Job opening: PhD candidate in Methodology & Statistics

Tilburg University | Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

is looking for a PhD candidate

PhD candidate in Methodology & Statistics

Topic: Modeling Social Network Influences on Individual Choices

Department: Methodology and Statistics

Location: Tilburg

Contract size: 1.0 fte (40 hours per week)

Full-time gross monthly salary: €3.059 – €3.881 

Contract duration: 12 months with a possible extension of 36 months.

Desired starting date: September 2026

Are you interested in developing innovative statistical methods to understand how people’s choices are shaped by their social networks? Tilburg University is looking for a motivated PhD candidate to work on methodological advances at the intersection of social network analysis, behavioral choice modeling, and statistical modeling.

Your position

This PhD project focuses on developing and applying statistical methods for modeling how individual choices are shaped not only by people’s own preferences and characteristics, but also by the preferences, behaviors, and positions of others in their social networks. Many social and behavioral decisions cannot be fully understood by studying individuals in isolation. The project therefore aims to bridge behavioral choice modeling and social network analysis by developing an integrated framework for studying network-dependent choices.

As a PhD candidate, you will develop, evaluate, and apply statistical models for interdependent decisions. The project will examine questions such as how people are influenced by peers, family members, colleagues, or other network members; how network position affects susceptibility to social influence; and how individual and collective outcomes emerge from these dependencies. Neighborhood preferences and living-arrangement decisions will serve as one important empirical application, particularly in the context of housing scarcity and unequal access to attractive living environments. Depending on your interests and available data opportunities, the project may also examine other network-dependent choices, such as work-related decisions in teams, peer influences on health behavior, or social participation and inclusion.

The research will be supervised by Dr. Li Zeng, Dr. Francisco Bahamonde-Birke, and Prof. Dr. Jeroen Vermunt, who bring complementary expertise in social network analysis, machine learning, behavioral decision-making, choice modeling, and modeling heterogeneity using latent class analysis. Regular supervisory and collaborative team meetings will support the integration of the different research lines. The project is embedded in the Department of Methodology and Statistics and aligns with the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ ambition to develop and apply advanced methods to understand individual and collective behavior in changing social contexts. The department fosters an open working culture based on mutual respect and appreciation.

Your responsibilities:

• Your research work includes literature reviews, developing and extending statistical methods, analyzing empirical data, developing statistical software, and writing research reports.


• You will prepare scientific articles to be published in international journals, present key findings at national and international scientific conferences, and write a dissertation.


• You will actively participate in the Department of Methodology and Statistics and TESC.


• You will contribute to Open Science and Team Science.


• You will contribute to education and supervision (e.g., supervising bachelor’s theses and research skills groups, with roughly 10% of your time being devoted to such tasks).

Your profile

We are looking for a strong PhD candidate with a relevant (Research) Master’s degree and a background in applied/mathematical statistics, econometrics, data science, machine learning, sociometrics, psychometrics, computational social science, or a related field, with a strong interest in social networks and behavioral modeling. Candidates with a social science degree and very strong quantitative skills can also apply.

Other Requirements

• A completed or nearly completed research master’s degree in statistics, econometrics, data science, machine learning, sociometrics, psychometrics, computational social science, or a related quantitative field.


• Interest in conducting high-quality methodological and applied research.


• Interest in developing and applying advanced quantitative methods.


• Strong data-analytical skills and willingness to develop expertise in social network analysis and behavioral choice modelling.


• Programming skills, for example in R, Python, or similar languages.


• Interest in statistical modeling, simulation studies, and empirical applications.


• Affinity with substantive questions about social influence, individual choices, and behavior in social networks.


• Creative and critical thinking.


• Communication and cooperation skills and the willingness to work in a team.


• Project management and organization skills.


• Interest in open science and team science.


• Proficiency in English (Dutch is an asset but not necessary).


• Interest in providing small-scale education, such as teaching working groups or bachelor thesis supervision.

Our offer

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

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


• A salary of minimum €3.059 and maximum €3.881gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile PhD and salary scale PhD. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.


• This is a vacancy for a PhD in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 sub b CLA DU. You will initially be given a temporary contract for the duration of 12 months.


• 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 transport.


• A monthly internet allowance 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 abroad may be eligible for a tax-free allowance for extraterritorial expenses equal to 30% of taxable salary.


• A pension with ABP; the largest 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 Working at Tilburg University | Tilburg University and the CLA Dutch Universities.

Want to know more?

Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Dr. Li Zeng: [email protected]

Want to apply?

We kindly invite you to apply before July 1, 2026. Applications can only be submitted online. Address your letter of motivation to Dr. Li Zeng. Your application should include:

1. A letter of motivation, including research area(s) or topics of interest.


2. A curriculum vitae.


3. A transcript or list of courses and grades.


4. A sample of your academic writing, such as a bachelor’s or master’s thesis or a paper. If you are currently working on your master’s thesis, you may submit your thesis draft.

You will receive notification from us shortly after the letter selection. The first selection interviews are expected to take place in the week of July 15, 2026.

The selection committee consists of:

1.         Dr. Li Zeng, Assistant Professor

2.         Dr. Francisco Bahamonde-Birke, Assistant Professor

3.         Prof. Dr. Jeroen Vermunt, Head of department

The envisioned start date of the position is the 1st of September 2026.

About Tilburg University 

Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainability, and inclusion. For current and future generations. We develop and share knowledge for the requirements of people and our society. This is how we contribute to solving complex social issues and help society move forward.

We educate our 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. With our education and research for broad prosperity, we exceedingly focus on themes such as mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.

About Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral sciences

Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) is one of the five faculties of Tilburg University. The teaching and research of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences are organized around the themes of “Adaptive societies, organizations, and workers”, “Healthy life span”, and “Personalized prevention and care”. The School’s inspiring working environment challenges its workers to realize their ambitions, involvement and cooperation are essential to achieve this.   
Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Tilburg University

Department Methodology and Statistics

The Department of Methodology and Statistics is responsible for education and research in methodology and statistics for the social and behavioral sciences. Methodology and statistics play an essential role in all subfields of the social and behavioral sciences, and related fields including data science and artificial intelligence. At the Department of Methodology and Statistics, we do research on and teach about computational, quantitative and qualitative methods that researchers need in order to answer challenging research questions, come up with strong research designs, critically apply statistical analyses, and avoid bias when interpreting research findings. Within the department, there is a strong focus on developing novel statistical and methodological techniques to tackle complex problems in the social and behavioral sciences.

Link to our website: Department Methodology and Statistics | Tilburg University

Application Code

Tilburg University uses the NVP job application code.

Disclaimer

The text in this job posting is the copyright property of Tilburg University. Use, distribution, and further publication of the job posting without the express permission of Tilburg University is not permitted, and this specifically applies to use by recruitment agencies not acting directly on behalf of Tilburg University. Responses to recruitment by non-contractors of Tilburg University will not be considered.