Postdoctoral researcher and manager of interdisciplinary project on the asylum procedure in Belgium (29577)

→Apply before 15/03/2026(DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
→Faculty of Law and Criminology
→Department:RE22 - Europees, Publiek- en Internationaal Recht
→Occupancy rate: 100%
→Number of positions:1
→Type of employment:Contract of unlimited duration
→Term ofassignment:
→Wage scale:PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree)
→Required diploma: PhD

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR TASKS

About the UNPACK project:

‘Unpacking the asylum procedure in its intersecting linguistic, sociocultural, psychological and legal dimensions’ (hereafter UNPACK) is an interdisciplinary and interuniversity iBOF project investigating fairness in asylum procedures. Asylum procedures are challenging, partly due to the diverse socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds of all actors involved (such as applicants, officials, interpreters, and lawyers) and the interactions between them.

The UNPACK project integrates insights from four disciplines – linguistics, anthropology, psychology and law – to examine the lived experiences of those involved. Through in-depth ethnographic research of specific case studies and the broader organizational context, UNPACK seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the asylum procedure, in order to develop a new, comprehensive and evidence-based framework of fairness.

With iBOF funding, the Flemish universities pool resources from their research funds to support frontier research. UNPACK is coordinated by Karel Arnaut (anthropology, KU Leuven), Ilse Derluyn (social work, UGent), Katrijn Maryns (applied linguistics, UGent) and Ellen Desmet (law, UGent). The project is embedded in a unique collaboration – the first of its kind in Europe – with the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), the Belgian authority responsible for deciding on applications for international protection.

Your tasks:

• You will be responsible for project management (50%). This includes developing methodological tools, organizing internal and external project meetings, handling communication (including the project website), supporting budget management, taking a leading role in collective publication and valorization efforts, and reporting to funding bodies.
• You will engage in legal and ethnographic research (50%) on how laws and regulations governing the asylum procedure are interpreted and applied by the various stakeholders involved.
• You will develop the specific research focus in dialogue with the supervisors, the co-researchers and the asylum administration.
• As a member of the UNPACK team, you will be intensively working together in a team of 8 researchers and 4 professors. You will share your data and analyses with your co-researchers and supervisors, and engage in extensive collaborative (interdisciplinary) research, next to individual (disciplinary-specific) research.
• You will report on your research both academically and to a broader audience
• You actively contribute to the activities and tasks of the research group and department.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

General requirements for UNPACK research positions:

• You are a team player, as this project is distinctive by the degree of collaboration required.
• You have a demonstrated affinity with the topic of refugees and/or asylum procedures.
• You have excellent analytical, writing and presentation skills.
• You possess high proficiency in Dutch or French, and considerable fluency in the other language.
• You are fluent in written and spoken academic English.
• You have a diversity-sensitive attitude and good intercultural communication skills, and you feel motivated to work in a multilingual environment.
• You are empathetic, work with precision, and have a critical mindset.
• You are open to giving and receiving constructive feedback, you value continuous learning.
• You are capable of managing deadlines effectively.
• You help foster a pleasant working environment.

Specific requirements for this position:

• You hold a PhD in Law, or a Master’s degree in Law combined with a PhD in a relevant social science discipline.
• You have in-depth knowledge of asylum laws and policies at both national and European levels.
• You have demonstrated knowledge of and experience with qualitative research methods (e.g. ethnographic research, interviews), as well as with research ethics and data management in socio-legal research.
• You possess excellent organizational skills.

Assets:

• You have knowledge of and/or experience with human rights.
• You have knowledge of languages relevant to refugee communities.
• You have an affinity with and/or experience with working with people in vulnerable situations.
• You have experience with academic research from an interdisciplinary perspective.
• You have experience with collaborative research and the editing of publications.
• You have experience in valorization and dissemination of research findings.
• You have good mentoring skills.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• You will join an interdisciplinary team within a dynamic and stimulating work environment.
• We offer you a contract of indefinite duration.
• You will be employed at the Department of European, Public and International Law, within the Migration Law Research Group (MigrLaw), and be a member of CESSMIR (Centre for the Social Study of Migration and Refugees), the Human Rights Centre and the Human Rights Research Network (HRRN).
• Your contract will ideally start on 1/09/2026.
• Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale PD1 to PD4. Click here for more information about our salary scales.
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits.

INTERESTED?

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘CV’: your academic CV, including two references
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter (max. 2 pages)
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field ‘other documents’: a writing sample in English, ideally an academic text on a topic related to UNPACK (10,000 words maximum), in pdf format.

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

You will be informed by 3 April at the latest whether you have been selected for the next round. If selected, the next round will take place in person in Ghent on 20-21 April or 4-5 May 2026.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Ellen Desmet ([emailprotected], +32(0)477/321382).

Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read theFAQ or contact us via [emailprotected].