Four PhD vacancies and one Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Applications are invited for four PhD vacancies and one Postdoctoral Research Fellow on a new international collaborative research project to start in September 2024.  The project, 'Transformations in Housing and Intergenerational Contracts in Europe' (THICE) is led by Humboldt University Berlin (Prof. Ilse Helbrecht), and brings together research teams from the University of Amsterdam (Prof. Richard Ronald, Dr. Rowan Arundel), the University of Granada (Dr. Ricardo Duque) and University College Dublin (Dr. Stephan Köppe). Researchers will be based at different locations in Europe, but will be involved with co-supervisions and collaborations between countries. The project is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation.

Project Summary: increasing housing inequalities with growing concentrations of wealth among homeowners, especially older ones, and diminishing access to affordable housing, especially among younger adults, have deeply affected European societies in recent decades. At the same time, there has been a revival of family dependencies and intergenerational transfers that sustain welfare and life-course transitions for younger generations. Intergenerational support, both financial and in kind, has increasingly centered on housing with, for example, rising adult co-residence with parents and family assistance for people buying their first property, marking a profound shift in the intergenerational contract.

Objectives: this project applies a comparative, cross-disciplinary approach integrating quantitative and qualitative analyses to investigate the restructuring housing markets and intergenerational relationships and  (in)justices in Europe. The various project work packages will explore the institutional foundations of intergenerational relations, the varying meanings and practices of family and kinship and their intersection with housing and household formation, the intergenerational support and its outcomes, and the inequalities between and within generations in the context of housing. The ultimate objective of the project is to develop visions of fairness and best practices for Intergenerational housing futures.

Post 1 (PhD student) – Institutional foundations of intergenerational relations: Based in the Geography Department at Humboldt-University Berlin, this researcher will explore intergenerational policies in relation to housing across Europe in a comparative analysis. Closing date for applications is May 24 and interviews will be held on June 18th in Berlin. For more information Click Here  

Post 2 (PhD student) – Interpersonal relations in a non-familialist setting: Based in the Geography Department at Humboldt University Berlin, this stream will focus on a comparison of housing systems and intergenerational relations in Germany and the Netherlands. Closing date for applications is May 24 and interviews will be held on June 18th in Berlin. For more information Click Here    

Post 3 (PhD student) – Interpersonal relations in a familialist setting: Based in the Department of Sociology, University of Granada, this stream will focus on a comparison of housing systems and intergenerational relations in Spain and Ireland. The application period will be between 13th and 24th of May through this website. Interviews will be held online in the second fortnight of June. For more information Click Here  

Post 4 (PhD student) – Inequalities across Europe: A quantitative analysis: Based in the Institute for Social Policy at University College Dublin, this stream will explore inequalities between and within generations and the role of housing herein. Closing date for applications is May 24, 4 pm IST / 5 pm CET and Interviews will be held online on June 18th. For more information Click Here    

Post 5 (Postdoc) – Interpersonal Transfers

Based in the department of sociology at University of Granada, this stream will scrutinize housing related practices of intergenerational support through micro-modelling. The application period will be between 13th and 24th of May through this website. Interviews will be held online in the second fortnight of June. For more information Click Here  

The project will start from September 1st,  2024 and end August 31st 2028 (4 years)