Interdisciplinary PhD student on researcher-identity formation in Dutch academia for the Young Academy Groningen 2026

Interdisciplinary research is the practice of integrating knowledge and methods from multiple disciplines to address complex problems in scientific research. This kind of research is increasingly viewed as vital for producing innovative, and ground-breaking research that can uniquely solve society’s complex problems. Despite substantial institutional investments in interdisciplinarity, little empirical research examines how researchers experience interdisciplinary work at a psychological and identity level. Past studies have shown that researchers conducting their work outside of the dominant monodisciplinary norms must navigate unique challenges, like dealing with disciplinary prejudice and disciplinary silos, and that they must develop a strong professional identity and resilience in order to thrive in their research and their careers. But how do they do this? And how can these experiences be used to positively transform their developmental trajectory as interdisciplinary researchers? This project delves into these unique experiences of interdisciplinary researchers, integrating longitudinal qualitative research with large-scale quantitative research.

Findings from this project will inform University of Groningen (UG) training programs and mentoring structures that the Young Academy Groningen (YAG) has developed and is currently upscaling, as well as ongoing Recognition & Reward discussions that the YAG is involved in. By examining the unique context and experiences of interdisciplinary researchers, the results of your research will thus contribute to improving UG policy and support, and to the (inter)national agenda of facilitating interdisciplinary research.

Interdisciplinary focus

The project draws upon different disciplinary lenses and expertises. Dr Naomi de Ruiter (Developmental psychology) has a track record in the study of identity formation, and identity in concrete contexts. She has developed interdisciplinary educational and training programs in higher education. Her area of research expertise and work on interdisciplinarity provide the expertise for the topic of this project. Dr Naomi de Ruiter’s research methodologies include conceptual analysis and qualitative methods, providing the expertise for the qualitative part of this project. Dr Muirne Paap (Psychometrics) has ample experience with the cycle of developing and analysing measurement instruments; from concept mapping, conducting interviews with stakeholder groups to further elucidate how they view the concepts central to the survey, to data collection with large groups, and finally conducting psychometric/statistical analyses to evaluate crucial quality indicators of the instrument (e.g., reliability and validity). Her background provides the expertise for the quantitative part of the project.

The main tasks of the PhD student are:

• Conducting literature reviews.
• Recruiting participants.
• Developing interview guides, conducting interviews with participants, analysing interview data qualitatively.
• Developing a survey in designated software and analysing the resulting data with advanced quantitative analyses (such as structural equation modeling).
• Publishing results of the research in international scientific journals.
• Presenting research findings to fellow academics at (inter)national conferences and faculty seminars.
• Teaching activities (max 15% of your time would be devoted to this), including supervising Bachelor and Master theses.

Supervisors:

Dr Naomi de Ruiter, n.m.p.de.ruiter-wilcox@rug.nl (Developmental Psychology, University College Groningen)

Dr Muirne Paap, m.c.s.paap@rug.nl (Behavioral Sciences and Psychometrics, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences)

The ideal candidate:

• Holds a (Research) Master’s degree in one of the social sciences. Note, that you need to have obtained the appropriate master’s degree at the latest by September 1, 2026.
• Can demonstrate a strong background in quantitative or qualitative research methods (ideally both, but at least the willingness and interest to develop skills in the other). Demonstrated experience with interview-based research is considered a bonus.
• Has a strong interest in interdisciplinary research and identity studies.
• Has good communication and excellent academic writing skills in English, similar skills in Dutch are appreciated but not strictly required.
• Is motivated and enthusiastic about the prospect of writing scientific articles resulting in a PhD thesis.
• Has demonstrable capabilities in the following competencies: conceptual skills, presenting, planning and organising and monitoring progress, contributes to a good working atmosphere, takes initiative, can work well together, works in a structured way.

We are looking for talented PhD students who wish to carry out a PhD thesis within one of the projects described below (Project 1 and Project 2). The PhD thesis has to be completed within four years, and consists of conducting independent and original academic research, report results via peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations. Being part of a cutting-edge research programme, you will receive research training as well as a varied educational training program including transferable skills and future (academic or non-academic) career training for after the PhD trajectory, in the context of our Career Perspective Series.