Apply before June 15th, 2026.
Overview
Are you a computational social scientist with a knack for software development? Do you believe that “open science” should be a seamless part of a researcher’s workflow rather than a burdensome afterthought?
Details
- 2 years (0.8 - 1 FTE)
- September 2026 - September 2028
- Societal Analytics Laboratory
Tasks
- Lead Technical Implementation: Act as the primary engineer of the OPTIMA roadmap: implementing standardized vocabularies, integrating AmCAT and AnnoTinder, and expanding sharing and non-consumptive research features.
- Architect Open Science Tools: Develop “non-consumptive” research facilities that allow scholars to run analyses on sensitive data without violating privacy or copyright. Implement standardizing vocabularies. Enable more fine-grained access control.
- Integrate Ecosystems: Seamlessly connect AmCAT (data management) and AnnoTinder (human annotation) using modern web standards and standardized vocabularies (RDF/linked data).
- Foster Co-creation: Work with the project team to run workshops and hackathons, ensuring the infrastructure actually meets the needs of scientists and ensuring they have a good user experience.
- Publish & Disseminate: Co-author methodological papers and technical reports on the infrastructure, presenting your work at major conferences like ICA or CompText.
Requirements
- A Ph.D. in the social sciences with a strong computational focus, OR a Ph.D. in a computational field with a demonstrated passion for social science research, OR an experienced research engineer with passion for open computational social science.
- Strong Programming Skills: Proficiency in Python (backend/data science) and/or TypeScript (modern web development). Ideally, you are comfortable moving between both.
- Infrastructure Affinity: Experience with (or eagerness to learn) Docker, API design, and version control (Git/GitHub).
- Methodological Breadth: Interest in Automated Content Analysis, including LLMs, image analysis, and manual annotation workflows.
- Collaborative Mindset: Excellent social skills and the ability to translate “technical speak” into “researcher speak” during co-creation sessions.
- Commitment to Open Science: A firm belief in the importance of transparency, reproducibility, and FAIR data principles.
As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.
We realize that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.
What we offer
- Position: The position is for 0.8 FTE (per year), but can be raised to 1.0 FTE depending on starting data, inclusion of teaching and/or work on related funded projects. Whether teaching is possible is dependent on language proficiency in Dutch and/or English (at least C1).
- Salary: A salary of minimum € 3.546,00 and maximum € 5.538 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Researcher 4. These tasks are intended as development opportunities and will be performed under guidance, depending on your experience and growth within the role. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
- Environment: You will be embedded in the Department of Communication Science and the Societal Analytics Lab, a hub of innovation with access to high-performance computing and a vibrant interdisciplinary community.
- A position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 1 year. Afterwards, the possibility of expansion exists.
We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:
- A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
- 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
- Solid pension scheme (ABP)
- Group insured for partial disability with employer contribution of 50% of the premium
- Contribution to commuting expenses
