PhD Position (1 FTE) in the area of Belonging of European Muslims to the EU Leiden University in Netherlands

Leiden University’s Institute for History is offering a full-time PhD position in the project European Muslims and Belonging to the EU, 2015–2025, led by Professor Sarah Wolff. The project investigates how European Muslims understand, negotiate, contest, and express belonging to the European Union, with a particular focus on transnational and bottom-up agency, EU citizenship, minority representation, and politics of belonging.

The appointed PhD candidate will work primarily in work package 2, Agency of Belonging in Europe, while also contributing to other project activities and outputs. The research will examine how European Muslims act through mobilisation, demonstrations, strategic litigation, and other forms of political participation at national and EU levels. It will draw on EU studies, social movement theory, digital methods, and discourse analysis. The candidate will analyse selected pan-European organisations and networks, including the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisation and the European Network Against Racism, and may focus on campaigns and issues such as anti-racism, anti-Islamophobia, freedom of religion or belief, EU foreign policy, and climate change.

The position is hosted by the Institute for History at Leiden University, an international research environment within the Faculty of Humanities. The successful candidate will join a project team working across several countries and research questions, and will contribute to workshops, conferences, public outputs, and the project’s broader comparative analysis of belonging among European Muslims in Bulgaria, France, and the Netherlands.

The appointment is full time for one year initially and can be extended for a further three years after positive evaluation. The salary range is €3,204 to €4,051 gross per month (Dutch university pay scale P), with holiday and end-of-year bonuses, training and career development opportunities, sabbatical leave, and other employment benefits. International candidates may also be eligible for a tax advantage, and dual career support is available for spouses or partners.

Applicants should have, or soon obtain, an MA or RMES in political science, international relations, European (Union) studies, migration, or sociology, with a strong MA thesis. The role requires excellent English and Arabic; French, Dutch, or Bulgarian are considered advantageous. Experience with interviews and qualitative research is important, and quantitative skills are welcome. The candidate must be willing to live and work in the Netherlands.

Applications must be submitted in English through the university’s online application system by 26 October 2026. Required documents include a cover letter, research proposal of up to 1000 words explaining the approach to the subproject, CV, and MA thesis. An interview is planned for 13 November 2026, and referees will be requested at a later stage.