Join a PhD project exploring how education can support geoscience students in developing confidence, motivation and a professional identity.
Your job
‘Who do I want to become’ is a question young people often struggle with at the start of their student career. Many students of geography are uncertain about their future career, which can affect their study success and future transition to work. Utrecht University invites applications for a PhD research position investigating Geoscience students’ sense of their future professional selves and how the faculty of Geosciences’ educational programs can help strengthen students’ professional identity development.
Unlike medicine or law, a geography degree does not lead to a clearly delineated profession; rather ‘geography is what geographers do’ as is sometimes said. However, this is not helpful for students in the process of developing professional identity. Despite the crucial role geographers and earth scientists play in addressing sustainability challenges, the field’s broad career spectrum and limited visibility of job opportunities within degree programmes often generates uncertainty among prospective students and an unclear sense of their professional trajectory. While a focus on students’ professional identity development is common in law, engineering and medicine, recent research suggests students in social science and humanities programs might also profit from educational activities that develop their professional identity. Our students and alumni indicate that the same could also be true for geosciences education. We want to know how geography students’ professional identity develops during the course of their study, understand how it affects their motivation and self-efficacy and learn which educational activities could strengthen their professional identity development.
The PhD project thereby contributes to our educational ambition in the faculty of Geosciences to enhance students’ development. The PhD candidate will therefore have direct impact with their scientific practice and results by identifying and enhancing emergent educational practices, while collaborating with teams to support their enactment. We also seek to create societal impact by strengthening collaborations between students, alumni, professional societies (KNAG) and the wider public.
The project
The PhD-project connects educational sciences, geography education and physical and human geography and requires close contact with students, student representatives and educators of undergraduate and graduate educational programs
, alumni and professional societies. You will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team consisting of Dr. Marielle Zill, Dr. Tom Wils, Prof. Dr. Maarten Kleinhans and Prof. Dr. Tine Béneker and be embedded in the Geography & Education Section
external link at the department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning. As a PhD-candidate you will be embedded in a tightly-knit and inspiring community of ten PhD students conducting research at the intersection of geography and education.
Your main responsibilities will include:
- Conduct a mixed-methods case study research, including several components;
- Design and administer a cross-sectional survey among bachelor’s and master’s students in human geography & planning and in earth sciences, in order to measure disciplinary interest development and identification as well as self-efficacy, enabling comparison across stages of study and between programs;
- Conduct focus groups with students of each cohort to contextualize research findings of the survey and conduct mixed focus groups with students, staff, and non-academic professionals to examine how participation in professional settings contributes to supporting internationalization of disciplinary norms and values;
- Perform a curriculum and institutional analysis, including document analysis and semi-structured interviews with staff and program coordinators to assess how curriculum design and pedagogy align with students’ experiences;
- Perform a longitudinal narrative study of several bachelor and master’s students from both study programs analyzing student’s individual trajectories;
- Write and publish the results in academic and professional publications;
- Present the findings at national and international conferences and workshops and at the faculty of Geosciences;
- Support program heads and staff in co-creatively designing and enacting project insights and designing educational activities supporting students’ professional identity development;
- Manage your own project under the guidance of the supervision team.
The PhD position also includes teaching relevant courses at the Faculty of Geosciences
and/or Graduate School of Teaching
external link (max. 10% of the appointment)
Your qualities
We are searching for an open and curious person who has affinity with teaching in higher education, the hidden curriculum, identity development and the roles that alumni take in society (the labour market). We look forward to applications by candidates who have a Master degree in Geography Education, Educational Sciences, Social- and Behavioral Sciences, and Geosciences or related disciplines. Experience with teaching in higher education is an added value, but not a requirement. The candidate should be highly motivated to collaborate with academic staff and students to transform education at the faculty of Geosciences.
The ideal candidate is familiar with mixed-methods research and has experience with collecting and analyzing quantitative as well as qualitative data via surveys, interviews and focus groups. The candidate should have excellent command of the English language and proficient command of the Dutch language (C1 level), in both written and oral form, and can demonstrate academic writing skills, for example through a high-quality Master thesis or research paper. The candidate should feel comfortable exchanging and discussing research findings with researchers from different backgrounds and with staff of the different educational programs.
We are looking for a candidate who can work independently as well as in a team and has good social skills. In addition, the candidate should have a pro-active attitude, be self-motivated to learn and engage with new research fields, and have good communication and organizational skills.
Our offer
- a position for 1 year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
- a working week of 32 – 40 hours and a gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and €3.881 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
- 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
- a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.
In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development, various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities. You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.
About us
A better future for everyone. This ambition motivates our scientists in executing their leading research and inspiring teaching. At Utrecht University, the various disciplines collaborate intensively towards major strategic themes. Our focus is on Dynamics of Youth, Institutions for Open Societies, Life Sciences and Pathways to Sustainability. Sharing science, shaping tomorrow.
Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.
More information
For more information about this position, please contact Marielle Zill at m.o.zill@uu.nl.
Candidates for this vacancy will be recruited by Utrecht University.
Apply now
As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.
The application should be submitted via the application button below and please attach:
- a letter that describes your motivation and qualifications in relation to the position above;
- your Curriculum Vitae (CV);
- a writing sample that demonstrates your academic skills (preferably your Master thesis, including the name of your supervisor, or a comparable document);
- the names and contact details of two referees. Recommendation letter will be asked only for candidate shortlisted for interview.
Knowledge security screening can be part of the selection procedures of academic staff. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology.
The application deadline is 7 June 2026.
