Job Description

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for f reedom, 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, Research Group Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant

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

The position is designed as a six-year doctoral trajectory including a teaching component of approximately 30% of the workload and a research component of approximatively 70%.

You will contribute to the department’s teaching activities, primarily by supporting and assisting statistical and quantitative courses within the Bachelor of Sociology. A strong affinity with quantitative methods is therefore essential. As the program is taught in Dutch, proficiency in Dutch, at the beginning of the appointment, is required. Furthermore, you will take part in the day-to-day functioning of the department.

The research part of this vacancy is situated at the intersection of sociology, artificial intelligence, and social inequalities. The PhD project is expected to engage with how AI systems shape, reproduce, or challenge inequalities across domains such as public services, labour markets, education, or migration governance. Topics may include but are not limited to algorithmic bias and fairness, trust in AI, data-driven decision-making in public institutions, the societal implications of AI deployment and the ethically and socially responsible use of AI for socio-political challenges. Both quantitative and computational approaches are welcome, with a strong openness to mixed methods designs.

You will be expected to develop a PhD research topic at the start of the appointment. This topic should be submitted to the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) as part of an application for a ‘Fellowship fundamental research’. You will receive guidance throughout this process from the supervisor and experienced colleagues.

You will be supervised by prof. dr. Tuba Bircan, within a dynamic research environment focusing on digitalisation and society.

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 hold a Master's degree in sociology or a related social science (e.g. statistics, demography, economics, data science, political science, communication science, computational social science).

• You have an excellent knowledge of Dutch and English. You feel comfortable to teach, to supervise students and to communicate in writing and orally in both languages;
• You have a solid quantitative mindset and are comfortable working with statistical analysis, or are strongly motivated to further develop these skills, while looking forward to teaching about them with enthusiasm;
• You are a motivated and intellectually curious researcher, with interest in the societal implications of artificial intelligence, data, and digital technologies. Prior experience with scientific research is an asset, but not a requirement;
• Candidates who recently graduated are encouraged to apply.

• 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.

• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here

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 15/09/2026

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 15/06/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni) and transcripts;
• also include a brief outline (approximately one page) of a potential research topic related to this position.

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file;
• step 2: only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and the interviews are planned to be held between 22-26 June 2026.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Tuba Bircan at Tuba.Bircan@vub.be.

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.