Postdoc and PhD Openings in Social Psychology and Nihilistic Violent Extremist Groups at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in Netherlands

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is advertising two postdoctoral positions and one PhD position in research on social psychology, political psychology, radicalization, extremism, hate speech, polarization, criminology, and data science.

The first postdoc is a 2-year position in the PROCLAIM Horizon2020 Consortium, focused on the effects of covert hate speech on polarization and radicalization. The role involves experimental and longitudinal research, literature review, study design, data collection and analysis, conference presentations, and publication. The post is linked to the Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology at VU Amsterdam and involves working with Prof. Jan-Willem van Prooijen and the broader consortium.

The second postdoc is a 3-year position on Nihilistic Violent Extremist (NVE) groups, an interdisciplinary project at the intersection of criminology, psychology, and data science. The project investigates radical online groups, their behavior, and their social media activity using sophisticated quantitative methods and large-scale data analysis. The team includes Prof. Jan-Willem van Prooijen, Prof. Arjan Blokland, and Dr. Elanie Rodermond, with links to the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR).

The PhD position is a 4-year funded appointment on the same NVE project. It combines quantitative analysis of large social media datasets with qualitative analysis, and includes writing and defending a PhD thesis at VU Amsterdam. The PhD candidate will also participate in teaching activities within the Graduate School and the Kurt Lewin Institute.

Eligibility highlights: postdoc applicants should have a PhD (or be near completion) in social psychology, criminology, psychology, data science, or a related field, plus strong statistics/data science skills and excellent English. PhD applicants should have a (Research) Master’s degree in a relevant field, strong quantitative skills, and openness to mixed methods. Across roles, the team values collaboration, communication, and experience with social media data.

Funding: all roles are salaried university appointments. The postdoc salary range is €3,546–€5,538 gross/month; the PhD salary range is €3,059–€3,881 gross/month. The postdoc contracts are initially 1 year and may be extended subject to evaluation.

Deadlines: the PROCLAIM postdoc deadline is 20 August 2026; the NVE postdoc and PhD deadline is 24 August 2026. Applicants are asked to apply via the university’s application platform, not by email.