PhD researcher ERC project 'CAGED: Ageing in the Carceral Environment: The Existential Dimensions

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculteit Recht en Criminologie, Department Criminologie, Research Group Crime & Society is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

CAGED addresses a rapidly growing global challenge: how ageing individuals experience and construct existential meaning while incarcerated. Despite demographic shifts leading to an increasing proportion of older people in carceral settings, scholarly work on carceral ageing remains limited in Europe. CAGED brings together insights from gerontology, penology, psychology, and the broader social and behavioural sciences to develop an innovative interdisciplinary framework that advances theory and method in understanding carceral ageing.

This PhD position offers a rare opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of ageing studies, prison studies, and the science of meaning. As a doctoral researcher, you will play an important role in generating new empirical and conceptual insights, and you will be supported in developing strong theoretical, methodological, and analytical expertise. You will work within an interdisciplinary and collaborative research team and help advance a new research agenda with scientific, societal, and policy relevance.

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

• You will contribute to the qualitative research component of the new ERC project ‘CAGED: Ageing in the Carceral Environment: The Existential Dimensions’ 
  
  
• You will conduct qualitative empirical research in Belgian prisons on existential meaning in later life and write a doctoral dissertation based on your findings
  
  
• You will contribute to the delivery of the ERC project’s output, including conference papers, publications, presentations and other dissemination activities

• You will work closely with other team members on specific tasks within the ERC project, such as qualitative data collection, analysis, and integration of findings. You will support the Principal Investigator (PI) and actively participate in the collaborative and interdisciplinary environment of the ERC project.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• You hold a master's degree in criminology, Psychology, Anthropology, Gerontology, Philosophy, Sociology, or a closely related field

• You possess strong analytical and academic writing skills, essential for developing publications and writing a doctoral dissertation. This may be demonstrated through your master’s thesis, essays, research reports, or concrete examples provided in your motivation letter.

• You have excellent proficiency in Dutch and English, both written and spoken

• You have experience with, or a strong interest in, qualitative research methods
  
  
• You are intellectually curious, eager to explore interdisciplinary approaches, and open to innovative theoretical and methodological perspectives.
  
  
• You can work independently as well as collaboratively and demonstrate maturity in your research approach

• Desirable criteria, but not required:

• • • Strong academic performance is an asset, but research potential, motivation, and alignment with the project are decisive
      
      
    • You have relevant (research) experience, or a demonstrated interest in ageing, prison studies, or existential research
      
      
    • You are familiar with French and/or German.

• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/03/2026. 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 01/02/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV including your academic background, relevant coursework, master’s thesis, research projects, internships, or other experiences demonstrating analytical and research potential;
• your motivation letter explaining your research interests, why you are interested in this project, and how your skills, curiosity, and motivation make you a strong candidate. Examples from your master’s thesis, essays, or projects are welcome;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file; 
• step 2: a job interview.

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Diete Humblet at diete.humblet@vub.be or on +32494237635.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.