Utrecht University, Netherland invites online Application for number of Fully Funded PhD Degree at various Departments. We are providing a list of Fully Funded PhD Programs available at Utrecht University, Netherland.
Eligible candidate may Apply as soon as possible.
(01) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position in Computational Modelling of Fungal Evolution
We are looking for a passionate colleague with a drive to understand the hidden lives of soil-borne fungal plant pathogens. To apply to this PhD position, you need:
- A completed (or nearly completed) Master’s degree in biology or a related discipline.
- A proven affinity with computational modelling.
- An interest in the ecology and evolution of microbial ecosystems.
- Proficiency in English, both spoken and written.
It is considered a plus if you have:
- A background in fungal biology, fungal ecology, and/or fungal genome evolution.
- Experience with analytical (mathematical) models.
Note: women, ethnic minorities, and people from any other minority group are especially encouraged to apply. Please do not feel demotivated when you feel like you do not meet all the listed criteria. When in doubt, please reach out to us.
Deadline : 14 April 2026
(02) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD position on queer writers and artists of the European HIV/AIDS crisis
The research involves a collaboration with the European HIV/AIDS Archive (EHAA) in Berlin, which was established to produce a ‘queer counter-memory’ (Dziuban et al. 2022) of HIV/AIDS in Europe. EHAA holds a collection of oral histories accompanied by selected movement material, photographs, policy documents, and artworks.
This PhD is part of the larger NWO Vidi project Fabulous Subjects: Queer Intellectuals and their Archives, whose twofold goal is to develop a theory of the queer organic intellectual while identifying the specific features of queer intellectuals’ archives. The project focuses on the place of intellectuals in European queer and trans communities and movements from the 1970s to the present.
Deadline : 24 April 2026
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(03) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD “Reclaiming EdTech Imaginaries” (NWO Vidi)
The project addresses this question through an empirical investigation of Digital Autonomy Innovators (DAIs)—pioneering yet often fragmented initiatives across Europe that seek to safeguard public values in digital education. These initiatives experiment with alternative approaches to educational technologies and infrastructures, ranging from new forms of collective imagination and design practices to the development of public digital infrastructures. Within the project, these efforts are studied across three interrelated domains: imaginaries (PhD), design (Postdoc), and infrastructures (PI, Dr. Niels Kerssens).
Building on these empirical insights, RECLaiM-EDU aims to advance a new conceptual understanding of digital autonomy as a distinctly European strategy for securing public value in education amid rapid digitalization and deepening technological dependencies. This theoretical and empirical work will feed into the co-creation of the Digital Autonomy Framework for European Public Education (DAF-EU): a strategic roadmap and call to action designed to stimulate bottom-up, public-interest innovation across Europe and to support schools in reclaiming agency over their digital classrooms.
As a PhD researcher within the RECLaiM-EDU project, you will lead the project’s imaginaries pillar. Your research will examine how practices of world-building, future-making, and speculation shape alternative visions of digital education and open up possibilities for more democratic technological futures in European primary and secondary education. You will conduct in-depth empirical research on pioneering initiatives across Europe while developing a strong analytical and conceptual approach to imaginaries as a pathway toward digital autonomy in education.
Working in close collaboration with the PI and the postdoc, you will be an integral member of a dynamic research team and actively engage with academic and societal partners across Europe. In doing so, you will contribute to positioning RECLaiM-EDU at the forefront of scholarly and public debates on digital autonomy, democratic innovation, and the future of digital education.
Deadline : 2 April 2026
(04) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position in Virus-Glycan Interactions
You will study how Influenza A viruses interact with complex glycans and how receptor binding evolves across strains and host species. Depending on your background and interests, you will contribute through complementary approaches such as:
- molecular and cell-based assays of influenza receptor binding;
- enzymatic modification or biosynthesis of glycans;
- biochemical characterisation of virus–glycan interactions;
- analytical glycomics (e.g., mass spectrometry) of tissue or array-derived glycans.
These insights will be integrated to define glycan features that govern influenza attachment and to develop advanced in vitro receptor models reflecting airway tissues.
Deadline : 31 March 2026
(05) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD: Environmental Exposures and Early Onset Breast Cancer (HER-Care, MSCDN DN)
You are a motivated and curious researcher with a strong interest in environmental and health research, and the ambition to work in a multidisciplinary and international environment. You have solid quantitative and analytical skills, along with good communication skills and proficiency in written and spoken English. Experience or interest in cancer research is not required, but is considered an advantage. Additionally, you bring:
- a Master’s degree in Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Data Science, or a related field;
- experience with statistical programming (e.g. R, Python, or comparable tools for data analysis);
- experience with, or a clear interest in, environmental and health research, including spatial data analysis and exposome science;
- working knowledge of, or affinity with, bioinformatics and epidemiological methods;
- experience with analysing molecular data (such as metabolomics or proteomics, preferably using mass spectrometry) is not required, but would be an advantage.
Deadline : 30 April 2026
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(06) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: 2 PhD positions in Statistics
The PhD candidates will be supervised by Dr Angelo Moretti, Dr Camilla Salvatore and Prof. Peter Lugtig who are part of the world leading group of Data Quality within the Department of Methodology and Statistics. Members of the group conduct cutting-edge research on a broad range of topics, including survey design, measurement error, nonresponse, data integration, register-based statistics, mixed-mode data collection, and methodological innovations for official statistics and social science research. The group maintains strong collaborations with national statistical institutes, international organisations, and academic partners, ensuring that its research has both scientific impact and societal relevance.
The department offers a vibrant and collaborative research environment, with regular seminars, international visitors, and active participation in international research networks. Recently, the group organised and hosted ESRA25, the European Survey Research Association conference, which is the largest international conference in the field of survey methodology in the world. Hosting ESRA25 further highlights the group’s leading position and strong international reputation within the global survey research community.
PhD candidates will be embedded in this dynamic research environment and will have the opportunity to engage with leading scholars in the field, present their work at international conferences, and contribute to high-impact scientific publications.
Deadline : 26 April 2026
(07) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position in Categorical Foundations of Type Theory
In this project, we see the aforementioned connection between mathematics and computer science as one between category theory and functional programming languages. Whereas The connection between mathematics and Martin-Löf type theory can be formalized as an equivalence between structured categories (e.g., comprehension categories, categories with families, or the like) and Martin-Löf type theories. We envision that the analogous correspondence for domain-specific variations on Martin-Löf type theory must incorporate more structured categories (e.g., enriched versions of comprehension categories or the like).
Your research will explore this area, allowing you to shape your own focus, potentially involving:
- exploring categorical semantics for these type theories using the tools of enriched category theory;
- developing a common framework for these semantics;
- formalizing aspects of this research;
- formalizing mathematics within one of these type theories;
- implementing aspects of this research.
Deadline : 6 April 2026
(08) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD “Climate Change and Cooperation in Asia, 1945 to the Present”
We are looking for a team player who wants to play an active role in an inter- and transdisciplinary research community and training programme, who meets the following requirements:
- a MA/MSc degree in economic history; interest in, and ideally some familiarity with social psychology;
- interest in the topic of social cohesion and in collaborating in a broad research consortium with academic and non-academic stakeholders;
- strong interest in interdisciplinary research, including analytical and theoretical dimensions;
- professional competence in English;
- experience in working with historical sources;
- experience in applying quantitative and/or qualitative methods is a plus.
Deadline : 1 April 2026
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(09) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position in Music Computing
The core aim of the project is to design explainable computational models that drive high-impact applications in Music Information Retrieval (MIR), while advancing our computational understanding of musical style: what defines it, what are its elements, how is it structured and perceived, how does it vary?
The project will build on various theories. A promising starting point is Leonard B. Meyer’s theory of musical style, which defines style as a replication of patterning. A central challenge in this approach is to identify structural elements of music as instances of patterns. What these patterns are differs culturally and historically. The body of literature on topic theory (founded by Leonard Ratner) offers a point of departure to identify such patterns and to understand the way in which these are replicated and perceived. For example, a fragment of music could allude to a ‘fanfare’, or to a ‘horn call’, to just mention two examples out of many. These kinds of patterns have many occurrences throughout music history. Can we design computational models for such topics? How do topics function in game music and film music? How are different musical styles interconnected by occurrences of topics?
We also envision to connect with current understanding of music cognition, specifically building on insights on musical memory. There is a class of modular cognitive models of music processing that include a ‘musical lexicon’ as one of the cognitive modules. This ‘musical lexicon’ determines for a given listener what musical patterns can be recognized. Understanding of this personalized music perception plays a role in user modelling for interactive music systems.
An important challenge lies in designing models that go beyond merely achieving high accuracy in classifying musical styles or genres, or in detecting specific musical patterns. The process of modelling facilitates the understanding of the patterns through a computational lens. This calls for strong expertise in computational methods, machine learning, and data modelling combined with solid knowledge of music. We particularly aim to cover a broad range of musical traditions and cultures world-wide, both contemporary and historical.
Deadline : 31 March 2026
(10) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Position in Nutritional Immunology
Low grade inflammation affects a growing population in western countries, leading to an increase in immune disorders such as autoimmunity and allergies, including asthma, which affects 10% of adults in industrialized countries. Type 2 asthma cannot be cured but it can be treated with inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) as controller medication. Some asthmatics have reduced serum levels of n-3 LCPUFA, EPA and DHA, due to low intake or reduced FADS (fatty acid desaturase) enzyme activity. Furthermore, serum vitamin A and D levels are generally low in the western population, while these vitamins can promote tolerogenic immune modulation and/or barrier protection. This project aims to highlight the relevance of these nutrients in managing pulmonary inflammation and therapy guidance, using state-of-the-art human in vitro mucosal-immune cell models.
As a PhD candidate you will further develop bronchial epithelial barrier models and study their interaction with innate and adaptive immune cells, while assessing the anti-inflammatory and barrier protective effects of n-3 LCPUFA plus vitamin A/D as adjunct treatment to corticosteroids. You will present your results at national and international conferences in the fields of Nutrition, Allergy, Pulmonary disease and Pharmacology, reflecting the broad scientific scope of the project. Working across these areas makes this position challenging and highly relevant, as you will actively bridge these scientific fields! It will also allow you to highlight the strength of combining pharmaceutical and nutritional approaches, an opportunity which is often overlooked.
Within the Division of Pharmacology our research group has long-standing experience in the field of Nutritional Immunology, with established expertise of using n-3 LCPUFA for allergy prevention in vitro and in pre-clinical models.
This project is part of the European doctoral network LipidBRIGHT, offering the opportunity to collaborate in a network of academic and non-academic partners that bridge clinical with basic research on lipids in chronic inflammatory disorders.
Deadline : 29 March 2026
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(11) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD Institutional Change in the Organization of Care in the Netherlands
We are looking for someone who works well in a team, who also takes ownership and exhibits independence within the project, who meets the following requirements:
- a MA/MSc degree in a discipline(s) relevant for the project ((economic) history or sociology); interest in, and ideally some familiarity with, the second discipline (history or sociology);
- interest in the topic of social cohesion and in collaborating in a broad research consortium with academic and non-academic stakeholders;
- strong interest in interdisciplinary research, including analytic and theoretical dimensions;
- someone with a desire to play an active role in an inter- and transdisciplinary research community and training programme;
- professional command of both English and Dutch;
- demonstrated skills in quantitative and qualitative research methods, or—where experience in one is limited—clear willingness and commitment to develop working knowledge;
- a solid academic record, as evidenced by grade transcripts and relevant coursework;
- strong motivation to publish articles in international academic journals.
Deadline : 1 April 2026
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(12) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD-position: Collective Action, Cohesion and Inequality
Thus, the project seeks to understand the causal mechanisms through which inequality in resources and social relations interact in the emergence or breakdown of collective action. This particularly applies to societal challenges that require wide societal buy-in and have long-term effects. The project will situate this research within philosophical discussions and discuss its implications for the value of (in)equality and its relationship to collective action and community.
In this PhD project you will develop and tests theory on the interplay between inequality, social cohesion, and collective action. These theories will be at least partly formalized, for example, game-theoretical models, but will also be informed by philosophical (normative) perspectives. Empirical tests will primarily rely on behavioral lab experiments but may also include other empirical approaches depending on how the project develops. During the PhD, you will:
- Learn how to combine theory-driven empirical sociology with philosophical approaches;
- Learn to derive hypotheses from deductive theoretical reasoning through formal methods on sociological phenomena;
- Develop strong skills in experimental methods, data analysis and critical thinking;
- Grow into an independent scientist while expanding your knowledge through your own research;
- Contribute to a collaborative, enthusiastic, and respectful research environment in the Department of Sociology, the interdisciplinary programme SOCION and the interuniversity research school ICS.
Deadline :1 April 2026
(13) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD-position: The (Mis)Perception of Social Norms in Dynamic Social Networks
The project analyses how social networks and norms on these topics jointly develop, depending on how people can obtain information about the norms and behaviour of others. A combination of agent-based modelling and experiments will be used to examine how people perceive social norms on climate change topics and how these norms (and related behaviours) change with people’s networks over time.
In this PhD project you will develop and tests theory on how climate change behaviour develops in social contexts and depends on social norms. These theories will be at least partly formalized, for example, using agent-based models. The experiments can include lab experiments as well as tests in the field depending on how the project develops. During the PhD, you will:
- Gain expertise in theory-driven empirical sociology
- Learn to derive hypotheses from deductive theoretical reasoning through formal methods on sociological phenomena.
- Develop strong skills in data analysis and critical thinking
- Grow into an independent scientist while expanding your knowledge through your own research
- Contribute to a collaborative, enthusiastic, and respectful research environment in the Department of Sociology, the interdisciplinary programme SOCION and the interuniversity research school ICS.
This PhD project is part of the SOCION consortium. SOCION addresses a pressing challenge of our time: fragmentation in societies. Social cohesion is society’s fabric and is key to sustainable societies and citizens’ well-being. However, it is increasingly undermined by erosion and polarization between communities, factions, and groups. In this project, psychologists, social historians, demographers, philosophers, and sociologists collaborate with civic organizations to generate and integrate insights into how connections between individuals, groups, and institutions contribute to new pathways to and forms of social cohesion.
Deadline :1 April 2026
(14) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies as Sources of Cohesion at Work?
The project examines variations in organizational policies and how these shape the organizational integration of minoritized groups. Drawing on migration studies, integration is conceptualized as a multidimensional, two-way process involving both minoritized and majoritized groups across multiple levels. Specifically, we distinguish between structural integration (e.g., access to jobs, promotion and retention), social integration (e.g., intergroup attitudes and collaboration) and psychological integration (e.g., perceived belonging, trust in leadership and inclusion).
One possible axis of conditional variation concerns whether policies are identity-based (e.g., quotas, group-specific mentoring, employee resource groups) or needs-based (e.g., development opportunities, flexible work, well-being support). The project will investigate how such policy variations, among others, differentially promote or hinder structural, social and psychological integration within organizations. While identity-based policies can provide identity safety or foster in-group cohesion, they may also risk reinforcing organizational segmentation or polarization, psychologically, socially and structurally. Needs-based policies, on the other hand, aim to address individuals’ underlying concerns – such as access to development opportunities, flexible work or well-being support – promoting solidarity across groups, though they may also risk obscuring identity-specific inequities.
Deadline :1 April 2026
(15) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD: The Effects of Polarization Panic and Migration on Social Cohesion
The project focuses on neighbourhoods as everyday social environments in which residents encounter diversity and live side by side. While most existing research examines misperceptions at the national level, this project explicitly shifts attention to the local level. This is particularly relevant in the Dutch context, where polarization panic around migration often has a strong local dimension. A clear example is the heated public debate surrounding the establishment of refugee reception centres. The announcement or anticipated arrival of such a centre can function as an external shock, shaping how residents perceive the migration attitudes of others in their municipality or neighbourhood.
Neighbourhoods offer a unique opportunity to directly compare perceived and actual attitudes. This project measures what people believe their neighbours think about migration and contrasts these perceptions with neighbours’ self-reported attitudes. By linking these subjective perceptions to behavioural and contextual indicators, such as voting patterns, neighbourhood composition and participation in local initiatives, we can identify where misperceptions occur, how large the perception–reality gap is and what consequences these misperceptions have for social cohesion at the local level.
Social cohesion will be assessed using indicators including neighbourhood involvement, perceived threat from neighbours, participation in volunteer work, frequency of social contact and sense of belonging or community. In collaboration with local stakeholders, the project then develops an intervention to correct such misperceptions.
Deadline : 1 April 2026
(16) PhD Degree – Fully Funded
PhD position summary/title: PhD candidate in Equine Intestinal Microbiome and Resistome
This PhD project is a collaboration between the Equine Internal Medicine group (Department of Clinical Sciences, CS) and the Clinical Infectiology group (Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, BHS). It builds on previous work by Dr Aldert Zomer (BHS), Dr Mathijs Theelen (CS), Dr Rosa Houben (CS), and Prof Jaap Wagenaar (BHS).
As a PhD candidate, you will be part of the Equine Internal Medicine group and closely collaborate with Clinical Infectiology. You will explore strategies to influence the microbiome and resistome (e.g. faecal microbiota transplantation, FMT) to promote positive health effects and limit the spread of antimicrobial resistance. You will work with existing datasets and set up new studies, collecting samples from horses and performing laboratory experiments followed by data analysis. Techniques such as 16S rRNA sequencing, shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and qPCR will be used to study the microbiome and resistome.
You will conduct innovative, integrative research and have access to state-of-the-art facilities at Utrecht University Equine Hospital and within the Clinical Infectiology Research Group. You will work in an ambitious, motivated, multidisciplinary team of veterinarians, clinicians, molecular microbiologists, and bioinformaticians. In addition, you will co-supervise Master’s and Bachelor’s students during their research projects as part of your PhD. You will be enrolled in the Utrecht Graduate School of Life Sciences and receive training, supervision, and guidance for both your research and personal and professional development, providing an excellent foundation for an independent academic career.
Deadline : 29 March 2026
About Utrecht University, Netherlands – Official Website
Utrecht University is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established 26 March 1636 (385 years ago), it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrolment of 31,801 students, and employed 7,191 faculty and staff. In 2018, 525 PhD degrees were awarded and 6,948 scientific articles were published. The 2018 budget of the university was €857 million.
Utrecht University counts a number of distinguished scholars among its alumni and faculty, including 12 Nobel Prize laureates and 13 Spinoza Prize laureates. Utrecht University has been placed consistently in the top 100 universities in the world by prominent international ranking tables. The university is ranked the best university in the Netherlands by the Shanghai Ranking of World Universities 2019, ranking 13th in Europe and 49th in the world.
The university’s motto is “Sol Iustitiae Illustra Nos,” which means “May the Sun of Righteousness Enlighten Us”. This motto was gleaned from a literal Latin Bible translation of Malachi 4:2. Rutgers University, having historical connections with Utrecht University, uses a modified version of this motto.
Utrecht University is led by the University Board, consisting of prof. dr. Henk Kummeling (Rector Magnificus), prof. dr. Anton Pijpers (Chair) and prof. mr. Annetje Ottow (Vice Chair).
Close ties are harboured with other institutions internationally through its membership in the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Utrecht Network and the European University Association (EUA).
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