Tilburg Law School is looking for an ambitious PhD researcher in the field of Law and Technology within our research program ‘Regulating Socio-Technical Change’. 

Job Description 
The research mission of Tilburg Law School (TLS) is to understand and improve the role of law in tackling societal problems now and in the future, particularly those connected with globalization and rapid economic, social, cultural and technological change. TLS-research is organized in four signature plans: Connecting Organizations, Global Law & Governance, Regulating Socio-Technical Change, and Law and Security.

Regulating Socio-Technical Change
We live in an epoch where, locally and globally, every aspect of our lives is impacted by rapid advances in technology, whether in our dealings with the state or in shaping inter-personal relations. Our inter-disciplinary project asks how law is affected by major changes in technology and, conversely, how law affects the direction of socio-technical change. We welcome candidates working a wide range of fields pertaining to any one of the three major clusters of the project: (i) technology governance, (ii) the intersection of fundamental rights and technology, and (iii) competition and innovation.  We welcome a wide range of research projects, from those which seek to illuminate how a discrete legal field is impacted by socio-technical change to projects that test the limitations of law and regulation when faced with emerging technological developments.

The project involves all staff at the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society (TILT) as well as some colleagues in other Departments in the Law School. While much of the research is conducted in English, we also seek to influence policymaking in the Netherlands; accordingly, candidates wishing to write their thesis in Dutch are welcome to apply. 

Prospective candidates are advised to review the signature plan, which you can find here, and make informal contact with potential supervisors as soon as possible with a draft research proposal. Candidates who think their project falls within more than one signature plan are welcome to apply and should indicate this overlap when making the first informal contact with a potential supervisor. Any general queries and requests for advice should be addressed to TILT’s director of research, Giorgio Monti (G.Monti@tilburguniversity.edu).

On the webpage of the department that hosts the signature plan, the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society, you will be able to find researchers who might be willing to act as supervisors of the PhD research you propose. You need at least a senior research (either an associate professor or a full professor) to support your application with a letter of support. This person might also give you feedback on a draft proposal. However, if you find another researcher whose work interests you, you might reach out to them first. Please do inform yourself well about the person you contact and make sure you know what you would want to research, but do not wait too long either, as the process of developing a proposal and receiving feedback needs time. The deadline for reaching out to a (potential) supervisor is January 21st 2023.

What do we ask? 
Tilburg University is curious about how you can contribute to our research, education, impact, and to the team you will be part of. Therefore, we would like to get the best possible picture of your knowledge, insight, skills, and personality. Below you can find the qualifications we consider important for the position.

• You are an outstanding student with an excellent command of English. 
• You have completed (or will complete by the end of August 2023) a Master in Law or a Master in a field related to your PhD proposal.
• You have a strong interest in doing research and are able to formulate views, ideas and concepts based upon complex information, as well as construct conceptual frameworks or models. 
• You have excellent writing and presentation skills, you can easily transfer your conducted knowledge to all kinds of target groups.
• You have good planning and organizational skills and are able to plan your activities and set goals and priorities. The Tilburg Graduate Law School (TGLS) and your promotor(s) provide help and guidance in the PhD process.
• You are flexible, proactive, and able to work both independently and as part of a team. You are willing to contribute to the research community within our Law School.
• Finally, PhD researchers at TLS generally work four days per week (0.8 fte) on their research, while one day a week (0.2 fte) is dedicated to education or other tasks for the department.

To maintain a vibrant and active university community, it is important that researchers meet each other regularly. Therefore, the premise is that all staff members carry out their work in the Netherlands and that lecturing is done physically.

What do we offer?
Tilburg University offers excellent terms of employment with attention to flexibility and room for (personal) development. We recognize and reward our employees and encourage the use of talents and strengths.

Tilburg University is committed to an open and inclusive culture, embracing diversity, and encouraging the mutual integration of groups of staff and students. We create equal opportunities for all our staff and students so that everyone feels at home in our university community. 

We work in a pleasant and lively work environment and our campus is easily accessible by public transport. We are committed to a sustainable society and challenge you to make an active contribution to this. 

For this position, we offer:

• A position based on 1.0 FTE (40 hours a week);
• A salary of €2,541 gross per month for full time employment, based on UFO profile PhD Researcher and salary scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system for salary scaling.
• Vacation allowance (8%) and a year-end bonus (8.3%);
• Vacation days (41 days for a 40-hour work week);
• Options Model for benefits and reimbursement of moving expenses;
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax-free allowance of 30% of their taxable wages. We will apply for this reimbursement for you;
• You will be enrolled in the General Pension Fund for Public Employers (ABP) through us;
• Various training courses, for example in leadership skills, personal effectiveness, and career development.
• A wide range of amenities and facilities and various arrangements to create an optimal work-life balance.

The total duration of the PhD trajectory is four years (48 months). The candidate will initially be appointed for a fixed period of 16 months. After 12 months, an evaluation will take place. If the performance evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended for the remaining period of 32 months.

Visit working at Tilburg University for more information on our terms of employment.

Tilburg University

Tilburg University's motto is Understanding Society. Based on this vision, our more than 1,500 employees conduct research, inspire more than 19,000 students of 110 nationalities, and bring people from different disciplines and organizations together to learn from each other. In this way, we want to contribute to solving complex social issues. In doing so, we work from the fields of economics, business and entrepreneurship, social and behavioral sciences, law and public administration, humanities and digital sciences, and theology. We seek the connection between the various disciplines to find solutions to the major issues we face as a society. Our students are educated to become responsible and entrepreneurial thinkers, driven by solidarity, a sense of responsibility, and empathy, who are able to influence and give direction to a rapidly changing society in an innovative way. Tilburg University has a culture of collaboration and co-creation, at local, regional, national, and international level.

Since its founding in 1963, Tilburg Law School has become one of the leading law schools in Europe.  Through top research and the provision of high-quality university education, the School contributes to society. Tilburg Law School is organized into five Departments: Public Law and Governance; Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, Markets and Society; Private, Business and Labour Law; the Fiscal Institute Tilburg; and Criminal Law. The mission of the School is to understand and improve the role of law and public administration in addressing the social problems of today and tomorrow. Through research and education, our scholars contribute to that mission. 

More than 4,000 students pursue a Bachelor's, pre-Master's or Master's degree at Tilburg Law School. Through this education, we train students in law, public administration, and data science. The Tilburg Educational Profile (TEP) is unique in the Netherlands. Central to it are three core concepts: knowledge, skills, and character. A university education provides students with the latest substantive knowledge and trains them to be critical thinkers and resilient professionals. In addition, the School is committed to innovative educational concepts and, partly in response to the coronavirus crisis, has invested heavily in the quality of online education and in innovative didactic tools to make and keep students inquisitive. 

Tilburg Law School's research is highly regarded nationally and internationally. The Tilburg Law School Departments work closely together in their research in four signature research programs: 1) Global Law and Governance; 2) Law and Security; 3) Connecting Organizations; and 4) Regulating Socio-Technical Change. 

Tilburg Institute for Law Technology and Society (TILT)

The Tilburg Institute for Law Technology and Society (TILT) is one of the leading research groups in Europe at the intersection of law, technology, and society. It is premised on the multidisciplinary study of socio-technical change, aiming at understanding the interaction of technology and social and normative practices, in order to clarify how regulatory challenges of socio-technical change can be addressed. It is constituted by an international team of scholars and many PhD researchers working on a wide range of topics.