Post-doc researcher TransParent - Belgium (30470)

Academic Positions; Belgique; On-site; EUR 47,000 - 71,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Contract of indefinite duration

36 days holiday leave + bridge days

Bicycle allowance

Eco vouchers

Job summary

Ghent University seeks a Post-Doctoral researcher for the TransParent project within the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. The role focuses on longitudinal, cross-country studies of migrant families, with collaboration across a team including PhD students and other researchers.

Responsibilities include data sharing, model development, dissemination, and project coordination. A PhD in relevant social sciences is required, along with strong Dutch and English skills.

Qualifications

• PhD in Educational Sciences, Social Work or related field; must meet degree requirements by appointment.
• Strong collaborative skills and team orientation.
• Experience with qualitative methods (interviews) and quantitative methods (surveys).
• Experience researching refugee parents.
• Familiarity with unaccompanied minors, foster care and parenting contexts.
• Proven publication record in high-quality journals.
• Excellent written and spoken Dutch and English (C2).
• Willingness to travel for data collection.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the PI, post-doc, and PhD students; share data and analyses.
• Develop theoretical models bridging child migration and family studies.
• Disseminate findings academically and publicly.
• Coordinate the project overall.

Skills

Team player

Qualitative & quantitative methods

Refugee parenting research

Publishing track record

Dutch & English proficiency

Education

PhD in Educational Sciences / Social Work

Job description

Organisation/Company Ghent University Research Field Psychological sciences » Psychology Sociology » Other Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 27 Nov 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe - ERC Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

→Apply before 27/11/2026(DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
→Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
→Department:PP23 - Pedagogische Wetenschappen
→Occupancy rate:100%
→Number of positions:1
→Type of employment:Contract of unlimited duration
→Term ofassignment:
→Wage scale:PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree)
→Required diploma:PhD

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR TASKS

About the ERC-AdG TransParentproject

Using a longitudinal, mixed-methods, multi-country design, the ERC-funded project TransParentinvestigates the lived experiences, wellbeing, and transnational parenting practices of ‘staying-behind’ parents and siblings in four major countries of origin (Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, and Nigeria), alongside family reunification processes of minors returning to these contexts, and the parental contexts of young separated minors in foster care families in Belgium. The project runs for five years.

Your responsibilities

Within the TransParent-team, you intensively collaboration with the PI, the other post-doc researcher and three PhD students. You share data and analyses, and you collaborate in disciplinary and interdisciplinary research.

In particular, you will be responsible for:

• the Belgian study, which involves a mixed-methods, longitudinal study with ‘staying-behind’ parents of unaccompanied refugee children in foster care families in Belgium;
• longitudinal study on children returning to their families in two countries (Afghanistan / Syria / South Sudan);
• organization, coordination and follow-up of a large-scale survey amongst the general population in two countries (Afghanistan / Syria / South Sudan), in close collaboration with local researchers and local stakeholders committees.

Together with the other post-doc researcher and the PI, you will be engaged in:

• the support and supervision of PhD students;
• the development of new theoretical models bridging the fields of (child) migration and child & family studies;
• scientific and public dissemination of the study findings;
• the overall coordination of the project

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You hold a PhD in Educational Sciences, Social Work or a related social sciences discipline. You must meet the degree requirements by the date of appointment
• You are a team player with strong collaborative skills
• You have knowledge of and/or experience with a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods (e.g. self-report questionnaires, in-depth interviews)
• You have experience conducting research regarding refugee (parents)
• You have affinity with research regarding unaccompanied minors, foster care and/or parenting
• Affinity with research in the research contexts of TransParentor in similar research contexts is an asset
• You have a proven track record of publishing scientific articles in high-quality academic journals
• You have excellent written and spoken Dutch and English language skills (C2 level); knowledge of languages spoken in the research contexts of TransParentis an asset
• You have demonstrable experience working with local researchers and non-academic stakeholders in the design and dissemination of research
• You are empathetic, work accurately, manage deadlines effectively and have a critical mindset
• You are open to constructive feedback and contribute to a positive working environment
• You are willing to travel for data collection and dissemination purposes.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer you a contract of indefinite duration within the framework of the ERC TransParent
• Your contract will start on1/01/2027at the earliest
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits .

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

Youwillbeinformedby4December2026atthelatestwhetheryouhavebeenselectedfor thenextround.Ifselected,thisnextroundwilltakeplaceinGhenton17 and 18December2026.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Ilse Derluyn ( [e-mail] , [phone]).

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