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Postdoc ERC Project FIRMS: How Firms Shape Career Inequality Through (Mental) Health

  • Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
  • 14854
  • PhD
  • €4.728 - €6.433
  • Closes on
    30-03-2026
Apply

Postdoc ERC Project FIRMS: How Firms Shape Career Inequality Through (Mental) Health

  • Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
  • 14854
  • PhD
  • €4.728 - €6.433
  • Closes on
    30-03-2026
Apply

Working at the UvA

How firms shape career inequality through (mental) health

The project conceptualizes firms as social environments that differ in authority structures, work intensity, technological change, and workplace culture. These organizational differences can systematically affect workers’ mental health, for example through exposure to stress, insecurity, or limited control at work. Mental health, in turn, shapes careers by influencing sickness absence, job mobility, and long-term wage growth. You will study when and for whom mental health functions as a mechanism linking firm contexts to unequal career trajectories.

Your research addresses a central theoretical question: how do differences between firms translate into persistent career inequality through workers’ (mental) health

Empirically, you will work with rich longitudinal linked employer–employee data combined with population-wide health registers, focusing primarily on the Netherlands and Norway. These data make it possible to follow workers and firms over long periods and to identify how firm-level conditions are associated with mental health outcomes and subsequent career inequality.

You will work closely with the principal investigator and the PhD team, combining life course theory with organizational and inequality perspectives to develop and test mechanism-based explanations using large-scale longitudinal data.

 

Working at the UvA

How firms shape career inequality through (mental) health

The project conceptualizes firms as social environments that differ in authority structures, work intensity, technological change, and workplace culture. These organizational differences can systematically affect workers’ mental health, for example through exposure to stress, insecurity, or limited control at work. Mental health, in turn, shapes careers by influencing sickness absence, job mobility, and long-term wage growth. You will study when and for whom mental health functions as a mechanism linking firm contexts to unequal career trajectories.

Your research addresses a central theoretical question: how do differences between firms translate into persistent career inequality through workers’ (mental) health

Empirically, you will work with rich longitudinal linked employer–employee data combined with population-wide health registers, focusing primarily on the Netherlands and Norway. These data make it possible to follow workers and firms over long periods and to identify how firm-level conditions are associated with mental health outcomes and subsequent career inequality.

You will work closely with the principal investigator and the PhD team, combining life course theory with organizational and inequality perspectives to develop and test mechanism-based explanations using large-scale longitudinal data.

 

All about this vacancy

What are you going to do

  • Study how firms affect workers’ health outcomes and how these outcomes shape careers
  • Analyze longitudinal linked employer–employee and health register data in the Netherlands and Norway
  • Develop and apply advanced quantitative methods to identify firm effects
  • Write and submit articles to leading international journals
  • Collaborate closely within the FIRMS team and with international partners

 

What do you have to offer

  • You work and think at an academic postdoctoral level in sociology, economics, or a related field
  • You have extensive experience in analyzing longitudinal or administrative data
  • You have a theoretical background in studying labor market inequality and or health
  • You translate complex analyses into clear scientific arguments
  • You work independently while actively contributing to a research team

 

Must-have:

  • Experience with quantitative data analysis
  • A completed PhD by the start of the employment

 

This is what we offer you

We offer a temporary employment contract for 30,4 hours per week (0.8 fte) for a period of 35 months with a probationary period of two months. The starting date will be 1 September 2026. Depending on a suitable match between the candidate and department, the contract can be heightened with teaching duties.

 

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between €4,728 and € 6,433. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Researcher 3 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

 

What else do we offer you

You will work in a stimulating and supportive research environment with strong international visibility. We value intellectual exchange, collaboration, and independence, and you will receive close academic mentoring from the principal investigator (Thijs Bol). The position offers ample opportunities for methodological development, publishing in top journals, and building an international research profile through conferences and collaborations. You will be part of a team that values open science, constructive feedback, and work-life balance. Flexible working hours are possible, although it is important to be at the department for at least part of the week to facilitate good collaboration.

 

All about this vacancy

What are you going to do

  • Study how firms affect workers’ health outcomes and how these outcomes shape careers
  • Analyze longitudinal linked employer–employee and health register data in the Netherlands and Norway
  • Develop and apply advanced quantitative methods to identify firm effects
  • Write and submit articles to leading international journals
  • Collaborate closely within the FIRMS team and with international partners

 

What do you have to offer

  • You work and think at an academic postdoctoral level in sociology, economics, or a related field
  • You have extensive experience in analyzing longitudinal or administrative data
  • You have a theoretical background in studying labor market inequality and or health
  • You translate complex analyses into clear scientific arguments
  • You work independently while actively contributing to a research team

 

Must-have:

  • Experience with quantitative data analysis
  • A completed PhD by the start of the employment

 

This is what we offer you

We offer a temporary employment contract for 30,4 hours per week (0.8 fte) for a period of 35 months with a probationary period of two months. The starting date will be 1 September 2026. Depending on a suitable match between the candidate and department, the contract can be heightened with teaching duties.

 

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between €4,728 and € 6,433. This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile Researcher 3 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

 

What else do we offer you

You will work in a stimulating and supportive research environment with strong international visibility. We value intellectual exchange, collaboration, and independence, and you will receive close academic mentoring from the principal investigator (Thijs Bol). The position offers ample opportunities for methodological development, publishing in top journals, and building an international research profile through conferences and collaborations. You will be part of a team that values open science, constructive feedback, and work-life balance. Flexible working hours are possible, although it is important to be at the department for at least part of the week to facilitate good collaboration.

 

Your place at the UvA

You will work here

You will join the FIRMS research team at the Institutions, Inequalities, and Life courses program group in the Department of Sociology, University of Amsterdam. You will also become part of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) and the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS). Together with the FIRMS team, we will study how firms shape careers and inequality across countries and over time, combining life course theory with large-scale data and innovative methods.

About the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) is the largest educational and research institution in the field of social and behavioural sciences in Europe. Here, we explore societal and human-centered issues, driven by scientific curiosity but also with an eye for current themes. For example, the impact of media and communication on individuals and society, healthcare challenges, global urbanization, human development, the role of political institutions, understanding the human mind, growing inequality, diversity issues, and changing social relationships.
In Europe and beyond, the FMG holds a leading position, thanks in part to its more than 1,300 staff members who contribute to education and research. Will you be one of them?
Read more about the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Your place at the UvA

This is where you will be working

You will work here

You will join the FIRMS research team at the Institutions, Inequalities, and Life courses program group in the Department of Sociology, University of Amsterdam. You will also become part of the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) and the Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS). Together with the FIRMS team, we will study how firms shape careers and inequality across countries and over time, combining life course theory with large-scale data and innovative methods.

About the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) is the largest educational and research institution in the field of social and behavioural sciences in Europe. Here, we explore societal and human-centered issues, driven by scientific curiosity but also with an eye for current themes. For example, the impact of media and communication on individuals and society, healthcare challenges, global urbanization, human development, the role of political institutions, understanding the human mind, growing inequality, diversity issues, and changing social relationships.
In Europe and beyond, the FMG holds a leading position, thanks in part to its more than 1,300 staff members who contribute to education and research. Will you be one of them?
Read more about the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Important to know

Your application & contact

If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the red button. Please submit your application as a single PDF, including a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the contact details of two referees. The application deadline is 30 March 2026 (23:59 CET) . Interviews are expected to take place in the week of 13 April. 

In case of equal suitability, the internal candidate is preferred over the external candidate.

 

Candidates who require a work permit should be aware that appointment is subject to the Dutch Employment of Foreign Nationals Act.

 

For questions about the position or more information on the FIRMS project, please contact Thijs Bol ([email protected]).

 

No agencies please.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

As an employer, the UvA maintains an equal opportunities policy. We value diversity and are fully committed to being a place where everyone feels at home. We nurture inquisitive minds and perseverance and allow room for persistent questioning. With us, curiosity and creativity are the prevailing culture.
Read more
Studies show that women and members of underrepresented groups only apply for jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Do you meet the educational requirements but not yet all of the requested experience? The UvA encourages you to apply anyway.

Important to know

Your application & contact

If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the red button. Please submit your application as a single PDF, including a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and the contact details of two referees. The application deadline is 30 March 2026 (23:59 CET) . Interviews are expected to take place in the week of 13 April. 

In case of equal suitability, the internal candidate is preferred over the external candidate.

 

Candidates who require a work permit should be aware that appointment is subject to the Dutch Employment of Foreign Nationals Act.

 

For questions about the position or more information on the FIRMS project, please contact Thijs Bol ([email protected]).

 

No agencies please.

As an employer, the UvA maintains an equal opportunities policy. We value diversity and are fully committed to being a place where everyone feels at home. We nurture inquisitive minds and perseverance and allow room for persistent questioning. With us, curiosity and creativity are the prevailing culture.
Studies show that women and members of underrepresented groups only apply for jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Do you meet the educational requirements but not yet all of the requested experience? The UvA encourages you to apply anyway.

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