About the project
The overarching aim of the AuthentiMark consortium is to strengthen digital trust by developing, validating and promoting the adoption of digital watermarks and signatures for source authentication in three key Dutch sectors: public communication, health and welfare, and finance. In this PhD project you will focus on financial fraud. Due to technological developments, the toolbox of digital fraudsters is well‑stocked. You will first investigate who is susceptible to which types of digital fraud, and in what ways. You will then focus on a potential solution: a digital watermark. Under what conditions are people willing to accept such watermarks and signatures, and how effective is this intervention?
In this project, you will use various research methods, such as surveys, experiments and focus groups. You will write an article‑based dissertation and aim to publish the results of the individual sub‑studies in leading journals in communication science and related disciplines.
This project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) within the NWA/KIC AuthentiMark consortium, led by Prof. Jessica Piotrowski, Prof. Guda van Noort and Prof. Christian Burgers. The consortium includes representatives from multiple institutions (University of Amsterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen and Amsterdam UMC) and more than 25 societal partners. You are also expected to participate in consortium activities and actively contribute to the success of the consortium project.You will be supervised by Prof. Guda van Noort (UvA), Prof. Bart Jacobs (Radboud University Nijmegen), Dr Sandra Jacobs (UvA) and Dr Tom Dobber (UvA). The intended start date depends on the signing of the consortium agreement. The target start date is 1 September 2026.
What will you do
Within this project, you will:
What do you have to offer
have completed (by the start of the project, 1 September 2026) a (research) Master’s degree in Communication Science or another discipline relevant to the project, such as Communication and Information Studies or Information Science. Candidates with a different (research) Master’s degree are also invited to apply, but must explicitly explain in their cover letter why their background fits this project;
What we offer
We offer a temporary appointment of 1.0 FTE (38 hours per week) for a maximum of 4 years. The initial appointment is for one year. Upon a positive evaluation and unchanged circumstances, this will be extended by up to 3 years, with the aim of resulting in the award of a PhD degree. We will design a training and supervision plan that includes room for coursework and attendance at both national and international meetings. You will also teach courses to Bachelor’s students in Communication Science.
Your workplace
The project is embedded in the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (Department of Communication Science) of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) is the research institute of the Department of Communication Science within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. For more information, see: https://ascor.uva.nl
Do you ever wonder how we can better equip people against digital financial scams? Are you excited by the challenge of strengthening people’s resilience to financial fraud? Do you want your work to have real impact? For this position, only candidates who are fluent Dutch speakers are eligible.
About the project
The overarching aim of the AuthentiMark consortium is to strengthen digital trust by developing, validating and promoting the adoption of digital watermarks and signatures for source authentication in three key Dutch sectors: public communication, health and welfare, and finance. In this PhD project you will focus on financial fraud. Due to technological developments, the toolbox of digital fraudsters is well‑stocked. You will first investigate who is susceptible to which types of digital fraud, and in what ways. You will then focus on a potential solution: a digital watermark. Under what conditions are people willing to accept such watermarks and signatures, and how effective is this intervention?
In this project, you will use various research methods, such as surveys, experiments and focus groups. You will write an article‑based dissertation and aim to publish the results of the individual sub‑studies in leading journals in communication science and related disciplines.
This project is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) within the NWA/KIC AuthentiMark consortium, led by Prof. Jessica Piotrowski, Prof. Guda van Noort and Prof. Christian Burgers. The consortium includes representatives from multiple institutions (University of Amsterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen and Amsterdam UMC) and more than 25 societal partners. You are also expected to participate in consortium activities and actively contribute to the success of the consortium project.You will be supervised by Prof. Guda van Noort (UvA), Prof. Bart Jacobs (Radboud University Nijmegen), Dr Sandra Jacobs (UvA) and Dr Tom Dobber (UvA). The intended start date depends on the signing of the consortium agreement. The target start date is 1 September 2026.
What will you do
Within this project, you will:
What do you have to offer
Your profile
You:
have completed (by the start of the project, 1 September 2026) a (research) Master’s degree in Communication Science or another discipline relevant to the project, such as Communication and Information Studies or Information Science. Candidates with a different (research) Master’s degree are also invited to apply, but must explicitly explain in their cover letter why their background fits this project;
You also:
What we offer
We offer a temporary appointment of 1.0 FTE (38 hours per week) for a maximum of 4 years. The initial appointment is for one year. Upon a positive evaluation and unchanged circumstances, this will be extended by up to 3 years, with the aim of resulting in the award of a PhD degree. We will design a training and supervision plan that includes room for coursework and attendance at both national and international meetings. You will also teach courses to Bachelor’s students in Communication Science.
Your workplace
The project is embedded in the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (Department of Communication Science) of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. The Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR) is the research institute of the Department of Communication Science within the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences at the University of Amsterdam. For more information, see: https://ascor.uva.nl
Do you have specific questions or would you like more information? Please contact the AuthentiMark team via authentimark-cw-fmg@uva.nl.
Do you recognise yourself in this profile? Then we look forward to receiving your application no later than 25 June 2026.
Applications in PDF format should include the following documents:
