PhD Position on Designing and Managing Digital Work for Inclusion
Are you interested in pursuing a PhD? Do you want to conduct research that supports social enterprises – such as sheltered workplaces (in Dutch: sociaal ontwikkelbedrijven) – in creating new forms of digital work? Are you motivated to foster the labor market inclusion of people with a disability? Then join our interdisciplinary project team of social and engineering scientists as a PhD researcher!
This fully-funded, 4-year PhD research position is part of the project "Don't Forget the Forgotten! Towards a Platform-Based Approach for Sustainable Employment of Workers with a Disability". This project, funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), addresses the challenge of limited sustainable employment opportunities for workers with disabilities by studying and co-designing socio-technological innovations.
The PhD project that we are currently hiring for, builds on the notion that novel forms of digital work (such as data annotation, online content creation, or software testing) provide chances for social enterprises – i.e. mission-driven business that prioritize societal impact above maximizing profit, such as sheltered workplaces (in Dutch: sociaal ontwikkelbedrijven) and work integration enterprises – to include marginalized groups of workers into the labor market. These organizations however need to overcome various challenges to realize these opportunities: they need to convince clients to outsource digital work to them (rather than to low-wage countries), they are dependent on other stakeholders (e.g. software developers, domain experts) that they haven’t worked with before, or need to overcome prejudices that their workforces are not capable of performing digital work.
Accordingly, this PhD project aims to develop (i) new theoretical insights on sheltered digital work as a ‘nascent occupation’ as well as (ii) actionable knowledge that supports social enterprises to organize and manage novel forms of sheltered digital work as a driver the inclusion of individuals that are estranged from the labor market.
As a prospective candidate, you are expected to:
- Perform and publish high quality and internationally visible research;
- Study the opportunities and challenges associated with developing novel forms of digital work for inclusion by sheltered workplaces and other social/work integration enterprises;
- Collaborate with societal partners to institutionalize digital work as a source of labor market inclusion;
- Work in a team with two other PhD researchers from the engineering and social sciences;
You will receive mentorship by an experienced, international team of senior scholars with expertise in digital work, online platforms, labor markets, and AI systems at work.
Information and application
Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below by March 31, 2026, and include:
- A letter of application in which you explain both your motivation and the relevance of your skills and experience for the research project. The motivational letter should be on-topic.
- A full Curriculum Vitae including your publications (if any) and working experience. Your CV should demonstrate the scope of your work and education and indicate a good fit with the stated requirements for the position.
- An academic transcript of BSc and MSc education (or equivalent), including grades.
- Your MSc thesis or the latest draft in English (or alternatively if your MSc thesis is not in English, a 5-page summary of your MSc thesis in English).
- References (contact information) of two scientific staff members (one of whom would preferably be the supervisor of your MSc thesis/final project) who are willing to be contacted by us.
The first round of interviews will be held on April 8, 2026.
Preferred starting date of position: September 2026.
For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact Dr. Jeroen Meijerink (j.g.meijerink@utwente.nl).
About the department
You will join the “Professional Learning & Technology” (PLT) section of the Faculty of Behavioural, Management & Social Sciences. The PLT section specializes in research on professional learning in and across disciplines and organisations. Its members study formal and informal learning of (future) employees, including the use of technology to measure and support professional learning. More broadly, we also study professional learning in relation to the collaboration and innovation processes of professionals, particularly so in multidisciplinary settings and new forms of organizing (such as learning communities or living labs). Our studies often take place in the high-tech, health, and educational sectors with the intention to understand, evaluate, and optimize (inter)professional and (inter)organizational learning, collaboration, and innovation in these various contexts. Increasingly, the settings we study revolve around grand challenges and wicked problems, such as the transitions to green energy and circularity or matters of digital transformation. To contribute to these challenges, we also design and evaluate (technology-based) interventions to optimize professional learning, innovation, and collaboration. In our research group, we combine expertise from a range of disciplines (e.g., educational sciences, psychology, business administration, organization studies, communication science).
About the organisation
At the Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), we unite the worlds of people and technology to address today’s complex societal challenges. We are passionate about understanding human behaviour, fostering responsible innovation, and designing solutions that create societal value. Our educational programmes span disciplines such as Psychology, Business Administration, Public Administration, Communication Sciences, Philosophy, Educational Sciences, and Health Sciences. Through our bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Professional Learning & Development programmes, and interdisciplinary research themes – including Emerging Technologies & Societal Transformations, Resilience, Smart Industry, Learning, and Health – we empower students and researchers to make a positive societal impact.
At BMS, we combine critical thinking with practical action. From advancing sustainable mobility with innovations like the world’s most efficient hydrogen car to shaping policies that promote digital inclusion, our work contributes to a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable future. Whether it’s exploring how technology influences human behaviour or leveraging data and innovation to transform industries and communities, we ensure that technology serves people – and not the other way around.
As an employer, BMS offers a vibrant, inclusive, and entrepreneurial environment where you can thrive personally and professionally. Join us and become part of a forward-thinking community that equips you to shape the future – for yourself and society. With us, you will become part of a leading technical university with increasing, positive social impact.
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