PhD Position: Women Building Cities
Radboud University – Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Anthropology and Development Studies
Nijmegen, The Netherlands
General Description
Radboud University invites applications for a fully salaried PhD position as part of the NWO-funded research project “Women building cities: Overcoming violence and transforming the city with communities of care” (WECARE). The project is led by Dr Sonja Marzi at the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies within the Faculty of Social Sciences. The research investigates how women in marginalised communities across Latin America transform their urban environments to become more liveable, sustainable, safe, and democratic.
The PhD candidate will examine women’s grassroots place-making practices, local leadership, and the ways in which they claim and shape their right to the city. The project explores how alternative forms of urbanism and community governance are developed through practices of care within informal urban communities. These communities, often composed of migrants and displaced populations, build networks and collective initiatives to improve living conditions in contexts characterised by violence, marginalisation, and limited state support.
The research is comparative and participatory in nature, examining multiple case studies across cities in Colombia and another Latin American country, potentially Peru. The successful candidate will conduct several months of in-depth fieldwork in low-income neighbourhoods in Lima, Peru, and possibly another Latin American city. The research will explore how women overcome different forms of violence through community leadership and everyday practices that promote safe, sustainable, and inclusive urban spaces.
The project adopts qualitative participatory and co-production research approaches, including the use of audio-visual participatory methods to generate knowledge collaboratively with community members. The candidate will work closely with the Principal Investigator and research team to refine research design, develop case studies, and analyse research findings. Training in advanced participatory and audio-visual research methods will be provided.
Key responsibilities include conducting independent and participatory fieldwork, completing a PhD dissertation within four years, authoring and co-authoring academic publications, presenting research findings at conferences and seminars, contributing to the organisation and strategy of the research team, actively participating in the academic community of the Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, and contributing to teaching while developing components of the University Teaching Qualification portfolio.
The PhD candidate will join the WECARE research team led by Dr Sonja Marzi and will be supervised by Dr Sonja Marzi, Dr Tine Davids, and Dr Edwin de Jong. The position is embedded within the Radboud Social Cultural Research Institute, which focuses on research addressing social inequality and inclusion. The preferred start date for the position is 1 September 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must hold a completed Master’s or Research Master’s degree in Geography, Anthropology, Development Studies, or a related discipline. Candidates must demonstrate a strong academic interest in urban transformation, urban violence, feminist and gender perspectives, social justice, development and inequality, and theories of care.
Applicants should have strong training in qualitative research methods and experience collecting and analysing qualitative data. Fieldwork experience is required. Candidates must have excellent command of written and spoken English and Spanish and familiarity with Latin American cities through academic, professional, or lived experience.
Applicants should possess strong academic writing abilities and demonstrate the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, including undertaking several months of solo fieldwork. Candidates are expected to live in the Netherlands, preferably near Nijmegen, and must demonstrate English language proficiency at C1 level where required.
Required Expertise/Skills
Strong qualitative and participatory research skills
Experience conducting fieldwork and qualitative data analysis
Knowledge of urban transformation, urban violence, feminist and gender studies, social justice, development, and inequality
Academic writing and research communication skills
Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary research team
Strong organisational, planning, and presentation skills
Desirable expertise includes experience with participatory, co-production, arts-based or audio-visual research methodologies, familiarity with video filming and editing techniques, experience working with local communities, prior research experience in Latin America, and familiarity with cities in Peru or other Latin American urban contexts.
Salary Details
The position is offered as a full-time (1.0 FTE) employment contract. The initial contract is for 1.5 years and will be extended to a total of four years following a positive evaluation. The starting salary is €3,059 gross per month based on a 38-hour work week, increasing to €3,881 gross per month by the fourth year. Additional benefits include an 8% holiday allowance, an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, a pension scheme, flexible working arrangements, professional development opportunities, and the option to choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave with full-time employment.
Application Deadline
12 April 2026