We turn to you because we believe you might know excellent graduates in one of the social sciences for whom we have the unique opportunity to obtain a full four-year scholarship in our PhD program for, starting september 2011. The recruitment and selection procedure for these full PhD scholarships starts already on December 11, 2010, with advertisements in Dutch and foreign newspapers, on www.jobs.ac.uk and on the ICS website (www.ics-graduateschool.nl).

The Interuniversity Center for Social Science Theory and Methodology (ICS) is an institute for postgraduate studies of the Universities of Groningen, Utrecht, and Nijmegen, in the Netherlands. The ICS offers a postgraduate program for excellent graduates in one of the social sciences (including economics, history, mathematics or computer sciences). The structured program consists of training in advanced theory construction and research methods by means of courses, tutorials, and individual study. Supervision and monitoring are intense: each PhD student is supported by a personal supervision team and meetings on a regular basis. After four years, our PhD students will have finished their dissertation and will be well-prepared to enter the growing market for highly trained researchers in the social sciences.

Training and thesis supervision are in English. As the ICS is a joint venture of the universities of Groningen, Utrecht, and Nijmegen, PhD students reside either in Utrecht, Groningen, or Nijmegen. Course locations alternate between Groningen, Utrecht and Nijmegen, with PhD students commuting during the period of each course.

While many PhD programs elsewhere offer appointments for at most three years, ICS PhD students enjoy a four-year appointment, presuming a positive evaluation after the first year. Moreover, ICS PhD students enjoy rather comfortable conditions, certainly compared to opportunities for PhD students in other countries. The salary amounts to appr. €2042,- before taxes in the first year of the appointment, rising to appr. €2612,- before taxes in the fourth year. There are no tuition fees.

We would like to ask you to search in your own network for recent graduates who might be interested and who are highly qualified. 

In addition to PhD scholarships there are vacancies for Postdocs at ICS Groningen, in the research lines ‘Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior of Adolescents’ and ‘Inequalities in the Life Course’.

General information on the ICS and the structure of the program can be found on the ICS-website: http://www.ics-graduateschool.nl

Information on the available PhD and Postdoc positions can be found on:

http://www.ics-graduateschool.nl/vacancies/

Further information, if necessary, can be obtained via ICSapplications@rug.nl

Applications, on line only, should be delivered through the ICS website before January 15, 2011.

The interviews will be conducted on March 3, 4, 8 and 9, 2011.

We very much appreciate your interest and cooperation,

Rafael Wittek