PHD position “Generative AI in Education” (0,8 – 1,0 fte)

13 Mar 2026
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Research Field

Educational sciences » Education
Educational sciences » Learning studies

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Application Deadline

24 Apr 2026 - 21:59 (UTC)

Country

Netherlands

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

36.0

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Are you curious about the promises and challenges of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in education? Are you fascinated by how secondary school students self-regulate their learning and develop reading comprehension skills? Are you eager to combine learning sciences research with classroom innovation? Then this PhD position may be of interest to you.
Job description
The Erasmus University Rotterdam together with an interdisciplinary team from Utrecht University, Hogeschool Rotterdam, and Vereniging voor Christelijk Voortgezet Onderwijs Rotterdam (CVO) is looking for a PhD researcher in the field of educational sciences, with a focus on GenAI, reading comprehension, feedback, and self-regulated learning (SRL). This 4-year PhD project is situated within a broader research programme on learning, instruction, and educational technology within the team Educational Sciences at Erasmus University Rotterdam. The project is enabled by research funding from the Dutch Knowledge Institute for Education (NKO; former Nationaal Regieorgan Onderwijs, NRO) for the project “AI-Regulate: Using GenAI-based Feedback to Support Reading Comprehension During Self-regulated Learning”. More detailed information is described below.
Project Description: The PhD researcher will investigate how GenAI can be used to support teachers in providing feedback on students’ reading comprehension during SRL in secondary education. The project adopts a participatory and design-oriented approach, involving close collaboration with secondary school teachers.
The project addresses key challenges in education, integrating reading comprehension, self-regulated learning, and GenAI. Reading comprehension is a fundamental skill for academic success and participation in society, yet many secondary school students struggle to reach the required proficiency levels. Research shows that effective reading comprehension relies heavily on students’ self-regulated learning skills, including monitoring and evaluating one's own understanding. High-quality, timely feedback is crucial for fostering these skills. However, providing personalised feedback is demanding and time-consuming, creating challenges for teachers in everyday classroom practice.
GenAI offers promising opportunities to support feedback processes at scale, but its educational use also raises concerns related to accuracy, trustworthiness, and the risk of superficial learning. Moreover, teachers often lack training in how to effectively integrate GenAI into pedagogical practices. Therefore, a key challenge is to understand how secondary school teachers, students, and GenAI can collaboratively engage in the feedback processes that support SRL during reading comprehension, while ensuring responsible and pedagogically sound use of GenAI. The concept of co-regulation of learning provides a valuable framework for examining these interactions and clarifying the roles of the different actors involved.
The research consists of two main phases. In the first phase, the researcher conducts qualitative studies with secondary school teachers to identify needs, challenges, and existing feedback practices, and co-develops pedagogical guidelines and prompt designs for GenAI-based feedback. In the second phase, the researcher conducts a series of empirical studies, including classroom-based research, to examine the effectiveness of GenAI-supported feedback on students’ SRL skills and reading comprehension performance. Rather than developing a single AI tool, the project focuses on equipping teachers with knowledge and skills to work effectively with mainstream GenAI applications.
The PhD researcher designs and implements the research independently, under guidance of the promotor(s)/supervisors Dr. Bjorn de Koning, Dr. Annemarie Neeleman, Dr. Sergey Sosnovsky, and Dr. Jacqueline Wong. This entails the set-up of the research, the selection of methods and theories, data collection, analysis, and output. Given the nature of the project, the researcher is expected to work closely with secondary schools, covering multiple stages of the study, including (co-)designing, monitoring and supporting the partnerships.
You will have the opportunity to follow courses at the Erasmus Graduate School for Social Sciences and the Humanities. This project offers a unique opportunity to contribute to an emerging and socially relevant field at the intersection of education, technology, and learning sciences, while generating both scientific knowledge and practical guidance for schools.

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/jobs/359286/phd-position-generative-ai-in-e…

Requirements
Specific Requirements

For this PhD position, we are looking for a talented and enthusiastic researcher who has an excellent proficiency in Dutch as the research will take place in the Dutch context; mastery of the English language is also a must.
Additionally, you have some or all the following characteristics:

A Master’s degree in a relevant discipline, including (but not limited to) educational psychology, educational sciences, or educational technology;

Experience with both quantitative and qualitative research (participatory or action-oriented research; or a motivation to learn both types of research);

Ability to independently shape and structure research projects, integrate ideas from different disciplines and express complex issues in a clear fashion, verbally and in written form;

Proven ability to collaborate effectively with multiple partners from varied backgrounds, contributing to impactful transdisciplinary research.

Additional Information
Benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).
The start date of this position is 1 september 2026 and you will be based at Woudestein in Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB). This position is for 0.8 fte - 1 fte. The salary is € 3.059 gross per month, Scale P, on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The contract is offered for a period of 1 year and can be extended if suitability is proven and if continued in the same position.
Everything else we offer you; you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance : the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre !
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR , FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library .
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners , and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Selection process

Please submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter and CV, before the vacancy closing date. The selection procedure consists of 2 interviews. Interviews are expected to be held early May.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.

Additional comments

You can find more information about the EUR on our website www.eur.nl .
For more information about this vacancy, please contact dr. Bjorn de Koning via b.b.dekoning@essb.eur.nl .

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/359286/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Country

Netherlands

City

Rotterdam

Postal Code

3062PA

Street

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50

Geofield

Contact

City

Rotterdam

Website

http://www.eur.nl/

Street

Burgemeester Oudlaan 50

Postal Code

3062 PA

STATUS: EXPIRED

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