1 PhD position in Understanding and Supporting Formal and Informal Learning of Emergency Management Command&Control Teams in Netherlands | Maastricht University

The research program “Supporting Formal and Informal Learning of Emergency Management Command&Control Teams” is about increasing the insight in team processes that lead to team effectiveness as well as about the way such team processes can be supported via formal and informal learning activities. The team type under study, the emergency management command&control team, can be found at for instance the government (e.g. fire department, police, railway infrastructure, municipalities), in hospitals, and at industrial sites. This team has the task to successfully coordinate the multidisciplinary cooperation between different assistance units (e.g. fire department, police, disaster medicine, government) involved in an emergency like a train accident, an energy breakdown, water flood, or large forest fires. Under such circumstance all parameters are on red: high time pressure, high risks, a complex environment, a high responsibility, high task complexity, low familiarity, and high expertise diversity. And still, an absolute top performance is required. What does this require from these teams? And how can they best be prepared for unique and unexpected emergencies?

The following questions within the context of emergency management command&control are central in this project: 1) Which team interaction processes, and in particular team learning processes, are used during the recurrent stage of team situation assessment? 2) Which team interaction processes, and in particular team learning processes, are used during the recurrent stage of decision making? 3) How do patterns of interaction processes of successful teams evolve over time within one meeting and between meetings? 4) How can these team interaction patterns best be supported and trained? It is expected that candidates work in close collaboration with (professional) organizations participating in this research and educational development program, and are receptive for team work within our department. Next to the PhD research, the candidate will contribute to undergraduate courses through face-to-face, problem-based, and hybrid instructional formats.

Requirements

What We Are Looking For

The Department of Educational Research and Development (School of Business and Economics) at Maastricht University, the Netherlands, invites applicants for a PhD position in the research program “Understanding and Supporting Formal and Informal Learning of Emergency Management Command&Control Teams”. Successful candidates will, by the time of appointment, have obtained a master’s degree in the field of HRD, Learning in Organizations or a related field and demonstrated excellence in grades, have at least 46 ECTS of methodological courses, or obtained a research master degree,have experience in cooperating and communicating with clients in organizations.

Your Expertise

Candidates are interested in teams and conducting quantitative research in a field setting. Qualitative research can be part of the study as well. Candidates are proficient in Dutch language.

Conditions of employment

PhD candidate salary is set between €2,125 for the first year and €2,717 for the last year gross per month for a full-time position. A PhD appointment lasts four years (first year + three years after receiving a positive evaluation).

In addition, PhD candidates receive a holiday bonus equal to 8% of their salary plus an 8.3% year-end allowance. Candidates could be eligible for favourable tax benefits (30% rule). We offer you a stimulating scientific environment with excellent facilities for professional and personal development.