PhD tracks at NIOD

Both ‘internal’ and ‘external’ doctoral students work at NIOD. These doctoral students (PhD candidates) have completed their Master’s degrees and work independently on academic research. This results in a thesis and the awarding of the academic degree of doctor (Dr).

Different PhD tracks

As a rule, the internal PhD track is preceded by an application for a vacancy. Internal doctoral students are primarily employed by NIOD, whereas external doctoral students primarily work at another institute or university and are attached to NIOD as visiting researchers. Sometimes these students work on their doctoral research in their own time or provide their own funding. In any case, a university is always involved in NIOD’s PhD programmes. This also means that the final thesis examination and defence is held at the university concerned. Both types of doctoral student are supervised by one or more NIOD researchers.

Procedure for the internal PhD track

Vacancies for the internal PhD track are published on Academic Transfer, the vacancies page of the NIOD website, and the website of the university associated with the PhD research.

NIOD is an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW). This means that internal doctoral students are employed by the KNAW and are entitled to the KNAW’s terms of employment. In practice, doctoral students work at NIOD’s office on Herengracht in Amsterdam and become part of NIOD’s Research department.

Procedure for the external PhD track

External doctoral students work at NIOD as visiting researchers. Despite having a different employment status, they are welcome to take part in all of the Research department’s activities. In practice, their supervision by NIOD researchers is somewhat different from that of internal doctoral students, because their research tends not to be conducted full-time. The NIOD budget nevertheless has limited funds available for externally funded PhD candidates to attend conferences and suchlike.

What does NIOD offer doctoral students?

Afhankelijk van het type promotietraject en de afspraken met andere betrokken instituten, financiers of universiteiten, biedt het NIOD de volgende zaken aan haar promovendi:

At the start of a doctoral student’s appointment, the supervisor(s) and the doctoral student jointly formulate the academic research objectives, research design and (preliminary) questions. Clear agreements are also made on the nature and frequency of meetings and supervisions. These agreements are incorporated into a development and supervision plan.
Doctoral students are supervised by a minimum of two and a maximum of four supervisors, in accordance with the VSNU guidelines.
Doctoral students are encouraged to build up a rich academic CV. The supervisor plays an inspirational role in this respect, actively drawing on their own academic network and experience for this purpose. Specifically, this means that a supervisor guides the doctoral student and encourages them to take part in conferences and publish in academic journals. It is also the supervisor’s job to alert doctoral students to grants and scholarships for further career development or follow-up research.
Doctoral students are embedded in an appropriate research school. The doctoral student is facilitated and encouraged to take part actively in the research school’s programme. The doctoral student is also a member of the NIOD research department and can participate in presentations and discussions at the institute.
NIOD appoints a more experienced member of staff as a mentor to support doctoral students in the PhD track.
Doctoral students are invited to join the active group of NIOD PhD students who organise lectures, discussion and reading groups, and an annual social activity, among other things.
Towards the end of the first year, specific agreements are made on additional activities such as teaching, organising a conference, a workshop, etc. Moreover, in the final year of the PhD programme, supervisors play an active role in inspiring and stimulating the doctoral student’s postdoctoral career.
After the first year, a doctoral student is allocated a budget for conferences so that they can present and discuss interim research methods and results in a scholarly setting. During the PhD programme, doctoral students can attend two major conferences, at least one of which is in an international setting.

Current PhD research

Internal doctoral students employed by NIOD:

Afke Berger is working on a thesis on the functioning of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten, VNG) and local government in the Netherlands between 1933 and 1946.
Ina-Maria Duijnhouwer is researching the persecution of the Jewish community in Enschede (Overijssel) during the Second World War, focusing on the process of disenfranchisement and the post-war restoration of justice.
Adieyatna Fajri’s thesis focuses on the archaeological and museological traces of the destruction of the royal palace of Banten by the Dutch colonial government.
Meta Huijsmans’s thesis examines the looting and disenfranchisement of Jews in Zwolle at the time of the Second World War and the post-war restoration of justice.
Floris Kunert is working on a thesis on the restoration of justice in relation to the looting of cultural property under the Nazi regime.
Niels Mathijssen is conducting biographical research for his thesis on Poncke Princen, a Dutch soldier who deserted during the war in Indonesia (1945-1949) and joined the Indonesian freedom fighters.

External doctoral students at NIOD with visiting researcher status:

Paul Bakkum is affiliated with Bergische Universität Wuppertal. He is drawing on NIOD’s collection of diaries to research daily life during the occupation of the Netherlands.
Ivo van Donselaar is affiliated with Universität Münster and Radboud University Nijmegen. He is examining the long-term development of pan-Germanism and Germanic identify formation in the Netherlands between 1880 and 1945.
Gerry Faber, a History teacher at Dalton Lyceum Barendrecht, is affiliated with the University of Amsterdam for her doctoral research. She is examining the trial of prisoner functionaries from Mauthausen concentration camp.
Lucy Gaynor is affiliated with the University of Amsterdam. For her thesis, she is researching the discussion of history in international criminal trials by analysing statements by expert witnesses.
Renske Krimp works as a policy advisor and researcher at the National Committee for 4 and 5 May. Affiliated with Utrecht University for her doctoral thesis, she is researching the memories of Dutch nationals who had to carry out forced labour for Nazi Germany as part of the Arbeitseinsatz.
Merel Meijer is a doctoral student with an NWO teacher grant and is affiliated with the University of Amsterdam for her doctoral thesis. Her research focuses on Amsterdam’s nightlife during the German occupation (1940-1945).