The European Commission has awarded funding to the doctoral network project “Future leaders in ageing and digitalising societies – Digi4Age”, submitted by the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS) in partnership with other institutions. The project will support the doctoral school in sociology by funding three PhD positions for a period of three years.
“Digi4Age” is funded under the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Networks programme. MSCA Doctoral Networks are one of the most prestigious programs of the European Commission, financing international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral doctoral studies and research.
These activities are intended to train highly qualified researchers and promote scientific progress and
innovation throughout Europe. The project is implemented by six European research institutions, coordinated by Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland), and involving Open University of the Netherlands (the Netherlands), Technical University Dortmund (Germany), Rey Juan Carlos University (Spain), Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences (Austria), and the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (Lithuania).
Dr. Sarmitė Mikulionienė, a chief researcher at the Institute of Sociology of the LCSS, is the coordinator of the “Digi4Age” project in Lithuania. The associated project partners from Lithuania include the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania and the non-governmental organization „Senjorų pasaulis“.
Candidates are invited to apply for PhD studies on the following topics:
• Digital well-being in old age: digital connections, social isolation, and later life mental health. Prospective supervisors: Dr. Margarita Gedvilaitė-Kordušienė, Dr. Christian Deindl.
• Digital ageism: gendered experiences and resilience strategies. Prospective supervisors: Dr. Sarmitė Mikulionienė, Dr. Vera Gallistl.
• ICT perceptions in old age: comparing users and non-users. Prospective supervisors: Dr. Gražina Rapolienė, Dr. Sarmitė Mikulionienė.
Application deadline: March 30, 2026. Studies will begin on October 1, 2026.
More detailed information about the PhD studies is available here: https://digi4age.net/job-openings/ (see positions No. 3, 11, and 12).
For more information about “Digi4Age”, please visit: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101227351
