Last Updated on April 21, 2026 by Scholar Idea
PhD and Academic Vacancies at Vrije Universiteit in Netherlands, offer salaried research roles in AI, Climate, and Social Sciences. Join a top-tier Dutch university dedicated to societal impact.
The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) is a world-class research university that distinguishes itself through its value-driven approach to science. Located in the heart of the Amsterdam Zuidas business district, the VU operates across four multidisciplinary profile themes: Connected World, Governance for Society, Human Health and Life Sciences, and Science for Sustainability. For international researchers, VU Amsterdam provides a professional, salaried career path governed by the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement (CAO-NU), ensuring industry-leading working conditions and social benefits.
Why Pursue Your Research Career at VU Amsterdam?
- Standardized Salaried Positions: In the Netherlands, PhDs and Postdocs are university employees with full social security. Gross monthly salaries follow the CAO-NU scales:
- PhD Candidates: Starting at €3,059 and rising to €3,881 gross per month by the fourth year.
- Postdoctoral Researchers: Typically ranging between €3,546 and €6,126 (Scale 10 or 11), depending on the complexity of the role and experience.
- Comprehensive Benefit Package: Beyond the base salary, researchers receive an 8% holiday allowance (paid in May) and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus (paid in November). The university also offers a range of “fringe benefits,” including a generous number of vacation days and flexible work-life arrangements.
- Global Impact & Networks: VU Amsterdam is a lead member of the Aurora Network, a consortium of research-intensive European universities committed to societal relevance. Researchers benefit from unique funding opportunities like the Veni, Vidi, Vici grants from NWO.
Below is the regularly updated list of verified academic vacancies at VU Amsterdam. These listings cover all faculties, including the School of Business and Economics (SBE), the Faculty of Science, and the Amsterdam Law School.
PhD and Academic Vacancies at Vrije Universiteit
Postdoctoral Researcher in Organizational Change and Climate Adaptation0.8 / 1School of Business and EconomicsResearcher / PostdocPostdocCloses on30-06-2026Publishing date21-04-2026How do large infrastructure organizations actually change? How do professionals convince senior management to act on climate risks — risks that are real, urgent, but often feel distant? If these questions drive you, we want to hear from you.View vacancy
Assistant professor Environmental Geography and Land Use0.8 / 1Faculty of ScienceAssistant ProfessorPostdocCloses on26-04-2026Publishing date01-04-2026Do you like working with spatial data? Do you believe that spatial data can assist in achieving good land use planning and a more sustainable future? Then please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.View vacancy
Differences in trainability of Wellbeing1 / 1Faculty of Behavioural and Movement SciencesPhDMScCloses on11-05-2026Publishing date20-04-2026Are you interested in wellbeing and want to understand the mechanisms behind wellbeing? Are you excited about working with extensive data and developing a personalized wellbeing training? Join our team wellbeing as a PhD candidate!View vacancy
Assistant Professor Law & Technology0.8 / 1Faculty of LawAssistant ProfessorPostdocCloses on17-05-2026Publishing date19-04-2026We are looking for an Assistant Professor to join ALTI.amsterdam, the Amsterdam Law & Technology Institute. Become a member of our team of over 10 specialists to define the future of the field through innovative research and teaching.View vacancy
PhD Position on Resilient Landscapes and the Values of Restoration1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on05-05-2026Publishing date16-04-2026Are you passionate about researching how nature restoration can strengthen biodiversity, resilience, and human wellbeing across landscapes and time? Apply now for this PhD position at the Institute for Environmental Studies (VU).View vacancy
PhD Position Socio-Economic Modelling of Nature Restoration at European scale1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on05-05-2026Publishing date09-04-2026Do you want to help make the full value of nature restoration visible in land-use decisions and policy across Europe through new modelling approaches? Apply now for this PhD position at the Institute for Environmental Studies (VU).View vacancy
2 PhD positions in large-scale computer systems for AI, big data, and 6G apps1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on30-04-2026Publishing date30-03-2026In the long-term program on 6G Future Network Services, we are seeking two PhD candidates for 4-year fully funded research on large-scale computer systems for AI, big data, scientific computing, business-critical applications across 6G and cloud.View vacancy
Team hire (2 PhD students & 1 postdoc) within Vici project Fire from the Sky ⚡0.8 / 1Faculty of SciencePhD, Researcher / PostdocMScCloses on14-06-2026Publishing date15-04-2026Team hire (2 PhD students & 1 postdoc) within NWO Vici project FireSky ⚡: Fire from the Sky: impact and management of lightning fires on permafrost carbonView vacancy
Assistant Professor (UD) in Political Science (international peace and security)1 / 1Faculty of Social Sciences and HumanitiesAssistant ProfessorPostdocCloses on22-05-2026Publishing date15-04-2026Are you a political scientist with an engaging research agenda and a strong profile in international peace and security? Then, please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU).View vacancy
Aurora Project Manager0.8 / 1University Relations and FundraisingMarketing CommunicationMScCloses on28-04-2026Publishing date15-04-2026We are looking for an Aurora Project Manager with a strong financial coordination and reporting profile. If you enjoy working at the intersection of project management and European cooperation, we invite you to apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.View vacancy
Assistant Professor (UD) in International Political Economy1 / 1Faculty of Social Sciences and HumanitiesAssistant ProfessorPostdocCloses on22-05-2026Publishing date15-04-2026Are you a political scientist with an engaging research agenda and a strong profile in international political economy (IPE)? Then, please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU).View vacancy
PhD Position Spatial determinants of nature restoration1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on05-05-2026Publishing date15-04-2026Do you want to study a biodiversity positive future? Do you like working with maps and spatial data? Then apply at Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamView vacancy
PhD: Hyperspectral DUV imaging for chiral light-matter interactions1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on09-05-2026Publishing date09-04-2026You will develop the most sophisticated hyperspectral DUV-imaging platform worldwide and explore chiral light matter interactions, together with partners from ETH Zurich. Focus is on light-source and applications.View vacancy
PhD: High-resolution DUV microscopy for chiral light-matter interactions1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on09-05-2026Publishing date09-04-2026You will develop a DUV-microscope at the absolute limits of spatial resolution and sensitivity and explore chiral light matter interactions, together with partners from ETH Zurich. Focus is on microscopy and nanophotonics.View vacancy
PhD Position in Formal Methods for Concurrent Cryptographic Protocols1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on15-05-2026Publishing date13-04-2026The goal of this project is to use formal methods to develop a systematic way to describe concurrent cryptographic protocols and to reason about their security. If this sounds interesting to you, please apply at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU).View vacancy
PhD position in Interactive Alignment for Human-Robot Interaction1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on31-05-2026Publishing date13-04-2026A 4-year full-time PhD position based at VU Amsterdam, and in collaboration with Idiap Research Institute Switzerland, on the topic of interactive (knowledge) alignment for human-robot interaction.View vacancy
PhD Position: Bridging Theory and Practice in Parallel Graph Algorithms1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on20-05-2026Publishing date13-04-2026Despite advances in systems and theory of parallel algorithms, there is still a gap between theoretically efficient algorithms and practical implementations. This PhD project aims to narrow this gap between theory and computing systems in this area.View vacancy
Student Assistant – Communications0.4 / 0.4University Relations and FundraisingRemaining supportAssociate / BachelorCloses on28-04-2026Publishing date09-04-2026The Aurora Central Office is seeking an enthusiastic student assistant to support its communications tasks. You will work together with colleagues from nine universities across Europe, thereby enhancing your intercultural communication skills.View vacancy
Postdoc molecular and cellular neuroscience1 / 1Faculty of ScienceResearcher / PostdocPostdocCloses on04-05-2026Publishing date06-04-2026The MacGillavry lab is looking for a highly motivated, critical, and creative postdoc molecular and cellular neuroscienceView vacancy
PhD position: Individual behaviour under climate change risks1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on15-05-2026Publishing date02-04-2026Are you keen to contributing to climate resilience within a team of top scientists? Would you like to study how individuals prepare for flood risks? Then apply for this PhD position at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.View vacancy
PostDoc in Hybrid Intelligence: to-align-or-not-to-align.0.8 / 1Faculty of Social Sciences and HumanitiesResearcher / PostdocPostdocCloses on15-05-2026Publishing date01-04-2026Did you ever wonder how agents perceive the world? Is their world view the same as yours? Before humans and agents can collaborate, they need to agree on their world view. They need to align their world models. Do you accept this challenge?View vacancy
Postdoc project: Neuron-glia interactions in memory1 / 1Faculty of ScienceResearcher / PostdocPostdocCloses on01-05-2026Publishing date01-04-2026One postdoc position is available at the Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research (www.cncr.nl) Amsterdam, in the team of Mark Verheijen (Glial Regulated Neuronal Plasticity).View vacancy
PhD in Biomolecule Detection with Inverse-Designed Plasmonic Metasurfaces0.8 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on01-05-2026Publishing date25-03-2026In this PhD project, you will develop inverse-designed plasmonic metasurfaces for biomolecular sensing, combining nanophotonics, nanofabrication, and optical characterization.View vacancy
Postdoc in Biomolecule Detection with Inverse-Designed Plasmonic Metasurfaces0.8 / 1Faculty of ScienceResearchPostdocCloses on01-05-2026Publishing date24-03-2026In this postdoctoral project, you will develop inverse-designed plasmonic metasurfaces for biomolecular sensing, combining optimization algorithms with electromagnetic simulations.View vacancy
PhD position on Behavioral, Environmental and/or Development Economics1 / 1School of Business and EconomicsPhDMScCloses on31-07-2026Publishing date23-03-2026PhD position on Behavioral, Environmental and/or Development Economics, contributing to the project “Fostering Sustainable Development with Artificial Intelligence”View vacancy
Postdoc in Reinforcement Learning for Stochastic Optimization0.8 / 1Faculty of ScienceResearcher / PostdocPostdocCloses on21-04-2026Publishing date18-03-2026Do you have an inquisitive mind and a passion for applied mathematics? Please apply for a Postdoctoral position at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.View vacancy
Postdoc Position in Human Neuroscience: Neurons and Circuits of Human Cognition0.8 / 1Faculty of ScienceResearcher / PostdocPostdocCloses on31-05-2026Publishing date17-03-2026Are you fascinated by what makes the human brain unique? Do you want to work with live human brain tissue to uncover the mechanisms of human cognition? Our team Neurons of Human Cognition is hiring!View vacancy
PhD Position in Human Neuroscience: Neurons and Circuits of Human Cognition1 / 1Faculty of SciencePhDMScCloses on01-06-2026Publishing date17-03-2026Are you fascinated by what makes the human brain unique? Do you want to work with live human brain tissue to uncover the mechanisms of human cognition? Our team Neurons of Human Cognition is hiring!View vacancy
Optimization in routing and scheduling for critical infrastructure protection1 / 1School of Business and EconomicsPhDMScCloses on30-04-2026Publishing date10-03-2026Interested in doing fundamental research with applications in critical infrastructure security? Apply for a PhD at the department of Operations Analytics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.View vacancy
PostDoc position on Biomedical Optics0.8 / 1Faculty of ScienceResearchPostdocCloses on31-05-2026Publishing date03-03-2026We are looking for a PostDoc who will work on the optical instrumentation, image analysis algorithms and technical validation on model eyes.View vacancy
