PhD Researcher – Gender Narratives & Adolescents (ERC GENSCOPE)

About the role

The Faculty of Arts, Translation, and Communication at ULB invites three highly motivated researchers to join the ERC‑funded GENSCOPE project as PhD fellows. You will investigate how media shape adolescents' gender beliefs, body image, sexuality, and mental health across Belgium, Italy, and Czechia.

Key responsibilities

• Design and conduct longitudinal and daily‑diary studies, including data donation and automated coding.
• Lead qualitative focus‑group interviews to capture real‑time interactions with gender narratives.
• Develop an independent doctoral dissertation while collaborating with fellow PhD candidates, a post‑doctoral researcher, and Prof. Chelly Maes.
• Compare findings across three countries with differing gender‑equality indices.
• Contribute to joint publications and the broader ERC research agenda.

Required profile

• Strong academic background (Master’s degree) in communication, media studies, psychology or related fields.
• Intellectual curiosity and a passion for rigorous, interdisciplinary research.
• Motivation to pursue an international academic career.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a multicultural team.

Required skills

• Quantitative research methods
• Qualitative research methods
• Longitudinal study design
• Daily diary methodology
• Data donation handling and automated coding
• Statistical analysis

What we offer

• Fully funded PhD fellowship (ERC Starting Grant) with a net salary of €2,100‑€2,200 per month.
• Four‑year doctoral programme at ULB with comprehensive training and career development.
• International research environment across three European countries.
• Opportunities for publications, conferences, and networking within the ERC community.