Job opening: PhD candidate in Economics at Tilburg University CentER Graduate School of Economics

Tilburg University | Tilburg School of Economics and Management

is looking for a

PhD candidate in Economics at Tilburg University CentER Graduate School of Economics

Position in brief

Location: Tilburg, The Netherlands

Contract size: 1 FTE (40 hours per week)

Full-time gross monthly salary: €3,204

Contract duration: Four years full-time

Desired starting date: 1 January 2027, or earlier if possible

Your position

As a PhD candidate in Economics, you will work on the NWO-funded project “Digital Technology and Women Empowerment”, led by Prof. Patricio Dalton, Department of Economics (PI) and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis, Department of Econometrics and Operations Research (Co-I).

The project studies whether digital business technology can improve the performance and empowerment of women entrepreneurs in low-income settings through two key channels: income and time use. The project combines a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Nairobi, Kenya, with structural modelling of household time allocation and intra-household bargaining.

You will be the primary field researcher for the project. You will work closely with Prof. Dalton and Dr. Theloudis, as well as Dr. Elena Cettolin (Tilburg University), Dr. Grace Wamue Ngare (Kenyatta University), and partners in Kenya. You should expect to spend substantial periods in Kenya during the design, piloting, baseline, intervention implementation, and follow-up phases of the RCT.

Your main tasks will include refining and implementing the experimental design and survey instruments; coordinating the listing and recruitment of eligible firms; liaising with local partners and the survey organization; supporting the design and implementation of the encouragement intervention; supervising fieldwork, enumerator training, and data-quality procedures; managing, cleaning, and analyzing the experimental data; contributing to the development and estimation of the structural model; and writing and disseminating academic and policy outputs. The PhD dissertation will be developed within this project, with the precise set of papers defined jointly with the supervisors.

You will be enrolled as a PhD candidate in the PhD program of CentER Graduate School of Economics. Training can be adapted to your previous educational achievements by mutual agreement with the supervisors. There is a travel budget for PhD-level courses outside CentER, research visits, fieldwork in Kenya, and conferences. 80% of the position’s time will be dedicated to the completion of your PhD research, and 20% to the acquisition of academic skills through teaching courses and supervising Bachelor’s and Master’s theses within the department.

Your profile

1. An academic Master’s or MPhil/Research Master’s degree in economics, econometrics, or a closely related field that provides equivalent preparation.


2. An excellent academic record (top 10% of the class as a guideline).


3. Demonstrated hands-on experience implementing randomized controlled trials in low- or middle-income countries. Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and with firms or entrepreneurs is strongly preferred. Practical experience with survey programming, field protocols, data-quality monitoring, and statistical software (such as Stata, R, or Python) is an asset.


4. Strong organizational and communication skills, willingness to spend extended periods in Kenya, and the ability to coordinate effectively with local research partners, a technology provider, survey teams, and study participants. You should have a strong interest in development economics, entrepreneurship, gender economics, and household economics, and be willing to acquire or deepen skills in structural econometric modelling.


5. Proficiency in English, to be proven by an IELTS score of at least 7.0 (with no sub-score below 6.5), a TOEFL score of at least 100 (internet-based) or 600 (paper-based), Cambridge CAE (at least B), or Cambridge CPE. Exemptions can be provided upon request to native English speakers or candidates who obtained their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English in Europe, Canada, the USA, Australia, or New Zealand.


6. A solid quantitative background. Candidates with an MSc or MPhil degree from a research university in the European Union should have at least 24 ECTS in quantitative and research methods courses across their Bachelor’s and/or Master’s program. If this condition is not met, a GRE or GMAT score may be submitted to demonstrate quantitative competence. Candidates with an MSc or MPhil degree from a university outside the European Union should provide a recent GRE or GMAT score.

Our offer

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment. Our offer includes:

• A position based on 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week)

• A salary of €3,204 gross per month in the first year, up to €4,051 gross per month in the fourth year for full-time employment, based on UFO profile Promovendus and salary scale P. 


• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 under b of the CLA DU. You will initially receive a temporary contract for the duration of 18 months to assess your suitability. The evaluation will take place after about 14 months. If suitable, this contract will be followed by a new fixed-term contract of 30 months. (N.B. program is 4 years, full-time).

• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.


• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.


• The opportunity to work partly on campus and partly from home with a home office allowance of €2 per day.


• Reimbursement for sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transportation.


• A monthly internet fee of €25.


• An Options Model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave, more pension, a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center.


• A moving allowance (subject to conditions).


• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the 30/20/10% tax facility.


• A pension with ABP; the most sustainable Dutch pension fund.


• Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research or a language course at our Language Center.


• A work culture in which we embrace differences, everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities.


• A vibrant campus in green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport.

For more information, see our website and the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities.

Information and application

Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Prof. Patricio Dalton at [email protected] and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis at [email protected].

We cordially invite you to apply before 15 October 2026; applications can only be submitted online. Address your cover letter to Prof. Patricio Dalton and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis and attach your CV. In order to make a good selection, we also ask you to provide the following documents:

1. Letter of motivation, including your research interests and a brief description of your experience implementing RCTs or other field research in low- or middle-income countries.


2. Curriculum vitae.


3. Official copy of your university degree and grades (full transcripts of BSc and MSc).


4. A PDF copy of your Master’s thesis or other research-oriented output (such as a Bachelor’s thesis or a term paper). This work must be single- or first-authored. If you are currently working on your Master’s thesis, feel free to submit your thesis draft.


5. The exact contact details of at least two references.


6. Proof of proficiency in English, or a request for exemption.


7. If applicable, a recent GRE or GMAT score.


8. Course list and grades of your BSc and MSc programs.

Shortly after the application deadline you will receive a notification from us. The first selection interviews are expected to take place in October/November 2026; exact dates will be communicated to shortlisted candidates.

You will ideally start working for Tilburg University on 1 January 2027, or earlier if mutually feasible.

This job posting has been published simultaneously internally and externally. In case of equal suitability, our preference is for an internal candidate.

About Tilburg University 

Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Nearly 3,000 employees develop and share knowledge to contribute to broad prosperity, sustainability, and inclusion, helping address complex societal challenges for current and future generations.

We educate 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. Our education and research focus on themes including mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.

About the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM)

Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) is one of Europe’s leading centers for research in business and economics, with research rankings consistently among Europe’s top 10 across various business domains. It combines a strong research focus and collegial climate with a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs for about 7,000 students. The School is well connected to policymakers and industry, regionally and internationally, creating ample opportunities for research impact.

About the Department of Economics and the research environment

The position will be based in the Department of Economics at Tilburg School of Economics and Management, with close collaboration with the Department of Econometrics and Operations Research and its Structural Econometrics Group. This combination offers a strong research environment in development economics, experimental and behavioral economics, causal inference, household economics, and structural econometrics. The project also provides intensive international field-research experience through collaboration with partners in Kenya, as well as with a professional survey and implementation partner.

Recruitment code

Tilburg University applies the recruitmentcode of the Dutch Association for Personnel Management & Organization Development (NVP).

Disclaimer

The text of this vacancy advertisement is copyright-protected property of Tilburg University. Use, distribution and further disclosure of the advertisement without express permission from Tilburg University is not allowed, and this applies explicitly to use by recruitment and selection agencies which do not act directly on the instructions of Tilburg University. Responses resulting from recruitment by non-contractors of Tilburg Universities will not be handled.