job description
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About the UNPACK Project: ‘Unpacking Procedures in their Intersecting Linguistic, Sociocultural, Psychological and Legal Dimensions’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘UNPACK’) is an interdisciplinary, inter-university iBOF project that studies fairness in asylum procedures. Asylum procedures are challenging, partly because all participants (e.g., applicants, officials, interpreters, and lawyers) have diverse sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds, as well as the interactions among them. UNPACK integrates insights from four disciplines (linguistics, anthropology, psychology, and law) to examine the real-life experiences of the relevant actors. Through in-depth ethnographic research on specific case studies and broader organizational contexts, UNPACK aims to gain a deeper understanding of asylum procedures, thereby developing a new, comprehensive, evidence-based fairness framework. Through iBOF funding, Ghent University pools its own research funds to support frontier research. UNPACK is coordinated by Karel Arnaut (Anthropology, KU Leuven), Ilse Derluyn (Social Work, Ghent University), Katrijn Maryns (Applied Linguistics, Ghent University) and Ellen Desmet (Law, Ghent University). The project has established a unique partnership with the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS, the Belgian authority responsible for international protection decisions), which is a first in Europe.
Your specific tasks:
– You will conduct mixed-methods research, focusing on the intersection of well-being/mental health and asylum procedures, from the perspectives of various stakeholders, with the aim of obtaining a doctoral degree.
– You will define specific research foci in dialogue with your supervisor, co-researchers, and the asylum authority.
– As a member of the UNPACK team, you will work closely with 8 researchers and 4 professors. You will share data and analysis with co-researchers and supervisors, engage in extensive collaborative (interdisciplinary) research, while also conducting individual (discipline-specific) research.
– You will report research results in academic settings as well as to broader audiences.
– You will actively participate in research group and department activities and tasks.
offer requirements
General requirements for the UNPACK research position:
– You are a team player, as the project is highly collaborative.
– You have a clear interest in and affinity with the topic of refugees and/or asylum procedures.
– You possess excellent analytical, writing, and presentation skills.
– You are proficient in Dutch or French, and have a good command of the other language.
– You are fluent in academic English, both written and spoken.
– You have multicultural sensitivity, good intercultural communication skills, and are motivated to work in multilingual environments.
– You are empathetic, work accurately, and possess critical thinking.
– You enjoy giving and receiving constructive feedback and value continuous learning.
– You can effectively manage deadlines.
– You contribute to creating a pleasant working environment.
Specific requirements for this position:
– You hold a recognized Master’s degree in Social Work, Educational Sciences, Psychology, or another relevant social science discipline.
Assets:
– You have knowledge of and/or experience with well-being/mental health among people with refugee or migrant backgrounds.
– You have knowledge of and/or experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods (self-report questionnaires, in-depth interviews, etc.).
– You are familiar with languages relevant to refugee communities.
– You have affinity and/or experience with working with vulnerable groups.
– You have academic research experience, particularly from an interdisciplinary perspective.
offer benefits/salary
– You will join an interdisciplinary team in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
– We offer a full-time doctoral researcher position, with an initial contract of 12 months, extendable up to a maximum of 48 months after positive evaluation.
– You will hold a position in the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy and become a member of CESSMIR (Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees).
– The intended start date of the contract is 1 September 2026.
– The scholarship amount corresponds to 100% of the net remuneration of an AAP member under the same family circumstances. The exact amount is determined by the HR administration team based on family situation and seniority. The scholarship complies with the tax regulations for doctoral scholarships (personal income tax exemption).
– All Ghent University staff members enjoy various benefits, such as extensive training and education opportunities, 36 days of paid leave per year (plus fixed bridge days) for full-time positions, bicycle allowance, and eco-vouchers.