You will be part of the Meaning Research Late Life team, a team within the School and Development in Context research unit.
Project
A heart for frail elderly people and a thinking out-of-the-box? Enthusiastic to look beyond disciplinary walls and an open mind to broaden your horizons? Then you might be one of our candidates for this project!
A growing group of relatively healthy older adults seem to experience life as meaningless and worthless. These older people develop the feeling that their lives are no longer worth living, that life is a burden, and they feel useless and lonely. Often, these elderly people have an (active or passive) desire to end their lives. The literature labels this as ‘life fatigue’ and points out that the level of suffering is alarmingly high. This is in line with reports from healthcare professionals who are confronted with older adults who experience life fatigue and a lack of meaning in their lives. However, empirical knowledge on exactly what the experience of Tiredness of Life (Tiredness of Life) is, and what its possible antecedents are, does not currently seem to be available.
‘Existential scares’ is a KU Leuven-funded interdisciplinary project with which we aim to overcome this lack of knowledge. The project combines qualitative and quantitative studies and focuses on older adults living at home. The project is a collaboration between Jessie Dezutter (lead supervisor, Meaning Research Late Life Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences), Anne Nobels (co-supervisor, UZ Gent, geriatric psychiatrist) and Els van Wijngaarden (co-supervisor, Radboud University Nijmegen, care ethicist).
The project you will work on has a twofold aim: 1) to investigate the role of life course trauma and attachment in the experience of life fatigue, 2) to explore whether experiencing meaning and purpose in one's life can be an explanatory existential process in this context. You will be part of the Meaning Research Late Life lab (MeReL) within the Faculty of Psychology.
Profile
- You obtained a Master's degree in Psychology, Gerontology, Nursing, Health Sciences, Medicine or a similar discipline and graduated with strong scores. You have a particular interest in the lives of frail elderly people and are fascinated by existential psychology and life questions.
- You have (an initial) experience in conducting quantitative analyses (both cross-sectional and longitudinal, knowledge of or interest in ESM is a plus) e.g. through courses or your Master's thesis, and an interest in learning more about quantitative methodology. Qualitative analyses do not scare you off either and you are willing to undergo further training in this methodology.
- You have experience or an affinity with the target group of older adults
- You are a team player with a collegial attitude, eager to engage in dialogue with other disciplines and to cross disciplinary boundaries.
- You have an excellent knowledge of Dutch and a good knowledge of English and have strong communication skills, both oral and written.
- You have strong analytical skills and a critical attitude that you can apply to scientific research.
- You have strong project management skills, you can work systematically and independently, you have a sense of initiative and you can enthuse people (for participation in research, for input of expertise, for consultation and exchange).
- You are creative and open-minded, you can deal with change and be flexible; your problem-solving abilities are high.
Offer
- A full-time PhD position in a fellowship status for four years (based on a positive mid-term evaluation after 1 year).
- An inspiring and stimulating interdisciplinary research context with a collegial atmosphere.
- Being part of an exciting team (Meaning Research Late Life lab) within the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences.
- Competitive salary in line with KU Leuven salary scales for PhD students.
- Opportunities for training, education and career guidance through the Leuven International Doctoral Schools.
- Opportunity to contribute to strengthening geriatric care through socially relevant research.
Interested?
Please send us the following information through the KU Leuven online application tool:
1) motivation letter, 2) CV, 3) points list, 4) proposal for what you think is an ideal study design to answer this research question (max 500 words), and 5) the contact details of two reference persons.
The position starts on 1 October or as soon as possible (after mutual agreement).
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
