Bart Soenens

Ghent University is offering a 15-month, 40% postdoctoral position in the Department of Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology within the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. The role is part of an FWO-funded project on need crafting among pre-adolescents, linked to the digital intervention LifeCraft. The project investigates whether need crafting, a Self-Determination Theory-based construct describing how individuals proactively support their own well-being, can benefit primary school children in Grades 4–6 and be effectively trained at this age. The intervention has already shown promise in adults, university students, and secondary school students, and has been adapted for younger learners. The new project aims to identify when, for whom, and under which conditions the intervention works best, using quantitative and qualitative data, including feedback from pupils and teachers. Advanced longitudinal analysis, including Latent Change Modelling, is central to the work. The postdoctoral researcher will prepare and coordinate the study, develop questionnaires and participant communications, build school collaborations, conduct pilot testing, support teachers during the intervention, coordinate data collection, analyze primarily quantitative data, and help disseminate results through publications, presentations, and talks. The role also includes administrative and service tasks, some teaching-related activities, and supervision of a small number of master's thesis students. Applicants must hold a PhD in Psychology and should have a strong publication record. Experience with Self-Determination Theory, developmental psychology, and digital mental health interventions is especially valued, as is prior work with children and adolescents. Strong quantitative and longitudinal methods skills, and experience with R and/or Mplus, are highly desirable. Dutch proficiency is recommended for data collection, and candidates should be motivated to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research team spanning psychology, education, communication, and technology. The position is based at Ghent University in Ghent, Belgium. The appointment runs for 15 months with a 40% occupancy rate and starts on October 1, 2026. The application deadline is July 30, 2026 at 23:59 Brussels time. Interested candidates must apply online through the university e-recruitment system and submit the required CV, cover letter, and diploma documents. For more information, contact Prof. Bart Soenens at [email protected].