities are always focused on people and society. At ESSB, fundamental, internationally oriented research is highly valued. Social research for professionals, policy, and society is also part of the research activities. The faculty offers a stimulating research climate where important national and international research subsidies are obtained. Ambitious guest researchers from within and outside the Netherlands work here for shorter or longer periods, and there are ambitious PhD students. Our education is small-scale and works with innovative education methods, such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Both the Dutch and English-language programs are annually well-rated by students and alumni.

The programs that are offered within these scientific fields currently serve almost 4,000 students. ESSB also has more than 400 employees.

Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies (DPECS)

Our department consists of 6 teams and contains the disciplines of Psychology, Educational Sciences, and Pedagogical Sciences; three closely related disciplines with each their own profile. The various psychological specialization areas of DPECS focus on understanding cognitive, physical, and social functioning and well-being in the context of mental health, education, and work. Educational sciences focus on issues of effectiveness and inclusion in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Pedagogical sciences focus on issues of daily and problematic development and upbringing within families, at school, and in youth care. The disciplinary perspectives of DPECS complement each other and share the mission to generate societal impact with high-quality scientific research into current societal issues, and with the use of innovative methods and techniques and open science. The bachelor and master programs of DPECS build on this mission and train students to scientifically educated professionals for the society of the future.

More information about the research at DPECS can be found here:

More information about the educational programs at DPECS can be found here:

Our department also has access to an excellent laboratory for research and educational purposes. The Erasmus Behavioural Lab offers excellent facilities, including video observation, EEG, eye-tracking, virtual reality, experience sampling, and biofeedback:

Team Clinical Psychology

The Clinical Psychology team focuses on five interconnected research themes: Experimental Psychopathology of Emotional Disorders and Affective Neuropsychology, Substance Use and Addiction, Developmental Psychopathology, Forensic and Legal Psychology, and Health Psychology and Behaviour Change. All five themes are characterized by a 'From Lab to Society' research vision, in which a strong connection is made between fundamental (experimental) research, clinical practice, and health promotion. In addition, our team provides education within the Dutch-language and international bachelor program in Psychology, and the master specializations in Clinical Psychology, Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, Forensic & Legal Psychology, and Health Psychology. The mission of our scientific research and education is to promote, protect, and restore mental health based on state-of-the-art fundamental and applied research into mechanisms, treatments, and prevention.

For more information about EUR, we refer you to our website

For more information about the position, you can contact Dr. Paul Kocken via

You can apply for this position until the closing date. Please add your motivation letter and CV to your application.

We look forward to receiving your application.

The application procedure consists of two interviews and the completion of a written task. The interviews will take place in week 40.

EUR offers equal opportunities to all employees and applicants, regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability, citizenship, or other aspects that make them unique. We hope to meet you in our community.