In their first year of life, babies develop trust in their caregivers. This trust enables them to explore their environment and learn. However, caregivers exhibit different levels of sensitive responsiveness, leading to various types of attachment relationships. The exact mechanisms and timing of these differences remain unknown. To measure attachment development, research conducted in the everyday home environment is essential. In this project you will employ novel techniques for automated, long-term measurement of attachment and caregiver-child interaction embedded in the home, using video, audio, position tracking, and physiology (the ‘in vivo’ part of the project). Based on this, you will construct a computational, agent-based model that interactively illuminates attachment development and explains variations in attachment relationships (the ‘in silico’ part). As a result, you open up the field for a transparent, testable, and consequential elaboration of attachment theory for which John Bowlby laid the foundations in the 1950s (the ‘in theory’ part). While attachment research in the 1970s started with researchers following mothers and babies with their notepads for hours, days, weeks, and months on end, new technologies are now available to obtain more detailed and more objective data on the subtle ways in which babies, mother, fathers, and other caregivers interact with each other. The project invites caregivers to be co-researchers with our team in this endeavor and develop this approach so that computer modelling of attachment relationships can become a welcome addition to traditional measurement.

As a computationally oriented behavioral scientist or a behaviorally oriented computer scientist, you will work with a team of researchers versed in attachment research, computational social science, early life social interaction and neuroscience, behavioral AI, and parenting support. Furthermore, with the team of the Generations2- cohort study, you will recruit a sample of infants and caregivers in and around Amsterdam who are as curious as we are in how these early and intimate human bonds develop. During workshops and work visits in London, Cambridge, Glasgow, and Amsterdam you will learn to work with wearables and equipment placed in the homes and the lab.

We are particularly looking for you if you

• want to broaden your skills and expertise beyond your primary training in either social and behavioral sciences (e.g., psychology, educational sciences, epidemiology) or computer sciences and technology (e.g., informatics, data science, artificial intelligence, computational science, bioinformatics)
• are comfortable with coding in R, Python, or Matlab
• enjoy working as a team
• demonstrate good academic writing skills
• are keen to combine reading, coding, and writing with engaging with families, seeking to flexibly bridge science and practice
• are proficient in academic English and can independently use Dutch with research participants (at least B1 level or well-underway towards that)
• are interested in the possibilities of human-oriented technology

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of € 2.770,00 (PhD) and maximum € 3.539,00 (PhD) gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
• an employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• discount on (and occasionally exclusive access to) theater performances and courses at the Griffioen Cultural Center
• a wide range of sports facilities which staff may use at a modest charge
• contribution to commuting expenses

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The project “ The development of infant-caregiver attachment: In vivo, in silico, in theory” was awarded by NWO (Dutch Research Council) to Carlo Schuengel (VU) and Pasco Fearon (University of Cambridge) as applicants, forming a team with Lianne Bakkum (VU), Sam Wass (University of East London; lab), Alastair van Weerden (SSHRC South Africa), Marwa Mahmoud (University of Glasgow; lab), Mirjam Oosterman (VU), Helen Minnis (University of Glasgow) and Frederike Scheper (Kabouterhuis Amsterdam).

Over the years, we have broken our heads about the weak explanatory power of parts of attachment theory. We fretted about the lack of an empirical description of the development of attachment. We worried about the limited options for measuring attachment relationships and the weak translational potential of the measures that are available. We then came to see that these fundamental problems are interlocked and that fresh perspectives and methodologies are needed to escape the standstill. This project is now a starting point for two enthusiastic PhD candidates to join our team in pursuing this radical new approach.

Section of Clinical Child and Family Studies
You will be emdedded in a section that seeks to contribute to equitable developmental outcomes in a healthy and supportive environment for all children. The section broadly shares knowledge on childrearing and caregiver-child relationships, in particular with practitioners who are supporting families and people with disabilities. The section strives towards a society that capitalizes on strengths, connections, and inclusivity. To pursue this vision, it contributes to the development of theory, effectiveness of methods in cure and care, and sustainable implementation of such methods in practice, together with our long-term societal partners. Collaboration with other researchers in the Netherlands and abroad and with care organizations and stakeholder groups are the mainstay of work in the section. Profiles and publications from the section can be found at the research portal.

Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences
Developing knowledge for an active, healthy and meaningful life: that is our mission at the Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences at VU Amsterdam. We maintain a broad focus on the fields of behaviour and health. Our teaching and research programmes are devoted to current developments in society. From healthy aging to e-health, and from training top athletes to social media as a teaching tool. We combine three academic disciplines: psychology, movement sciences and education. A multidisciplinary approach allows us to arrive at a better understanding of human behaviour and movement. Our aims are to help people live healthier lives, learn better and function better.

Are you interested in joining Behavioural and Movement Sciences? You are the kind of person who feels at home working in an ambitious faculty, with an informal atmosphere and short lines of communication. We offer you all the space you need for personal development. Together with your 630 colleagues, you will take care of about 4,200 students.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely. - a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam's Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility. Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of the VU. The VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.