PhD Scholarships at The University of Groningen, a public research university in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands.
PhD Scholarships at Groningen University in Netherlands
PhD
Continual learning is a key aspect of intelligence. The ability to accumulate knowledge by incrementally learning from one’s experiences is an important skill for any agent, natural or artificial, that operates in a changing world. While humans are good continual learners, many AI algorithms—in particular deep neural networks—are not.
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate to study the topic of continual learning, with the aim of developing a deeper conceptual and theoretical understanding of its computational principles. For this PhD position, the intention is to approach continual learning mainly from a deep learning perspective. Depending on the interests of the selected candidate, there is also the opportunity to be involved in (international) collaborations investigating continual learning in the brain.
>
PhD
The Economic Geography Department of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen is seeking two PhD candidates within the project Talent in the Region (Talent in de Regio ). These positions contribute to our expanding research programme on regional labour market dynamics and address two key questions about the labour market in the (Northern) Netherlands:
How can regions ensure that workers develop and maintain the right skills in an increasingly flexible labour market, and how do skill mismatches differ between urban and rural areas? How does technological change, such as the adoption of (generative) AI, affect regional labour demand and the labour market prospects of young people entering the labour market?
>
PhD
The Economic Geography Department of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences at the University of Groningen is looking for a PhD researcher on the topic ‘AI and the new geography of work ’, a project which is funded by a Starting Grant from the Faculty of Spatial Sciences.
>
PhD
Nowadays, most low-grade organic waste is usually incinerated or converted into low-value products. This results in the loss of valuable raw materials, contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution, and is simply inefficient from any point of view. Within the large consortium ABEL (Ab-initio Biowaste Loop) funded by the Dutch Research Council, we have a PhD student position focused on developing innovative technologies for upcycling this waste into high-performance advanced materials. In collaboration with a post-doctoral researcher, the PhD student will explore how bio-polymer mono-materials made from organic waste can be used to create advanced materials with extended mechanical and/or dynamic functionalities. Based on a known catalytic process, the PhD student will develop numerical models to reproduce the mechanics of bio-based polymers and then apply the principles of metamaterials to activate application-beneficial functionalities, which will make them attractive for industrial needs and, particularly, construction applications.
>
PhD
Sex determination mechanisms are very diverse and undergo rapid evolutionary change, whereas the end product is always the two sexes, females and males. This PhD project aims to elucidate the genetic regulation of sex determination in black soldier fly (BSF), the major production insect in the food and feed industry.
>
PhD
Photopharmacology enables precise pharmacotherapy in time and space by designing drugs whose activity can be controlled with light. However, without the support of modern medical imaging methods to reveal the location of the disease and the therapy activation, photopharmacology remains blind. To tackle this challenge, the position is funded by the Dutch Science Council (NWO) in the context of the Open Competition M2 grant and is connected to another PhD position open at UMCG at the same time with the aim of forming a team of two PhD students and three PIs (Szymanski, Kruijff, Vonk) to reach the goals described above. The team altogether offers strong support in chemistry, photochemistry and molecular medical imaging.
>
PhD
Do you want to contribute to groundbreaking research that pushes the boundaries of science? We are forming a new interdisciplinary research team for the ERC-funded Synergy Grant project CrowdING . How do crowds suddenly start to queue, form lanes, or huddle together—and what makes them switch from one behaviour to another? A team of social psychologists, physicists and computer scientists from the Netherlands and Germany aims to answer that question. The research is supported by large-scale laboratory experiments with numerous test subjects, modern analysis methods, and powerful simulations of crowd behaviour. The project is a collaboration of the University of Groningen’s Department of Social Psychology (see below) and Forschungszentrum Jülich’s Institute for Advanced Simulation-7 . There is an opportunity to join this new team as a PhD candidate .
As a PhD candidate, you will have the opportunity to contribute to CrowdING by developing your own insights, collect data, and share your findings with both the team, other scientific colleagues and partners worldwide. Under the guidance of a supervisor and as a member of this team, you will contribute to the understanding of crowd dynamics and the future of this field.
Why would you want to apply for this position?
To advance science by joining a truly unique project team that seeks to integrate psychology, physics and computer science in order to understand and predict crowd dynamics.
To conduct research which has social impact . Your research will not only translate into scientific publications: it will contribute to an entirely new understanding of how psychology and physics interact to shape behaviour and generate new insights which have concrete practical benefits for industry and crowd management.
Personal development : you will have the opportunity, with the support of experienced scientists, to develop yourself into a multidisciplinary expert. There will be great opportunities for professional and personal growth.
Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences
12 januari 2026
€3.059 – €3.881
PhD
Are you interested in participatory planning, community development, and creating tools that empower local communities to shape sustainable futures? In that case this PhD position at the Department of Spatial Planning and Environment at the University of Groningen might just be what you are looking for. This PhD position is embedded in the national NWO-NWA project ECCO: Empower citizen Collectives in Societal Transitions: https://www.collectievekracht.eu/ecco/default.aspx
How can citizen collectives collaborate with stakeholders based on their sense of place, to foster place-based sustainability transitions? You will investigate personal values, sense of place, and community perceptions to help citizen collectives develop joint narratives. Such narratives can foster inclusive partnerships and agendas for sustainable development in urban-rural settings.
As a PhD candidate, you will have the opportunity to develop your own research questions, collect data, and share your findings with both scientific colleagues and partners from professional practice worldwide. Under the supervision and guidance of prof. Ina Horlings, dr. Gwenda van der Vaart and dr. Geertje Slingerland, and in collaboration with a motivated team of multidisciplinary researchers and societal partners within the ECCO project, you will develop a tool to map Sense of Place. This innovative tool integrates personal values with perceived place assets, helping communities to visualize what they care about and build shared visions for their future.
Faculty of Spatial Sciences
15 februari 2026
€3.059 – €3.881
>
PhD
Are you a (nearly) graduated law student and do you want to start your university career as a passionate, enthusiastic PhD student? Then we have the job you are looking for. The Department of European and Economic Law at the University of Groningen offers you the opportunity to work for four years as a researcher within one of our research programmes.
As a PhD researcher, you will carry out independent scientific research under the mentorship of Dr Jonas Bornemann, Dr Viktor Szép and Prof. Dr Ramses A. Wessel.
>
PhD
In the origin of life, the transition from small building blocks to complex, organised assemblies set the stage for the emergence of biological systems. These supramolecular structures bridge the gap between simple organic molecules and the complex, organised systems that characterise living systems. By understanding these processes, we gain insights into the fundamental principles that govern the emergence of life on Earth. Within the EU funded cofund programme Evolve, we have a PhD student opening. The PhD student will study the formation dynamics of supramolecular structures and how they adapt to signals from the environment, another hallmark of life. The studied supramolecular structures are stabilised by various non-covalent interactions and the self-assembly process in which they form remains poorly understood.
>
PhD
Are you interested in just and sustainable transitions, group processes and collective action? Are you looking for a PhD position with both scientific and societal impact? In that case this PhD position at the Environmental Psychology research group at the University of Groningen might just be what you are looking for. This PhD position is embedded in the national NWO-NWA project ECCO: Empower citizen Collectives in Societal Transitions: https://www.collectievekracht.eu/ecco/default.aspx),
Can citizen collectives such as community energy or climate initiatives drive just and sustainable transitions by motivating not only participants but also non-participants? Your research will investigate how citizen collectives (CCs) influence motivations, shared identities, and behaviours of both involved and uninvolved individuals, examining whether these initiatives inadvertently create polarisation or successfully foster inclusive engagement.
As a PhD candidate, you will have the opportunity to develop your own research questions, collect data, and share your findings with both scientific colleagues and partners from professional practice worldwide. Under the supervision and guidance of Prof. Lise Jans and Prof. Ellen van der Werff, and in collaboration with a motivated team of multidisciplinary researchers and societal partners within the ECCO project, you will work on furthering understanding on the motivational influence of citizen collectives in advancing sustainable transitions.
You will conduct a groundbreaking longitudinal field experiment with a network of CCs, tracking 40+ communities where new CCs will be initiated. Using surveys and experimental methods, you will assess changes in motivations, shared identity, and polarization over time among people who participate in these CCs and those who do not. You will compare different CC setups and their effects on diverse populations. You will develop the “Motivation Mapper” tool for CCs to assess and track their motivational impact.
>
PhD
For the National Growth Fund (NGF) project “Groeien met Groen Staal” (GGS), a PhD position for the period of 4 years is available in the context of modelling green steel mechanics from the atomic scale. In this project, the University of Groningen will investigate atomic-scale mechanism of martensitic, bainitic and ferritic atomic-scale interface motion for multi-component alloy systems that are relevant for the new green steels compositions, including impurities and tramp elements. These models should inform higher-scale (microstructural) models of microstructure formation for green steels.
PhD
Are you a (nearly) graduated law student with an interest in scientific research? If so, this position could be a great opportunity for you!
We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD student who wants to do research within the topic of legal pluralism and corruption in Central Asia.
Post navigation
