Prof. dr. Jos Akkermans is a Full Professor of Sustainable Careers at the department of Management and Organization at VU Amsterdam. He is the program director of the Business Administration Master program, and leading researcher on projects related to sustainable career development. His main expertise within this area focuses on career shocks, employability, and non-standard careers.

Jos is associate editor for the Journal of Vocational Behavior, the leading journal in the field of career research. He is also a Past Division Chair of the Academy of Management Careers Division. In addition, he is actively involved in cooperating with businesses and professionals. Among other things, he was a board member of the Dutch Foundation of Management Development (NFMD), and he is regularly invited for keynote lectures and media contributions.

Jos' research primarily focuses on sustainable careers and career development more generally. He mainly studies three topics within the broader are of sustainable careers: career shocks, employability, and non-standard career paths. His main passion in research is to research ways in which we can help everyone have a more sustainable career. Jos has published in high-profile journals such as Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, Journal of Vocational Behavior, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Applied Psychology, and Human Resource Management. In addition, he has been an Associate Editor for the Journal of Vocational Behavior since 2018, and is part of several editorial boards.

Jos is the program director of the Business Administration Master’s program at the School of Business and Economics. In addition, he has been involved in several courses such as Contemporary Careers and Organizations (MSc), Recruitment & Selection (MSc), and HRM & Organizational Behavior (BSc). He also supervises PhD students, Master’s students, and Bachelor students. Jos has been trained as an educational leader and senior university teacher (SKO), he won the Faculty Best Teacher award in 2016, and he was voted in the top 3 Best Teaching Talents of VU Amsterdam in 2016.

Academy of Management Careers Division Mentoring Acknowledgement Award 2023

Academy of Management Careers Division Best Reviewer Award 2023

Journal of Vocational Behavior Most Downloaded Article 2021

Human Resource Management Journal Most Cited Paper Award 2018-2019

Applied Psychology Most Cited and Downloaded Paper Award 2017-2018

Career Development International Best Paper Award 2017

Academy of Management Outstanding Reviewer Award 2017

Academy of Management Careers Division Best Symposium Award 2016

Academy of Management Outstanding Reviewer Award 2016

Academy of Management Best Reviewer Award 2015

Faculty Best Lecturer Award 2016

VU Talented Teacher Award Top 3 2016

School-to-Work Transitions Among Emerging Adults with Autism - €130.000,- grant obtained from NWO for a PhD project focusing on how to improve successful transitions into work among young individuals with autism.

Career Success Among Entrepreneurs - €200.000,- grant obtained from the Amsterdam Business Research Institute for a 4-year PhD project focusing on what makes entrepreneurs successful in their careers.

Inequalities During the Transition from Education to Work - €100.000,- grant obtained from Kenniscentrum Ongelijkheid for a 2-year postdoc project focusing on preventing inequalities that may develop when students from vocational and university education transition into the labor market.

Careers in Perspective - €85.000,- grant obtained from House of HR for a project that examines the current career landscape in the Netherlands and Belgium (collaboration with Antwerp Management School).

Resource Exchanges and Sustainable Careers - €160.000,- grant obtained from the Amsterdam Business Research Institute for a 3-year PhD project focused on examining how resource exchanges between coworkers can enhance career sustainability.

Psychology of Flexible Work - €240.000,- grant obtained from Instituut Gak for a 4-year PhD project on the psychological mechanisms underlying the increasing flexibility of contemporary work. The project will focus on the role of changing psychological contracts and talent management policies in organizations.

Commitment Systems and Careers - €100.000,- grant obtained from Blik op Werk for a 4-year PhD project about commitment systems and career implications.

CareerLEAP Program - €150.000,- grant obtained in cooperation with Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin for the further development and empirical testing of the CareerLEAP program, which is an intervention that aims to help disadvantaged unemployed youth obtain employment.

LevelUp - €11.7761,- grant obtained in cooperation with University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin for the development and empirical testing of the Level Up program, which aims to help high school students gain important career-related competencies.

VU to Work - €250.000,- grant obtained by VU Amsterdam and the postgraduate Accounting program at VU Amsterdam for the 4-year fulltime PhD project "VU to Work", which aims to uncover critical antecedents and consequences of the school-to-work transition in the contemporary career.

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