18 PhD Scholarships Open at Utrecht University [NL]

Utrecht University is currently offering a diverse range of PhD scholarships for 2026. While your list identifies 18 primary PhD-specific roles, there are actually 31 total academic vacancies available when including postdoctoral and specialized research roles.

PhD Scholarships Open at Utrecht University [NL]

Below is the structured list of the 18 PhD-specific scholarships, followed by the application details.

Open PhD Scholarships at Utrecht University (2026)

PhD in the economic aspects of water-resilient landscapesAre you interested in researching the economic benefits of nature-based solutions for water-resilient landscapes, using Zeeland’s delta as a living laboratory?PhD|Research, development, innovationFaculty of Law, Economics and GovernanceDepartment: Utrecht University School of EconomicsApplication deadline: 17 March 2026Job details: PhD in the economic aspects of water-resilient landscapes

PhD candidate in Equine Intestinal Microbiome and ResistomeJoin this PhD project to study how the equine gut microbiome and resistome can improve gastrointestinal health and combat antimicrobial resistance.PhD|Research, development, innovationFaculty of Veterinary MedicineDepartment: Department Clinical SciencesApplication deadline: 29 March 2026Job details: PhD candidate in Equine Intestinal Microbiome and Resistome

PhD: Governance, contestation and justice in the Dutch green hydrogen transitionWe are looking for an ambitious colleague to further strengthen our group with a focus on transitions and transformations, directionality and justice.PhD|Education|Research, development, innovationFaculty of GeosciencesDepartment: Department of Sustainable DevelopmentApplication deadline: 20 March 2026Job details: PhD: Governance, contestation and justice in the Dutch green hydrogen transition

PhD Candidate in Integrative Exposome and Multi-Omics for Brain–Body HealthDevelopment and application of integrative analytical methods to characterise diverse exposure–biology relationships and their relevance for brain–body health.PhDFaculty of Veterinary MedicineDepartment: Department Population Health SciencesApplication deadline: 23 March 2026Job details: PhD Candidate in Integrative Exposome and Multi-Omics for Brain–Body Health

PhD positions for highly qualified graduatesCheck out eight exciting PhD positions in the social sciencesPhDFaculty of Social and Behavioural SciencesDepartment: Social SciencesApplication deadline: 8 March 2026Job details: PhD positions for highly qualified graduates

PhD: Land-surface modelling of mountain hydrological processes in the HimalayaWe seek a motivated PhD candidate to model the Himalayan water cycle to support the development of an advanced global dataset of mountain water resources.PhD|Education|Research, development, innovationFaculty of GeosciencesDepartment: Department of Physical GeographyApplication deadline: 6 March 2026Job details: PhD: Land-surface modelling of mountain hydrological processes in the Himalaya

PhD: Upscaling pore-scale behaviour of clay-interfacesJoin us to investigate the complexity of clays in our groundwater system and their role in protecting our groundwater reservoirs and the built environment!PhD|Education|Research, development, innovationFaculty of GeosciencesDepartment: Department of Earth SciencesApplication deadline: 22 March 2026Job details: PhD: Upscaling pore-scale behaviour of clay-interfaces

Behavioural Modelling for Zoonotic Outbreak PreparednessAre you interested in interdisciplinary research that helps to understand how human behavior and zoonotic diseases are interconnected? Apply now!PhDFaculty of Veterinary MedicineDepartment: Department Population Health SciencesApplication deadline: 9 March 2026Job details: Behavioural Modelling for Zoonotic Outbreak Preparedness

PhD Position in Colloidal Assembly for Nanostructured Lithium-Ion BatteriesJoin our interdisciplinary team at the Debye Institute and advance nanomaterials for sustainable tech!PhDFaculty of ScienceDepartment: Department of ChemistryApplication deadline: 25 March 2026Job details: PhD Position in Colloidal Assembly for Nanostructured Lithium-Ion Batteries

2 PhD’s in JUST MATTER. Situated Material Engagement for Climate JusticeJoin us in the NWO funded consortium JUST ART; Creating Common Grounds for Climate Justice Through Artistic ResearchPhDFaculty of HumanitiesDepartment: Department of History and Art HistoryApplication deadline: 13 March 2026Job details: 2 PhD’s in JUST MATTER. Situated Material Engagement for Climate Justice

PhD position on Delta Climate Center (DCC)-funded project ‘Delta Values’PhD|Education|Research, development, innovationFaculty of Law, Economics and GovernanceDepartment: School of GovernanceApplication deadline: 15 March 2026Job details: PhD position on Delta Climate Center (DCC)-funded project ‘Delta Values’

PhD Position on Parameterized and Fine-Grained Complexity of NP-Hard ProblemsJoin us to push the boundaries of algorithm design and uncover new insights into tackling NP-hard problems via the lens of search space decomposition methods.PhDFaculty of ScienceDepartment: Department of Information and Computing SciencesApplication deadline: 15 March 2026Job details: PhD Position on Parameterized and Fine-Grained Complexity of NP-Hard Problems

PhD Money in postdivorce families: Resource pooling and transfers to childrenDo you want to study how families redistribute income and wealth after divorce? Check this PhD position!PhDFaculty of Social and Behavioural SciencesDepartment: Social SciencesApplication deadline: 19 March 2026Job details: PhD Money in postdivorce families: Resource pooling and transfers to children

PhD position on Benthic microalgae and blue carbon burialCurious to help solve the climate emergency? Join us in our search to better understand the potential for carbon burial and cycling in seagrass sediments.PhD|Education|Research, development, innovationFaculty of GeosciencesDepartment: Department of Earth SciencesApplication deadline: 1 March 2026Job details: PhD position on Benthic microalgae and blue carbon burial

PhD: The Urban-Ocean Nexus: Towards Developing Inclusive, Resilient Blue EconomyWe’re looking for a PhD candidate for our research program “Urban Futures: Transitions Towards Economic and Social Sustainability for Cities”.PhD|Education|Research, development, innovationFaculty of GeosciencesDepartment: Department of Human Geography and Spatial PlanningApplication deadline: 28 February 2026Job details: PhD: The Urban-Ocean Nexus: Towards Developing Inclusive, Resilient Blue Economy

PhD Position in Explainable AI for High-Stake Decision MakingContribute to shaping how AI explains its decisions, helping humans make informed choices in complex, high-stake situations.PhDFaculty of ScienceDepartment: Department of Information and Computing SciencesApplication deadline: 9 March 2026Job details: PhD Position in Explainable AI for High-Stake Decision Making

PhD Position: Quantifying Indoor and Occupational Microplastic ExposureAre you fascinated by plastics beyond what you can see and motivated to quantify microplastics in indoor and occupational air, and to design interventions?PhDFaculty of Veterinary MedicineDepartment: Department Population Health SciencesApplication deadline: 28 February 2026Job details: PhD Position: Quantifying Indoor and Occupational Microplastic Exposure

PhD position in Interdisciplinary Social ScienceAre you interested in researching activism and mental health? Join Care2Act project as a PhD candidate!PhDFaculty of Social and Behavioural SciencesDepartment: Social SciencesApplication deadline: 27 February 2026Job details: PhD position in Interdisciplinary Social Science

Research Area / Title	Faculty	Application Deadline
8 PhD Positions (Social Sciences)	Social & Behavioural Sciences	08 March 2026
PhD: Economic Aspects of Water Landscapes	Law, Economics & Governance	17 March 2026
PhD: Equine Intestinal Microbiome	Veterinary Medicine	29 March 2026
PhD: Green Hydrogen Transition	Geosciences	20 March 2026
PhD: Integrative Exposome & Multi-Omics	Veterinary Medicine	23 March 2026
PhD: Himalayan Hydrological Modelling	Geosciences	06 March 2026
PhD: Clay-Interfaces (Groundwater)	Geosciences	22 March 2026
PhD: Zoonotic Outbreak Preparedness	Veterinary Medicine	09 March 2026
PhD: Nanostructured Li-Ion Batteries	Science (Chemistry)	25 March 2026
2 PhDs: JUST MATTER (Climate Justice)	Humanities	13 March 2026
PhD: Delta Values (DCC Project)	Law, Economics & Governance	15 March 2026
PhD: NP-Hard Problems (Complexity)	Science (IT)	15 March 2026
PhD: Money in Post-divorce Families	Social & Behavioural Sciences	19 March 2026
PhD: Benthic Microalgae (Blue Carbon)	Geosciences	01 March 2026
PhD: Urban-Ocean Nexus	Geosciences	28 Feb 2026
PhD: Explainable AI	Science (IT)	09 March 2026
PhD: Microplastic Exposure	Veterinary Medicine	28 Feb 2026
PhD: Activism & Mental Health	Social & Behavioural Sciences	27 Feb 2026

Application Guide for International Students

1. Eligibility Requirements

Master’s Degree: You must hold a relevant Master’s degree (or be near completion) to apply for a PhD position in the Netherlands.
English Proficiency: Most programs require a high level of English (TOEFL or IELTS), as research is conducted in English.

2. The “Employee” Status

Unlike many other countries, PhD candidates at Utrecht University are typically university employees. This means you receive:

A monthly salary (starting at approx. €2,872 gross per month in the first year).
8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
Full social security and pension benefits.