PhD Position: ‘Beyond the Odds’ – Unravelling Pathways to Gambling-related Harm

Employment

0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary

€ 3,204 - € 4,051

Required background

Research University Degree

Organizational unit

Faculty of Social Sciences

Application deadline

30 September 2026

Why do some people develop gambling-related harm while others, despite similar experiences and circumstances, do not? In this ZonMw-funded PhD project, you will use longitudinal panel data and advanced quantitative methods to uncover how psychological, social and economic factors shape vulnerability to gambling-related harm over time.

As a PhD candidate, you will work in a highly interdisciplinary team spanning psychology, decision sciences and economics. Your research will be firmly quantitative and will use the LISS panel, a large longitudinal panel based on a representative sample of the Dutch population. You will help develop and conduct three dedicated measurement waves among approximately 1,000 participants with recent gambling experience, and combine these new data with rich existing longitudinal information on mental health, personality, socioeconomic circumstances, relationships, social integration and major life events. Using advanced statistical methods, you will investigate how vulnerability factors interact, how gambling behaviour and gambling-related harm develop over time, and which factors precede or follow changes in gambling-related harm.

You will be embedded in the BSI PhD graduate school. As part of your PhD position, you will have a 10% teaching task and the opportunity to work towards the University Teaching Qualification. Besides creating scientific papers based on your work, you will also be expected and encouraged to present your work at relevant workshops and conferences. You will be given every support in these endeavours.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate.

A PhD track at Radboud University gives you room to follow your own interests and ambitions. Mustafa Akpinar PhD candidate at the Behavioural Science Institute and lecturer in Communication Science

Mustafa Akpinar is a PhD candidate at the Behavioural Science Institute and a lecturer in Communication Science.

"While studying at Radboud University, I was already teaching statistics. It started as just a side job, but I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed helping others learn. After graduating, I began working as a lecturer and researcher at a university of applied sciences. Still, that one dream kept nagging at me: pursuing a PhD.

The thing is, most PhD programmes focus heavily on research, and teaching often comes second. I wanted to do both. Then a colleague pointed me to a PhD vacancy where research and teaching were given equal weight. I instantly knew: this is my chance. I really appreciate that Radboud University offers different types of PhD tracks. That way, there's room for a range of ambitions.

Now, I study the relationship between culture and health communication, specifically within Turkish-Dutch communities. I mainly teach statistics and also coordinate a learning project on cultural communication practices. I can bring my own background into my teaching, as I’m a second-generation Turkish-Dutch person myself. What I also value is how Radboud University is becoming increasingly inclusive. For example, there was a lot of attention for Ramadan. We even celebrated Eid with colleagues! Things like that truly make a difference.

I'm also a father, combining work with family life. That takes good planning. Fortunately, at Radboud University, I have the flexibility to shape my work in a way that fits my life. My supervisors trust that I’ll get my work done, even if I have to take my child to swimming lessons in the afternoon. That freedom gives me peace of mind."

Does this sound like you?

• You have a Research Master's or Master's degree in psychology (cognitive/experimental, decision-making or clinical/health), economics or a related relevant field.
• You have a strong basis in advanced statistics (e.g. mixed-effects models, cross-lagged panel analysis, latent class analysis; preferably in R) and research methods. Experience with existing panel data is a plus.
• You are committed to follow Open Science practices in your work. Experience with pre-registration and other Open Science practices is a plus.
• You are creative, open-minded and eager to learn, and have a collaborative and interdisciplinary mindset.
• You have excellent communication skills in English (oral and written) and either existing proficiency in or a willingness to learn Dutch.

What we offer you

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (0.8 FTE 5- year contract - 1.0 FTE 4- year contract) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract) or 3.5 years (5-year contract).
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,204 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €4,051 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions reflect this. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself. For example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports membership. In addition, you receive a 34% discount on the sports and cultural activities at Radboud University as an employee. And, of course, we offer a good pension plan. We also give you plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Where you will be working

You will join the Decision, Development and Psychopathology (D2P2) lab and your supervisory team will consist of Bernd Figner, Kim Fairley (both Radboud University), Kirsten Rohde (Maastricht University) and Harmen Beurmanjer (NK expertise centre for Addiction). As part of the ZonMw-funded consortium 'Vulnerable gamblers, gamble characteristics and gambling behaviour,' you will also have opportunities to collaborate with researchers from other Dutch and international universities, research institutes, societal partners and people with lived experience of gambling-related harm.

You will be employed at the Behavioural Science Institute (BSI), participate in the Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment research programme, and work closely together with the Economics Departments at Radboud and Maastricht University as well as with the Nijmegen Institute for Scientist-Practitioners in Addiction (NISPA). You will collaborate with the other members of the ZonMw-funded consortium, which encompasses, among others, researchers from Radboud University, Maastricht University, Amsterdam UMC, the University of Amsterdam, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Eindhoven University of Technology, the International University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam, Trimbos Institute, Dialogic, and organisations of individuals with lived experience.

The Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment research programme is aimed at the acquisition of fundamental scientific and applied knowledge to better understand the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms of psychopathology. We study clinically relevant processes such as biased information and affective processing, decision-making by patients and clinicians, approach-avoidance tendencies, cognitive control, emotion regulation, motivation, and executive functioning.

Faculty of Social Sciences
At the Faculty of Social Sciences, humanity and society are our focus; we study how people behave, think and feel. Within this context, we look at themes such as human behaviour and the human psyche, education and upbringing, communication, society and culture. The faculty provides education to 6,000 students and employs 700 staff. Education is organised into six programme clusters: Psychology; Artificial Intelligence; Pedagogical Sciences and Educational Sciences; Communication Science; Sociology; and Cultural Anthropology and Developmental Sociology, and the Radboud Centre Social Sciences as an institute for post-master education have been merged into the Social Sciences Education Institute. Our research is carried out within three research institutes: the Donders Centre for Cognition, the Behavioural Science Institute, and Radboud Social Cultural Research.

Radboud University
At Radboud University, we aim to make an impact through our work. We achieve this by conducting groundbreaking research, providing high-quality education, offering excellent support, and fostering collaborations within and outside the university. In doing so, we contribute indispensably to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. To accomplish this, we need even more colleagues who, based on their expertise, are willing to search for answers. We advocate for an inclusive community and welcome employees with diverse backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives.

If you want to learn more about working at Radboud University, follow our Instagram account and read stories from our colleagues.

Is this the job for you?

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Bernd Figner. We look forward to receiving your application.

Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• Your motivation letter.
• Your CV.
• A copy of your academic transcript.

The first interviews will take place on Friday 16 October. Any second interview will take place on Friday 30 October. You will preferably start your employment on 1 January 2027.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.

We would like to recruit our new colleague ourselves. Acquisition in response to this vacancy will not be appreciated.

Want to know more about this position?

Dr B.C. Figner (Bernd)

bernd.figner@ru.nl Last modified: 09 September 2026 Share this page