What you will be doing
We are seeking a highly motivated and qualified student to join our research project PROMISE (Prominent Reduction of Loneliness among Older Migrants through Interventions and Social Engagement) on the taboo surrounding loneliness and the diversity in forms and causes of loneliness among older migrants. In this student assistantship, you will focus on the taboo surrounding loneliness among older migrants. By delving into the diverse manifestations and underlying factors contributing to their loneliness, we aim to gain new scientific insights. We seek to understand the nature and origins of the taboo surrounding loneliness for migrants and develop culturally sensitive interventions to address it. This new knowledge will be translated into practical tools and adjusted interventions to effectively reach and support lonely older migrants.

In this project, you will work with Prof. Dr. Tineke Fokkema (NIDI), Prof. Dr. Basak Bilecen (RUG), and Prof. Dr. Bianca Suanet (Linköping University) under daily supervision of Mirjam Kingma (RUG) to conduct, transcribe and translate interviews with older migrants and their children. You will focus on one of the following migrant groups: refugees from Iran, Chinese migrants, or labour migrants from Turkey.

More specifically, you will review literature to become familiar with the research question, and have contact with stakeholders regarding the information details to contact the participants. Further, you will conduct interviews with older migrants and their children using the photo-elicitation method. You will then transcribe (and translate) the interviews you conducted. There is a possible extension of two months to support in the organisation of co-creation sessions to develop interventions on loneliness among older migrants

What do we offer?
During the student assistantship you will gain experience in conducting in-depth interviews on sensitive topics with vulnerable groups, learn how to transcribe and translate interviews and become familiar with using the photo-elicitation method in interviews. You will also collaborate with researchers from both a research institute and a university. Thereafter, you will be able to write your master thesis under co-supervision of the project leaders using the material you collected.

The student assistantship will be based at NIDI, in The Hague, but includes travel for interviews to various locations. Travel costs to interview locations will be covered by NIDI. The starting date for this position will be January 2025. This is a full-time position (38 hours per week) across 4 months with a possible extension of 2 months for additional tasks.

More information
Contact Prof. Dr. Tineke Fokkema (fokkema@nidi.nl) or Mirjam Kingma (m.l.kingma@rug.nl) for more information.

Application procedure
To apply, send a motivation letter of maximum one page and CV/resume addressed to Mirjam Kingma via M.L.Kingma@rug.nl before the 11th of November. Interviews will take place at NIDI at the end of November/start of December. Please do not use the Apply Now button on vacatures.knaw.nl.

What you will be contributing
You are a good fit to this position if you are enrolled in research master, have native-level skills in Mandarin, Farsi, or Turkish, and are fluent in English. Thereafter, you are interested in qualitative research, and have strong interpersonal , organisational and communication skills. Lastly, you have experience in conducting qualitative interviews.

Fixed-term contract: 4 months.

Terms of employment
Depending on education and experience the minimum salary is 2,896 and the maximum salary is 2,951 gross per month for a full-time appointment (scale SA cao Nederlandse Universiteiten/KNAW). This is exclusive of 8% vacation allowance, 8.3% year-end bonus, travel allowance, internet allowance, home working allowance and pension accrual with ABP.

The KNAW offers its staff an excellent package of secondary benefits. A package that meets the different needs of employees depending on their stage of life, lifestyle or career ambitions. For example, by working an extra two hours a week, it is possible to increase the number of days off from 29 to 41 days a year (with full-time employment).

For a complete overview of the terms of employment, please refer to the web page: werken bij de KNAW.

Applying for a Certificate of Good Conduct can be part of the employment procedure.

Diversity & Inclusion
The KNAW considers a working environment in which everyone feels welcome and appreciated of great importance. A working environment in which attention is paid to individual quality and where development opportunities are paramount. Together we strive for an inclusive culture in which we embrace differences. We would therefore like to invite candidates who want to contribute to this through their background and experience. In the event of equal suitability, preference will be given to the candidate who thus enhances diversity within the Academy.

We will not respond to any supplier enquiries based on this job advertisement.

NIDI-KNAW

About NIDI
The Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) is 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 center 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.

Migration & Migrants

Migration is one of the major societal themes in contemporary diverse societies. The Migration & Migrants team examines this complex topic from an interdisciplinary perspective. Our research is clustered into three broader areas:

1. Migration.
2. Incorporation.
3. Sending regions.

More information
Contact Prof. Dr. Tineke Fokkema (fokkema@nidi.nl) or Mirjam Kingma (m.l.kingma@rug.nl) for more information.