PhD Position in ERC Project EXPULSE (Amsterdam) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in Belgium

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) invites applications for a PhD position within the ERC-funded project EXPULSE, focusing on Urban Expulsion Regimes in Amsterdam. The project is hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School, Department of Sociology, and the Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies. VUB is a leading Dutch-speaking university in Brussels, renowned for its commitment to freedom, equality, and solidarity, and is a member of the EUTOPIA alliance of European universities.

EXPULSE investigates how urban expulsion regimes—particularly housing evictions—shape housing trajectories, urban citizenship, and socio-spatial inequalities among low-income residents in four European cities: Brussels, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Thessaloniki. The project conceptualizes urban expulsion as the interplay between state policies, housing market regulations, public discourses, and the everyday practices of street-level bureaucrats and private actors involved in eviction processes. Using a comparative mixed-methods approach, the research combines quantitative analysis of eviction court data with qualitative interviews and ethnographic fieldwork involving institutional actors and residents at risk of eviction.

The successful candidate will conduct in-depth research in Amsterdam, actively engaging with the project’s comparative framework. Key responsibilities include: analyzing state policies, legal frameworks, housing regulations, and public discourses shaping eviction governance; examining how eviction governance is enacted in everyday practices by street-level bureaucrats and private actors; and exploring the lived experiences of housing insecurity, including housing trajectories, notions of home, coping strategies, and access to urban citizenship among residents at risk of eviction. The home base for this position will be the Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene).

Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in sociology, urban studies, geography, anthropology, or a related field. Essential qualifications include an excellent academic track record, strong motivation, intellectual curiosity, rigorous work ethic, fluency in English, proficiency in Dutch, and proven experience with qualitative research methods such as interviews, ethnography, and discourse analysis. Assets include prior research on housing insecurity, vulnerable populations, or street-level bureaucrats, and existing networks with housing movements or urban actors in Amsterdam. Applicants must not have worked as an assistant paid from operating resources for more than 12 months. Non-EEA nationals must meet permit and residence requirements for VUB.

The position offers a full-time PhD scholarship for 12 months, extendable up to 48 months upon positive evaluation. The grant is linked to government scales. Additional benefits include extensive homeworking options, telework allowance or internet fee, cost-free hospitalisation insurance, full reimbursement of public transport commute, affordable campus meals, excellent sport and exercise facilities, nursery discounts, and exceptional leave arrangements. The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to enrolment as a doctorate student at VUB.

To apply, submit your application online via jobs.vub.be by 15 May 2026. Required documents include your CV (with contact details of two referees), motivation letter, a writing sample in English, course transcript, and diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni). The selection process involves an initial review of application files, followed by interviews for shortlisted candidates, who will be asked to present a draft research proposal aligned with the objectives of the EXPULSE project. For questions about the job content, contact Prof. Eva Swyngedouw at [email protected].

VUB is committed to reflecting the diversity of society and values talent regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability, or neurodiversity. The university offers a dynamic and stimulating international research environment, with opportunities for career development and continuous learning.