PhD position “Joint physical custody and parents’ spatial (im)mobility” (V25.0505)

Project description
The PhD researcher will work in the project “Joint physical custody and parents’ spatial (im)mobility”, supervised by Roselinde van der Wiel (daily supervisor) and Matthijs Kalmijn (promotor). The project’s goal is to understand how joint physical custody arrangements for children after parental separation—where children live alternately with each parent—both influence and are influenced by the spatial mobility of parents.

As joint physical custody becomes increasingly common, it raises questions about how the need for spatial proximity between parental households shapes parents’ spatial mobility. In a context of high rates of union dissolution, growing institutional support for equal parenting, and rising housing market pressures, understanding these dynamics is timely and essential.

The project offers the opportunity to explore questions such as: To what extent does joint physical custody structure or constrain parents’ spatial mobility? How does this differ between mothers and fathers? How does repartnering, with or without moving, affect the geographical distance between ex-partners and the continuity of joint physical custody? To what degree do formal agreements about children’s residence correspond with daily practice?

Questions like these will be examined through quantitative analysis of existing survey data linked to register data, and complemented by an in-depth qualitative study. The focus of the project is on the Netherlands, with some options to use data for Germany.

Function description

• Carry out high-quality research within the scope of the PhD project.
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed, international journals, to be combined in a PhD thesis.
• Disseminate research results to a broader audience.
• Participate in and present at (inter-)national scientific meetings.
• Contribute to teaching at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences.

Organisation
Faculty of Spatial Sciences
The PhD researcher will be hosted by the Faculty of Spatial Sciences (FSS), Population Research Centre, of the University of Groningen. FSS is a dynamic faculty with an open character. With approximately 100 employees and 100 PhD researchers, we focus on highly qualified education and research in the field of planning, demography and human geography. With two bachelor's degrees and seven master's programmes, the faculty offers broad training opportunities to around 1,100 students all over the world.

NIDI
In addition, the PhD researcher will spend time on a regular basis at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI): a leading European demographic research institute. NIDI is part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and affiliated with the University of Groningen. It is located in the centre of The Hague, providing a unique and stimulating research environment in the broad field of population studies. Currently, the staff of the institute consists of about 65 employees of different levels of seniority and organized in a rather horizontal structure within four thematic research groups. The working environment is highly international and NIDI provides ample opportunities for training and development.

We are looking for candidates with:

• A Master degree in population studies, demography, human geography, sociology or another relevant social science, to be completed before the starting date.
• Excellent study results.
• A solid background in quantitative data analysis; preferably experience in multivariate statistical analyses of micro-level data.
• Qualitative research skills.
• Good writing skills and fluency in written and spoken English; experience in academic writing in English; preferably mastering some Dutch or willing to learn Dutch.
• A keen interest in the topics to be investigated in the project, preferably demonstrated by previous work on similar topics.
• Strong conceptual thinking.
• Strong motivation, good communicative skills, proactive and independent work attitude.
• Strong planning skills, ability to organize own work and related activities, ability to meet deadlines.
• A great curiosity and enthusiasm for scientific research.

The appointment of the PhD researcher is at the Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen. The PhD researcher will be a member of the Graduate School of Spatial Sciences. The PhD researcher will get the opportunity to participate in the Faculty’s training program for PhD students and will draw up a personal training and supervision plan. The University of Groningen offers a salary of € 3,059 gross per month in the first year of the appointment, rising to € 3,881 gross per month in the fourth year of a full-time position. The conditions of employment comply with the Collective Labour Agreement for the University of Groningen. This full-time appointment as PhD researcher is temporary for four years. You will first be appointed for a period of 12 months. After a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended for the remaining part of the project.

You may apply for this position until 19 October 11:59pm / before 20 October 2025 Dutch local time (CEST) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

The intended starting date is 1 December 2025.

Interviews with shortlisted candidates will take place on 28 October 2025. We prefer in-person interviews; however, online interviews are possible if necessary.

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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