PhD 'Mental health interventions societal impact

Organisation/Company Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Research Field Educational sciences » Education Medical sciences » Other Psychological sciences » Psychology Sociology » Other Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Final date to receive applications 1 Mar 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for f
reedom, equality and solidarity
, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves
. With some 4,000 employees
, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels
; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located.

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short:
the VUB all over again
.

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA
, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

The
Faculty Social Sciences & Solvay Business School
, Department Sociologie
, Research Group Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies
is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant
.

More concretely your work package,
for the preparation of a doctorate
, contains:

The BRISPO-VUB Sustainable Work Unit is looking for 2 full-time PhD Scholarships.

You conduct a research project on the co-creation of workplace interventions for the promotion of well-being and prevention of stress among workers:

• your PhD fits within the research project “Helios-VUB Chair for Mental Well-being at Work”;
• you will collect quantitative and qualitative data in different workplaces about the intervention and the quality of work and their impact on workers;
• you will collaborate with occupational psychologists, health and labour sociologists and experts in human resources management, to develop interventions within several workplaces across different sectors;
• you will evaluate the context, mechanisms and outcomes of these interventions;
• you will collaborate with other PhD researchers who do a comparable study within the research project;
• you will process and analyse the quantitative and qualitative data;
• you will collaborate within the project team on realizing the project deliverables and play an active role in selecting, developing, evaluating and informing/advising the selected case studies;
• you will report findings in scientific peer reviewed articles and present results at national and international meetings;
• you will write a doctoral dissertation on this subject;
• you will work within the Sustainable Work Unit of BRISPO.

For this function, our
Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene)will serve as your home base.

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• A master's degree or equivalent, eg Master Sociology, Psychology, Adult Education sciences, Public Health, Epidemiology, Health sciences, … (Students who are in their final year and graduating in June 2026 are also encouraged to apply).
• you have knowledge of or you are willing to familiarise yourself with qualitative and quantitative research methods;
• you have good written and oral communication (Dutch and ENG);
• you have knowledge of research software (e.g. statistical packages, qualitative research tools, bibliographic software, ...);
• you are motivated to conduct research about mental health interventions during a 4-year PhD trajectory;
• you are willing to work according to the principles of co‑creational and co‑developmental research;
• you are willing to embed your own research within a collective team effort in line with the project’s requirements;
• you are…