PhD in Global Talent Interdependence and Europe’s Strategic Innovation Ambitions Utrecht University in Netherlands

Utrecht University is recruiting a fully funded PhD candidate for a 4-year project titled Global Talent Interdependence and Europe’s Strategic Innovation Ambitions.

The project sits at the intersection of Economic Geography, Innovation Studies, Migration & Mobility, and Science and Technology Policy. It examines how the international mobility of STEM talent shapes innovation, competitiveness, and technological sovereignty in Europe. The research will use large-scale longitudinal datasets together with publication and patent data, and will combine quantitative and mixed-method approaches.

The PhD candidate will be based in the Economic Geography Section of the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, with close collaboration with the Innovation Studies Section at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development. Supervision is by Dr Burcu Özgün, Dr Giovanna Capponi, and Professor Carolina Castaldi.

Applicants should have a strong interest in innovation, human capital, and international mobility. The call welcomes candidates from economic geography, economics, sociology, innovation studies, development studies, or related social science fields. Strong quantitative skills, experience with data analysis and statistics, and excellent academic writing are important. Experience with web scraping and large datasets is an advantage. English proficiency at C1 level is required, and motivation to develop teaching skills is expected.

The position is fully funded, initially for one year and extendable to four years upon successful assessment. The salary is €3,059–€3,881 gross per month for full-time employment, plus holiday pay and year-end bonus.

Deadline: 25 May 2026. Apply through Utrecht University’s application portal and include a motivation letter, CV, writing sample, and two referees. International candidates may need to provide diploma and grade list documents if shortlisted.