The Institute of Psychology of the Faculty Social and Behavioural Sciences is looking for a PhD candidate in GUTS consortium, Data Science for Interdisciplinary Research (1,0FTE)
Are you interested in interdisciplinary research investigating the factors that contribute to optimal conditions for youth development? Consider joining the Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) consortium as a PhD student and gain the skills and knowledge to conduct cutting-edge research on data science as part of a dynamic interdisciplinary team.
Applications are invited for a four-year PhD position under the supervision of prof. Mark de Rooij (Methodology and Statistics Unit), prof. Hilde Huizinga (Uva), and dr. Marjolein Fokkema in the Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) consortium, a collaboration among seven Dutch universities. We are looking for an enthusiastic student who would like to develop their career in the field of data science in an interdisciplinary environment.
Project description
How can young people navigate the challenges of a complex society and become engaged, contributing citizens? This is the central question of the Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) consortium, a collaboration among seven Dutch universities. In the consortium, this central question is approached from different perspectives: a brain development perspective, a genetic perspective, a social environment perspective, and a personality perspective. Your PhD project will focus on bringing the results from these different perspectives into one overall interdisciplinary, umbrella theory.
This PhD position on Data Science for Interdisciplinary Research aims to set up, test, and apply a new Ensemble Methodology to bring together disciplinary theory into an overarching interdisciplinary, umbrella theory. The new methodology, called Stacked Domain Learning, has three advantages compared to simply concatenating the data together and using an existing method: first, it acknowledges scientific reasoning and progress so far; second, it gives information on which domain is important for accurate prediction; third, it takes into account the different (measurement) properties of the domains.
If you are passionate about getting usable knowledge from complex data and communicating your efforts to developmental, neuroscience, genetic, and social researchers, then we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity to be part of the GUTS consortium. You will have the chance to develop your research skills, work with a dynamic team, and make a valuable contribution to science.
The qualifications needed for this position include:
- A completed (research) master’s degree in statistics, data science, machine learning, artificial intelligence, or a related field;
- Experience in R programming (or a similar language), Monte Carlo simulation studies, and data analysis;
- A passion for interdisciplinary scientific research;
- A collaborative mindset, openness to learning new skills, and willingness to share knowledge;
- Excitement about setting up a large study with fellow PhD students, attention to detail, and clear communication skills.
About the faculty
The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences consists of five institutes: Education and Child Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology and the Centre for Science and Technology Studies. The faculty has approximately 7,000 students and 1,025 employees. The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences brings together high-quality research and outstanding teaching as well as in multidisciplinary approaches. Please, visit the faculty’s website for more information.
Terms and conditions
The appointment will initially be for 12 months and if evaluated positively extended with3 years and must lead to the completion of a PhD thesis.The salary ranges from €2,541 gross per month in the 1st year up to €3,247 gross per month in the 4th year based on a fulltime employment in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The preferred starting date is the 1st of September 2023.
Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme.Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. More at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at/job-application-procedure-and-employment-conditions.
Diversity and inclusion
Fostering an inclusive community is a central element of the values and vision of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.
Information
Enquiries can be made to prof. Mark de Rooij, email rooijm@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.
Applications
Please submit online your application no later than May 5th 2023 via the Leiden University website. No applications will be processed on the email addresses.
Applicants should submit a letter of interest accompanied by a CV and two referees names and contacts (all online). Referees will be contacted directly by the search committee in case of shortlisting.
growinguptogetherinsociety.com 