We are looking for talented researchers to apply for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 grant with the application deadline on 9/09/2026 (17:00 CET).
We welcome expressions of interest in the following research areas:
- Professor Tuba Bircan (tuba.bircan@vub.be): the intersection of artificial intelligence, social inequality, and democratic life. Professor Bircan welcomes expressions of interest from researchers whose work engages with one or more of the following themes:
- AI and inequality, examining how artificial intelligence shapes or exacerbates disparities across domains such as education, labour markets, and public services, with particular attention to intersectionality and the experiences of specific population groups including ethnic and gender minorities, youth, children, and elderly people;
- Disinformation: understanding and countering, research into the mechanisms, spread, and societal effects of disinformation, and the development of evidence-based strategies to identify and counter it;
- Ethical and socially responsible AI, exploring how AI can be designed, governed, and deployed in ways that are ethically sound and socially beneficial in responding to socio-political and environmental challenges; Computational social science, methodologically innovative approaches including big data analytics, forecasting models, and other computational methods applied to complex social phenomena. Professor Bircan is especially interested in proposals that combine substantive social science questions with rigorous methodological frameworks, and that engage meaningfully with issues of equity, participation, and democratic accountability in the digital age.
- Professor Bram Spruyt (bram.spruyt@vub.be): a proposed research topic „Towards a better understanding of the social and identity dynamics that explain support for radical politics” focusing on the long-term societal dynamics that may explain the recent rise of populism, radical right/left voting, and nativism. More specifically, the project would aim to focus on the social origins of feelings of societal alienation and marginalization to answer the following research question: To what extent does the support for radical politics result from the difficulties of finding a positive social identity or even experiencing social stigma among specific groups (e.g., the less educated, the working class, etc.)?
- Professor Fanny D'hondt (Fanny.Lieve.Dhondt@vub.be): Ethnoracial inequalities in education and adolescence in European contexts. Potential projects may focus on inequalities in academic and wellbeing outcomes among ethnoracialized youth. I particularly welcome research on the role of racism, whiteness, and privilege in shaping adolescents’ experiences across social contexts, including both institutional processes (e.g. educational and youth policies, school practices, and governmental initiatives) and individual-level dynamics (e.g. coping strategies and sources of resilience). I am especially interested in proposals that employ innovative quantitative and mixed-methods designs to analyse the complex, multi-level processes underlying ethnoracial inequalities.
- Professor Eva Swyngedouw (eva.swyngedouw@vub.be): urban expulsion regimes and socio-spatial inequality. Potential projects may investigate processes of displacement, eviction, and housing precarity - examining how urban expulsion dynamics vary across cities, social groups, or governance contexts. She welcomes research addressing housing justice, tenant struggles, and forms of housing activism, as well as the policies, power structures, and governance practices shaping access to housing, exclusion, and urban citizenship.
The MSCA-PF is a prestigious European funding programme that supports mobility, career development, and training within and beyond Europe. The scheme offers highly competitive salary and research costs. Applicants must comply with the eligibility criteria of the MSCA PF 2025 call:
Standard European Fellowship
- Researcher mobility: Applicants must not have resided in the country of the host institution for more than 12 months in the 3 years preceding the application.
- Researchers must hold a PhD or have 4 years of full-time equivalent research experience at the time of the call deadline. They should also be within 8 years of their PhD (some exceptions apply, such as career breaks, parental leave).
- The fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality.
Global Fellowship
- Outward phase (12-24 months): The researcher conducts their research at a non-EU/Associated Country institution (e.g., in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, etc.).
- Return phase (12 months): After the international phase, the researcher returns to a host institution in an EU Member State or Associated Country for a period of up to 12 months.
- Researchers must comply with the same eligibility criteria as for the Standard European Fellowship, with the added requirement that they must have spent less than 12 months in the host country (outside of the EU) over the last 3 years.
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships for Researchers with Disabilities
The MSCA-PF program is designed to be inclusive, and as part of the European Commission's commitment to diversity, there are provisions for researchers with disabilities. These researchers can apply for the same fellowships but will have additional support, including adaptations for accessibility, longer fellowship duration if needed, and other tailored support measures. There is no specific call for this category, but support can be integrated into the application process through the general MSCA-PF.
Besides, candidates should be fluent in English, should have excellent teamwork attitude, organizational skills and ability to work in a multidisciplinary environment.
As from 2026, resubmission restrictions apply for applications that received a score below 80% the previous year.
Applicants should check that they fulfil all the eligibility criteria and send an expression of interest by the end of May 2026, consisting of (1) a CV and (2) a motivation letter outlining their research interests, explaining their suitability for the fellowship and presenting a preliminary project idea, directly to the potential supervisor (emails provided above). For general questions, please contact dorota.celinska-janowicz@vub.be
We look forward to discussing how your research ambitions align with our interdisciplinary focus and to collaborating on a successful MSCA PF proposal!
