Professional Doctorate Candidate in the maritime Field
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS/HvA)), Netherlands
- Institution
- Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS/HvA))
- Country
- Netherlands
- Position type
- PhD
- Application deadline
- 18 December 2026
- Funding
- Fully funded position
Want to be the strongest applicant for this position?
Book a free 15-minute call with our team. We will look at your profile against what Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS/HvA)) is actually looking for, and tell you honestly where you stand and what to strengthen before you apply.
Book a free call about this position →No cost, no obligation. Mentors who have secured funded PhD positions themselves.
How our PhD admission mentorship works →
We mentor STEM applicants only. If your research aspirations are outside STEM subjects, you're very welcome to use this board and apply directly; we just aren't the right people to mentor you.
About this position
Job description
In the maritime sector, there is a need for academic and more practice-based research to reinforce each other to make the sector safer and more sustainable. Technological solutions are offered from academia. However, without a deep understanding of the everyday practice of the sector, there might be doubt that the full potential of these developments can be realised. The Professional Doctorate-program can bridge this gap by making knowledge practically applicable. The Professional Doctorate is the practice-oriented equivalent of PhD tracks at universities where the candidate conducts research at a university of applied sciences at the highest level.
We are looking for candidates who recognise themselves in one or more of the following profiles:
- Managers and senior professionals working in private/public organisations in the maritime domain.
- Academic staff working at universities of applied sciences/universities looking for a further step in their research career.
Where else than at AUAS …
- Can you research predictive maintenance from a financial, environmental and operational perspective
- Are you making a contribution to a safer and more sustainable sector by combining academic and practice-based research
- Do you have the opportunity to work in a practice-oriented equivalent of University PhD tracks at a university of applied sciences, in Amsterdam
Do you want to know if this job is right for you? Call or send a WhatsApp message to Konstantinos Stamoulis, Professor Aviation Engineering, 06-21155138 or Hubert Schaafsma, Maritime Studies, 06-11719290 and get in touch!
Here's how you will make a difference
You conduct practice-oriented research that contributes to the sustainability, safety, and competitiveness of the maritime sector. In particular, our group is engaged in multiple (inter-)national research projects which include the topic of predictive maintenance. In such an approach, maintenance takes place when it is beneficial from a financial, environmental, and operational perspective.
During your Professional Doctorate route, you follow support courses to further develop yourself and your research skills. As a member of our multidisciplinary team, you are supervised by a professor and fellow researchers.
Your other perks
- A gross monthly salary between € 4.427,- and € 6.677,- (VSNU profile Researcher 3 scale 11), based on a full-time appointment and depending on education and experience.
- An end-of-year bonus of 8.3% and holiday allowance of 8% of your gross annual salary.
- 10.7 holiday weeks per year with a 40-hour working week.
- Entitlement to various types of leave, such as (un)paid parental leave, care leave, adoption and foster care leave, and various other arrangements.
- A travel allowance for your commute, an NS-Business Card, your own AUAS bicycle, or a tax incentive to purchase your own bicycle. If you are unable to use personal or public transport to travel to work, e.g., because of a disability, we will explore alternate possibilities together.
- Plenty of development opportunities, e.g., via our own AUAS Academy.
- Discounts on various facilities, such as books, cultural courses, software and hardware, and a number of insurances.
- A strong focus on your job satisfaction, work-life balance, and vitality. For example, you can participate in various sports activities for AUAS staff or via the USC sport centre. You can also visit our (career) coaches and use various online tools to benefit your mental health.
- A good pension scheme via the ABP pension fund.
- A monthly internet allowance, a laptop, and a smartphone on loan.
- Last but not least: a chance to work in a dynamic and pleasant environment with wonderful colleagues. You and your colleagues can also get together outside work, e.g., in one of our communities such as HvA Alumni, HvA United, JongHvA and FEM IT.
Have a look at our employment conditions here and learn more about the tailor-made opportunities we offer.
What you bring to the table
At AUAS, no two employees are the same. No matter who you are, you are sure to be a valuable addition to our team. You are independent, persistent, curious, have a collaborative spirit, and a drive to improve practice.
You also possess:
- A completed university (or university of applied sciences) master’s degree in the maritime/naval engineering field or in another relevant field, e.g., mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, computer science, or similar with a research topic relevant for this project;
- Demonstrable coding skills, preferably in Python, and affinity with statistics and data-driven modelling;
- Affinity with machine learning, preferably in the field of prognostics and health management (PHM), with experience working with time-series data is highly desirable.
- Prior industrial experience in maintenance and repair, preferably in the maritime/aerospace domain is a plus;
- A demonstrable good command of the English language (at least level C1). Dutch is a plus;
- Demonstrable research and publication experience is a plus.
Become our new Professional Doctorate Candidate in the maritime field
- Upload your CV and letter of motivation via the application button. We will get back to you within two to three weeks, so keep an eye on your inbox.
- For more information about the application procedure, you can send an email to vacatures@hva.nl.
- We apply the AUAS Job Application Code to this vacancy’s recruitment and selection process. No (recruitment) agencies please.
Creating Tomorrow at the Faculty of Technology
At the Faculty of Technology, students, teachers, researchers, and external partners work intensively together on current issues in society. Consider challenges such as the climate, sustainability, housing shortage, transport, and health.
Together with our partners, our education and research make a substantial contribution to technical and technological solutions for social issues of today and the future. All our employees contribute to this from their own expertise and thus literally lay the foundation for the developments of tomorrow!
Apply directly to Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS/HvA))
Emerging Scholars Council is not the employer and does not recruit for this position. It is advertised by Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS/HvA)), and your application goes to them. We help students prepare and strengthen their applications.
Go to the official application page →Applications close 18 December 2026.
Contact listed in the advert
Some positions — especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland — are filled by writing directly to the supervisor rather than through an online form. These addresses were taken from the advert text, so check them against the official listing before you write.
A cold email to a supervisor is the highest-leverage thing you can send — and the easiest to get wrong. Ask us to look at yours before you hit send.