Postdoctoral Researcher in Youth, Uncertainty, and Societal Impact (Quantitative Social Science) Utrecht University in Netherlands

Utrecht University is recruiting a Postdoctoral Researcher for a project on youth, uncertainty, and societal impact. The position sits within the university’s strategic theme Dynamics of Youth and focuses on how young people experience global uncertainty, including climate change, technological change, housing, work, and geopolitical instability, and what helps them remain connected, hopeful, and agentic.

This is a research-and-collaboration role for an early-career researcher with strong quantitative skills and an interest in interdisciplinary collaboration, partnership brokering, and societal impact. The postdoc will work with existing large and complex datasets using a socio-ecological and multisystemic perspective, contributing to high-quality academic research while also strengthening links between science, policy, and practice.

The role involves studying youth development across multiple contexts such as families, peers, schools, communities, and broader institutional conditions. It also includes helping expand the network of societal partners, co-developing research questions, supporting knowledge exchange, and building a sustainable infrastructure for collaboration. The postdoc will be a key contact point for partners and will help create conditions for interdisciplinary work to grow.

Eligibility highlights: applicants should have a completed PhD in a relevant field such as Health Sciences, Behavioural Sciences, Epidemiology, Pedagogical or Educational Sciences, Psychology, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Medical Sciences, Law, or Economics and Governance. Strong experience with quantitative methods, advanced statistical modelling, multilevel statistics, and tools such as R and/or Mplus is expected. FAIR data management experience, organisational skills, communication ability, and full professional proficiency in both Dutch and English are required.

Funding and terms: the appointment is for 1.5 years, starting 1 September 2026 and ending 31 December 2027, with a full-time salary range of €3,546 to €5,538 per month (scale 10, CAO NU), plus holiday pay, year-end bonus, pension, and other employment benefits.

Application deadline: 17 June 2026. Contact prof. dr. C. Finkenauer at [email protected] for more information.