PhD-scholarship in narratives of life course trajectories of segregation

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculty Social Sciences & Solvay Business School, Department Sociologie, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

The Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is recruiting a full-time PhD-student to join the project ‘Segregation through Life and Space: Ethnic residential segregation from a longitudinal life course, intersectional and experience-based perspective’ (SeLiS), funded by Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) and carried out at the Department of Sociology. SeLiS is a comparative mixed-method research project led by Prof. dr. Lena Imeraj and Prof. dr. Tuba Bircan, investigating individual trajectories of segregation of minoritized communities in Belgium.

About the project

Residential ethnic segregation, although widely observed, is not fully understood. Segregation research has made a lot of methodological progress but has not been able to integrate new insights arising from population studies and urban scholarship, including longitudinal approaches and linked lives. This project aims to contribute to the understanding of ethnic segregation in three ways. Conceptually, it will develop a novel framework for understanding the processes and meanings of segregation that draws on theories of life course and intersectionality and integrates a focus on spatial context. Methodologically, it will build a mixed-methods approach to implement the framework based on quantitative and qualitative analysis. Empirically, it will provide new evidence on the intersecting causes and contexts of segregation through (i) the examination of spatial manifestations of de-standardised life course using unique individual, longitudinal and geocoded census and register data and advanced statistical and spatial techniques; (ii) the elucidation of narratives of segregation through subjective understandings of the multiplicity of (representations of) place and the experiences of living-in-segregation for different ethnic communities and community members through observation, interviews, mental mapping and portraits. By theorising and evidencing spatial manifestations of standardisation of life courses, the project intends to enhance academic scholarship in urban inequality.

About the PhD-position

This PhD research is in the framework of a 4-year research project ‘Segregation through Life and Space’ (SeLiS). The SeLiS project team will consist of one postdoc, one PhD, the co-PI and the PI; and will collaborate closely with the ‘Connecting Generation Centre’ (CGC) project, based at the Centre for Population Change (CPC) in the United Kingdom and led by Prof. dr. Nissa Finney (St Andrews University). You will work closely with the postdoc and the CGC-team to construct, unfold and understand life course trajectories of segregation in Belgian cities. This will allow you to provide crucial insights into context- and time-specific experiences with residential segregation. The SeLiS-team is part of the AIMS-lab within BRISPO, the vibrant research unit you will be joining. For this function, the Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.

Your key tasks and responsibilities in the project include: 

• preparing a doctoral dissertation in the field of Sociology within four years under the supervision of Prof. dr. Lena Imeraj and Prof. dr. Tuba Bircan;
• setting up and carrying out ethnographic fieldwork relying on complementary methods aligned with the project objectives;
• analysing the qualitative data;
• contributing to the quantitative analysis and the conceptual framework through an iterative process;
• authoring and co-authoring publications in internationally peer-reviewed outlets;
• supporting the project related work, such as the preparation of policy reports and active dissemination of research results.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• You have a completed master’s degree in anthropology, sociology, social sciences, human, social or cultural geography, or related field.

• You are:

  • a dedicated and curious researcher who wishes to build a deeper understanding of issues related to experiences, implications and meanings of living in residential segregation in relation to ethnicity, migrant background and migration histories;
  • concerned with issues of societal inequality, racialisation, life course perspectives, intergenerational and linked lives, and social injustice;
  • open to new challenges and diverse perspectives and have the aptitude and qualities needed to complete ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative research methodologies in a largely urban environment;
  • committed to contributing to the broader research project as member of a larger team;
  • willing to nurture these qualities further over the course of the project, including how these could serve you in a future career in or beyond academia after the PhD.

  
  You have:

  • a demonstrated passion and aptitude for ethnographic research but don’t shy away from a quantitative approach;
  • an impressive track record as evidenced by your study results, publications, awards and/or demonstrable expertise in (advanced) qualitative analysis;
  • a solid hands-on experience with qualitative research methodologies, including data collection, coding, analyses, and interpretation, with a proven track record of applying these methods in academic or professional settings;
  • knowledge of, or are willing to familiarise yourself with statistical software (i.e., STATA, SPSS, R, etc.);
  • excellent oral and written English skills;
  • proficiency in one or more of the following languages: Arabic, Dari/Persian, Turkish, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, French or Italian. Knowledge of Dutch and/or German is an asset but not a requirement.
  • excellent social and communication skills required to work in a team and establish relations with local community members, NGOs and governmental services in Belgium;
• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/09/2024. 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 30/04/2024, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• motivation letter (max. 1,5 page)

• a Curriculum Vitae listing all academic qualifications, relevant research experiences and previous publications (if any)

• a writing sample, in English (publication, research essay, master thesis, …)

• a short research proposal featuring a brief literature review, (a) research question(s), a methodological outline and an indicative workplan (max. 3 pages)

• provide the names and contact details of two potential referees (no recommendation letters required at this stage)

• a copy of the highest obtained diploma(s) and grade lists. If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.

All required documents need to be submitted in pdf-format.

Ranked candidates will be invited for an interview (either on-site or online) in the course of late May - early June 2024. We kindly request that you be available during this period. The position is envisaged to start from 1 September 2024 onwards (or as soon as possible thereafter).

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Lena Imeraj at lena.imeraj@vub.be or on 026292671.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.