PhD candidate in Transnational Labour Mobilities in Southeast Asia

Are you interested in joining an interdisciplinary team to study transnational mobilities and wellbeing in Asia? Passionate about ethnographic research? Self-motivated and ready to learn new research skills? 
 

Job Description
The Department of Society Studies is looking for a PhD candidate to undertake in-depth ethnographic research on transnational labour mobilities in the wellness and hospitality sector in Singapore. You will be part of a new European Research Council-funded project entitled ‘WELL-ASIA: The Pursuit of Wellness in Southeast Asia: New Encounters and Inequalities in an Emerging Industry’. 

WELL-ASIA investigates the expanding and lucrative wellness industry in Southeast Asia, and the transnational mobilities and inequalities associated with it. The region has long been a crossroads of multiple healing traditions and practices. These practices are being increasingly commercialized in a global post-pandemic context as people around the world seek experiences to improve their physical and emotional wellbeing through practices such as yoga, meditation, spa therapies, and sound healing. WELL-ASIA adopts a multi-dimensional focus on the uneven interactions between those who labour in the industry, those who seek and consume wellness experiences, and the local communities impacted. 

The PhD will focus on migrant workers employed within Singapore’s expanding wellness and wellness tourism sector (e.g. as masseuses, spa workers, those training and working in hotels and resorts). There is room, within this framework, to shape the PhD project in line with your own interests. You will be part of a team conducting fieldwork on the transnational encounters and inequalities in the wellness industry in Singapore, Ubud (Indonesia), and Chiang Mai (Thailand). The team consists of the Principal Investigator (PI), Dr. Megha Amrith, two postdoctoral researchers, a project manager, and research assistants. The team will jointly address the project’s larger conceptual questions through reading groups, workshops, and collaborative writing projects. 

The tasks include: 

• Developing a research and fieldwork plan, taking into consideration ethics and data management procedures of the Faculty.
• Ethnographic fieldwork (including interviews and participant observation) in Singapore over a period of nine months.
• Archival research on healing labour and analysis of visual materials representing the wellness industry.
• Writing a doctoral dissertation and (co)authoring 1-2 publications (e.g. journal articles). 
• Participating in group meetings and contributing to the organization of events and workshops.
• Collaborating with a filmmaker on a documentary film (together with the project team) and working with visual and digital methods.
• Presenting work-in-progress at international workshops, conference panels, and to colleagues within the Faculty. 

In this role you will learn to synthesize ethnographic, visual, and archival research, while developing your writing and teamwork skills. Further trainings will be provided through the university Graduate School. 

Requirements
We are looking for someone who is excited and motivated to do a PhD project based on ethnographic fieldwork in Asia, and in a team context. The position requires residence in Maastricht or the surrounding region (except for the fieldwork periods).

Specifically, we are looking for someone who has:

• A completed Master’s degree in Anthropology, Geography, Sociology or in related interdisciplinary fields such as migration studies.
• Demonstrable experience with and passion for qualitative research methods, particularly ethnographic fieldwork. 
• Strong analytical and writing skills. 
• Advanced English language competency (speaking and writing for academic contexts).
• Excellent organizational skills and motivation to meet project milestones/deadlines.
• Enthusiasm to contribute to a collaborative team environment and to shared goals.
• Experience and/or interest in learning and working with visual, creative, and multimodal methods. 
• (desirable, not required) Working knowledge of a relevant Asian language (e.g. Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Tagalog, or other regional language). In the absence of regional linguistic expertise, the PhD will work with research assistants in the field.

What we offer
As PhD candidate in Transnational Labour Mobilities in Southeast Asia at Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary from €2901,00 in the first year and €3707,00 gross per month in the fourth year (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1,0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow. 
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model. 
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students. 
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'. 
   

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University
Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM. 

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences FASoS is a close-knit community of approximately 250 staff members and 2100 students. During breaks and before meetings, you can often find us at our favourite local coffee spot Bandito Espresso.  
 

Communication lines within our faculty are short and colleagues are always ready to assist each other. FASoS consists of a highly international student population and a significant part of our staff comes from abroad. Our faculty offers four bachelor programs, eight masters programs and two research master programs that are all characterized by their interdisciplinary approach.
 

Our research institute studies societies and cultures as they have developed in the modern and contemporary periods. We adopt a radically interdisciplinary approach, analysing the interconnections between Europeanization, globalization, scientific and technological advancement, political change, and cultural innovation. 
 

In addition to teaching and research, our colleagues enjoy expressing themselves creatively. They create podcasts, write poetry as well as fiction. 
 

Working at FASoS means working in a challenging yet informal environment. We believe in crafting your own career path and are always ready to help you in making the most of your job. For more information about FASoS, you can visit our website FASoS
 

Department
The PhD will be embedded in the Department of Society Studies at FASoS. This Department brings together scholars with knowledge and expertise in the interdisciplinary fields of Science, Technology and Society studies (STS) and Globalisation, Transnationalism and Development research. The PhD will also be a member of the Globalisation, Transnationalism, and Development (GTD) research group. Researchers in the GTD research programme work on topics such as the transnational production and circulation of knowledge, and transnational migration and mobilities. In both spaces, there is strong expertise in ethnographic methodologies and opportunities for cross-disciplinary exchange in a lively and supportive environment. 

Curious?

Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Megha Amrith at megha.amrith@maastrichtuniversity.nl  for more information. Do you have any questions regarding the procedure, please contact Manon Souren-Huppertz (Recruiter) at manon.souren@maastrichtuniversity.nl. 

Applying?

Or are you already convinced and ready to become our new PhD candidate in Transnational Labour Mobilities in Southeast Asia? Apply now, no later than 16 April 2025 for this position. 

Please upload/provide:

• Your CV (max. 2 pages)
• Motivation letter (max. 2 pages) clearly addressing the following questions: 
  1. What are your motivations for doing a PhD?
  2. How does this PhD position fit in with your previous experience and your aspirations?
  3. How would you tailor the PhD theme (migrant labour in Singapore’s wellness sector)  to your specific interests, networks, and skills? 
• A writing sample (e.g. chapter from the Master’s thesis) 
• Contact information of 2 referees (e.g. Master’s supervisor) 

The first interviews will preferably take place around mid-late May 2025. The second interviews (if necessary) will preferably be held around two to three weeks later. 

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit a research proposal (1000 words) before the interview outlining a preliminary idea for a PhD project. A reference check will be part of the application procedure. 

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.