Postdoctoral Researcher Position Citizen Science and Public Trust in Science

Postdoctoral Researcher Position on Citizen Science and Public Trust in Science

Leiden University was founded in 1575 and is one of Europe’s leading international research universities.

Applying is possible up to and including: 18 juni 2026

Postdoctoral Researcher Position on Citizen Science and Public Trust in Science

How can citizen science increase public trust in science and foster equity in the research system? The Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) of Leiden University has an opening for a postdoc researcher (0,8 fte) for 24 months to carry out a research project funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) under its OS-NL Research on Open Science funding instrument.

While earlier research about this topic has addressed the people actively participating in citizen science (CS) projects, we will investigate the perceptions and perspectives of citizens, researchers and policy makers who do not directly involved in such projects. The project will study four CS projects in the domain of environmental science, using a survey, individual interviews, and focus group interviews.

The purpose of this position is to conduct original research about how CS relates to public trust and to equitable research practices in environmental science, by exploring how the involvement of citizens in scientific research influences trust of other people, with special attention to those who historically experience a large psychological distance to science.

The main responsibilities of the researcher will entail:

• Selecting relevant cases of citizen science projects in Netherlands, in consultation with research team
• Conducting exploratory interviews with project leaders of CS projects, to understand the projects, and identify relevant social and institutional factors that may influence trust in science.
• Preparing and carrying out a survey and focus-groups with non-participating citizens who live in direct proximity of the research activities, to gain more clarity on how they view these projects and how that relates to their trust
• Conducting interviews with non-participating scientific researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders about their perspectives on the CS projects
• Analysing the data in collaboration with the research team
• Publishing research results in peer-reviewed academic journals, conference papers, policy papers or other relevant formats
• Engaging with stakeholders through workshops, a citizen sounding board, and a stakeholder advisory panel

Communicating pro-actively and collaborating with the other members of the research team

This project is conducted in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team consisting of prof. dr. Laurens Hessels (Rathenau Instituut and Leiden University), dr. Anne-Floor Schölvinck (Rathenau Instituut), dr. Bastiaan Rutjens (University of Amsterdam), Kirsten Vegt MSc (RIVM), and dr. Janneke Elberse (RIVM).

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences consists of five institutes: the Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Education and Child Studies, Political Science, and Psychology. The faculty is home to approximately 7,000 students and 1,000 staff members. Our institutes are dedicated not only to education but also to groundbreaking research that pushes the boundaries of our understanding of human behavior and societal structures.

What makes our faculty unique is the diversity of research topics, the variety of teaching approaches, and the way professional support is structured. This provides you with the opportunity to explore and develop your interests and expertise. For an introduction to our faculty, visit our website:
Welcome to the Leiden Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences – Leiden University.

The Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University is a renowned research institute in the field of science studies. Our mission is to enhance the way science is practiced, organized, and serves society. We conduct pioneering research, utilizing large datasets to analyze researchers’ activities, their outcomes, and the impact of these results.…