Postdoctoral position INSPIRE and EQUICARES (0.8-1.0 FTE)

This is a fixed-term, 24-month post-doctoral position under the supervision of Dr. Richard Rijnks. The aim of this post-doctoral position is to gain insights into the complex interactions between, on the one hand, social entrepreneurs and vulnerable individuals in rural areas, and, on the other hand, mental healthcare providers and individuals in vulnerable situations. The key methodological tools for these studies are digital ethnography and conventional primary data collection (surveys, interviews). The post is part of two Horizon Europe projects: INSPIRE and EQUICARES.

INSPIRE is a three year EU Horizon project that aims to provide a thorough understanding of social inclusion, trends, and challenges in rural areas. It is specifically targeted towards hard-to-reach populations, and aims to incorporate novel methodological advances to improve our understanding of these processes and point towards potential interventions. EQUICARES is a four year EU Horizon project that will investigate inequalities to mental health service accessibility for people in vulnerable situations, identify potential solutions, and pilot innovative activities tailored towards vulnerable populations.

The University of Groningen is responsible for deploying both conventional and novel methods for data analysis to study the way that providers of services for vulnerable groups interact with their populations. For both INSPIRE and EQUICARES, this involves using digital ethnographies within existing online communities to establish the patterns of interactions and manner of diffusion of service provision. These data will be complemented by data from a bespoke survey, designed and analysed by other members of the team.

The results from the digital ethnographies will feed into spatial micro-simulation and agent-based-modelling. This post-doc will be responsible for conducting these tasks. The spatial microsimulation will create maps that cover the pilot areas and show where demand for either social services, or mental health provision are expected to be higher or lower. The agent based modelling will form an innovation where we attempt to create business models and descriptions of best practices for social inclusion and mental health care.

The post-doctoral researcher will work with an international team of researchers across Europe. The University of Groningen team of researchers also includes Prof. Dimitris Ballas, Prof. Aleid Brouwer, Prof. Viola Angelini, and Prof. Milena Nikolova. You will be based in the Faculty of Spatial Sciences and will be responsible for liaising with relevant partners and for collecting and analyzing suitable datasets as well as for developing suitable digital ethnographic models. You will also take the lead in the analysis of model outputs and writing up the results as scientific manuscripts.

We are looking for candidates who have

• A PhD in Geography, Economics, Regional Science or any other related discipline (with a strong social science component).
• Excellent English for written and verbal communication.
• A proven track-record of scientific publication in peer-reviewed academic journals.
• Experience with microsimulation and agent based modelling.
• A willingness and ability to liaise with project partners and stakeholders in INSPIRE and EQUICARES projects.
• Knowledge of service provisions, rural SMEs, and mental health services are desirable.
• A willingness and ability to liaise with research using quantitative geographical methods is desirable.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities

• A salary depending on qualifications and work experience (after obtaining PhD) starting from a minimum of € 4,060 to a maximum of € 5,331 (scale 10) for a full-time position.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus and participation in a pension scheme for employees.
• Attractive secondary terms of employment.
• You will be appointed for a period of 2 years. The appointment will be for either 0.8 or 1.0 FTE, this can be discussed.

For more detailed information about working conditions and working for the University of Groningen, please check: www.rug.nl/about-us/work-with-us/

Do you meet our qualification criteria? If yes, your application should include

• A motivation letter stating your motivation to apply for the position and your key qualities relevant for this position [max 1 page].
• A brief, up-to-date curriculum vitae that focuses on aspects that are directly relevant to the position.
• Contact information of two academic references. Please do not submit letters of reference. If necessary, we will contact the referees ourselves.

You may apply for this position until 11 May 11:59pm / before 12 May 2025 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Interviews will take place on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 and Friday, May 16, 2025.

Starting date: July 1, 2025.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our University. We are committed to building a diverse faculty so you are encouraged to apply. Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP), https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/sollicitatiecode/ and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers, https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

For information you can contact:

Dr Richard Rijnks,   r.h.rijnks@rug.nl

Prof. Dimitris Ballas,   d.ballas@rug.nl

(please do not use the email addresses above for applications)