PhD in Labour and Housing Precarity in Urban Studies / Human Geography University of Amsterdam in Netherlands

PhD opportunity at the University of Amsterdam on labour and housing precarity in Amsterdam, within the Urban Impact Lab of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR). The project examines how labour migrants in Amsterdam experience, navigate, and resist precarious living conditions at the intersection of labour and housing.

The position is supervised/announced by Emil van Eck (Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam) together with Fenne Pinkster. The vacancy sits in the broader Amsterdam Programme, a cohort of eight PhD candidates embedded across the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, with affiliation to the Centre for Urban Studies and the Urban Impact Lab.

Applicants should have strong training in ethnographic research and a background in human geography, urban studies, or a related discipline. The project is highly practice-oriented and involves direct collaboration with labour migrants and stakeholders active in the field of precarious housing and labour. The programme emphasizes rigorous academic research, urban fieldwork in Amsterdam and its surroundings, and socially engaged, interdisciplinary methods.

Funding information from the programme announcement indicates that the cohort of eight PhD positions is fully funded. The programme is a four-year PhD initiative and is designed to connect academic research with real-world urban challenges in Amsterdam.

Deadline: 1 September 2026.

How to apply: Review the full vacancy details and application instructions on the University of Amsterdam vacancy page. Submit your application through the vacancy portal before the deadline. If you have questions, contact Emil van Eck or Fenne Pinkster.