Do you want to explore how social inequality in the criminal justice system can be reduced? Are you eager to contribute to this goal by developing a judicial equality monitor for and with institutions and youth? Do you enjoy working collaboratively in a team? If so, we are looking for you to join a 4-year doctoral research project.

Job description
Young people with a migration background and/or a lower socio-economic status have a relatively high likelihood of coming into contact with the police and the judicial system, which cannot be solely explained by group differences in criminal behavior. In order to reduce social inequalities in the Dutch criminal justice system and better understand and monitor the effects on criminal careers, we are developing a judicial equality monitor. Additionally, we are creating behavioral interventions for and with young people and police officers, and we identify points for reforms in the criminal justice system. We are undertaking these research activities within the framework of a large research project called "In search of trust (IST)," funded by NWO, with co-financing from various societal organizations. IST will involve two PhD candidates and two Postdocs, among others.

Your focus will be on developing a judicial equality monitor. You will enrich unique data from entities in the criminal justice chain with, among other things, CBS (Statistics Netherlands) data on individual background characteristics and contextual information about households, neighborhoods, and municipalities. You will identify the causes of selectivity in handling criminal activity and its consequences for criminal careers. You will organize meetings with institutions and young people to ensure that the research aligns with needs in the field. After 4 years, you will conclude the project with a dissertation and receive a PhD degree. Supervision will be provided by Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University (Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology).

The tasks you will perform include:

• Further developing the research plan, allowing certain adjustments based on your expertise and interests;
• Linking and analyzing data in the CBS micro-environment, possibly using multilevel regression techniques;
• Organizing working groups with institutions and young people;
• Writing scientific publications and publications for a broader audience, including for the Dutch Parliament (Tweede Kamer);
• Active participation in the IST team;
• Presenting results at (inter)national conferences and for partners (including police, police academy, schools);
• Teaching during the first 3 years, accounting for 15% of the appointment, with the possibility of obtaining a Basic Teaching Qualification;
• Taking (other) courses and training that align with your interests and the project.

Based in the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences you will be part of a team of researchers from EUR, the University of Leiden, the Police Academy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, WODC, HALT, and the Rotterdam police. Your primary location is at Erasmus University Rotterdam, but you will regularly travel to WODC in The Hague for appointments. It's also possible that you will attend some of your classes in Leiden.

We are looking for someone for this position who:

• Holds a (research) master's degree in social sciences, criminology, data science, behaviourial sciences, or econometrics;
• Has an affinity for young individuals exhibiting risky/delinquent behavior and how young people and criminal justice institutions interact;
• Possesses strong organizational skills and a proactive attitude;
• Is flexible and able to handle stressful situations effectively;
• Demonstrates an interest in conducting research in collaboration with societal partners;
• Exhibits strong quantitative research skills, as evidenced by a high assessment of the master's thesis and/or scientific publications;
• Has excellent (academic) written and verbal communication skills;
• Has a good command of the English language. Speaking Dutch is an advantage but is not required for this position;
• Works well in a team but is also capable of functioning independently to a significant extent.

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 March 2024 and you will be based at campus Woudestein in Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). This position is for 1,0 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.770 to a maximum of € 3.539 gross per month (scale P) on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is entered into for the duration of one year, to be continued with three years depending on good performance and normal operations conditions.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare.
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 3.700 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)
The Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences is home to a vast diversity of scientific disciplines: public administration, pedagogical sciences, psychology and sociology. In addition, the Erasmus University College, IHS, and two research institutes RISBO and DRIFT are linked to the faculty. This also reflects in the content of the (international) bachelor's and master's programs and in research. Our activities are always focused on people and society. At the ESSB fundamental, internationally oriented research is of paramount importance. In addition, social research for professionals, policy makers, and the society is part of our research activities. ESSB offers a stimulating research environment where major national and international research grants are received. Appealing guest researchers and ambitious PhD candidates come along to conduct their research. Our education is small-scale and works with innovative forms of education. Both the Dutch and English programs are highly ranked by students and alumni. ESSB is home to over 4000 students and more than 400 staff-members. The different disciplines are supported by the Faculty Office (for more information, please visit www.eur.nl/essb).

Department of Public Administration and Sociology (DPAS)

DPAS covers the disciplines of Public Administration and Sociology. Two related scientific fields with different profiles. Public Administration studies governance capacity and policy interventions. It focuses on the institutional power to organize and intervene in the relations between different social, political and economic actors. Public Administration in Rotterdam goes well beyond the public realm itself and pays attention to public-private cooperation and networks of organizations. Sociology investigates the social structure of societies and the way it evolves. Sociologists in Rotterdam focus among other things on processes of globalization and individualization and on the effects of these processes on international social relations, the labor market or family relations. Related social problems that are studied are migration, flexibilization and solidarity. The perspectives of Public Administration and Sociology complement each other. Together they guarantee a highly relevant and scientific approach to topical administrative and social issues. The bachelor- and masterprogrammes of DPAS are build on this profile and educate students to become scientifically schooled professionals.

Team Policy, Politics and Society
The team Policy, Politics and Society (PPS) is an interdisciplinary team that does research and provides teaching around a broad set of complex policy issues. Working together based on the principles of team science, PPS aims to provide a stimulating and creative environment for academic development. Besides scientific impact, societal impact and engagement (with communities, governments, organizations) are key trademark of the team. Within PPS, specializations have emerged on a number of complex policy issues, such as institutional reform, welfare and inclusion, European and global governance, resilient cities, e-governance, and on migration and diversity.