This time of transition calls for people who can further advance the world and science forward. People who, in keeping with our values, are curious, connecting, caring, and courageous.  
 
As a PhD candidate in finance, you can make a significant impact on Tilburg University and future generations.  You will be trained to acquire state-of-the-art knowledge and skills that are indispensable to conduct academic research. As you approach the completion of your training, you will become responsible for teaching assistant duties. Throughout your employment as a PhD candidate, you will collaborate with the Faculty at the Finance department and with other PhD students.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the world-class PhD program of CentER Graduate School of Business. The PhD program consists of two phases. In the first phase, lasting 1.5 years, you will receive extensive graduate-level training in theory and methods by taking several PhD-level courses (about 36 European credits). The coursework in this first phase covers microeconomics, macroeconomics, and econometrics as well as field courses in corporate finance, asset pricing, banking, behavioral finance, and advanced topics in finance. CentER’s graduate school offers a broad choice of advanced courses in economics, including behavioral and experimental, (financial) econometrics, accounting, and strategy. The PhD training phase is meant to provide PhD candidates with a broad array of theoretical and econometric tools that are necessary to successfully develop original scholarly research at the frontiers of financial economics. All courses are taught in English.

In the second phase, lasting about 2.5 years, you will conduct dissertation research.  A PhD dissertation at CentER requires the design and execution of 3 studies. The execution of the research work itself typically involves the conceptualization of the research questions and ideas, data collection, qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the data, and writing and presenting of academic papers. The aim is to publish about those projects in high-quality academic journals. 
While you conduct your dissertation research, you will primarily work on the development, implementation and publication of research projects. Two advisors from the Finance Research group will be assigned to you, and will provide advice and supervision of your PhD research. More broadly, you will collaborate extensively with the members of the Finance department research group, a high-quality and high-impact research group with more than 20 active researchers at the assistant, associate or full professor level, and about 10 PhD students. You will be able to benefit from the department’s strong research focus and its numerous resources (e.g., databases, research seminars with external speakers, brown-bag presentation of faculty and students’ research, topic-focused reading groups, career planning, skills-enhancement workshops, international conferences, contacts with practitioners, etc.).

A PhD dissertation at CentER requires the design and execution of 3 studies. The execution of the research work itself typically involves the conceptualization of the research questions and ideas, data collection, qualitative and/or quantitative analysis of the data, and writing and presenting of academic papers. The aim is to publish about those projects in high-quality academic journals. Two advisors will be assigned for supervising your PhD research. Upon successful completion of your courses and your research work, as demonstrated by a submitted and approved PhD dissertation and the subsequent defense, you will be awarded a doctoral degree by Tilburg University. 

As part of the CentER’s graduate school, you will also benefit from the excellent research and work environment that TISEM offers, with a community of graduate students from many countries, access to a wide array of research databases, excellent facilities to conduct experiments, state-of-the-art library, a programming group, and support for grant applications. There is also a travel budget for attending PhD level courses outside of CentER, work visits and conferences. The training can be adapted to the previous educational achievements of the PhD candidate by mutual agreement with the supervisors. 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 master/bachelor theses within the department.

1. A high quality Master’s or MPhil/Research Master’s degree in business studies, economics, econometrics, operations research or another relevant field that is deemed an equivalent to the previous education profile.
2. Completed the previous degree with an excellent GPA (top 10% of class as guideline)
3. Proficiency in English to be proven by means of an IELTS score of at least 7.0, with no sub scores below 6.5, a TOEFL score of at least 100 (internet based) or 600 (paper based), a Cambridge CAE (at least B) or a Cambridge CPE. Exemptions can be provided upon request to native English speakers or to candidates who have obtained their bachelor’s and master’s degree in English in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, or New Zealand.
4. A solid quantitative background, to be proven in one of the following ways:
   1. candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a Research University in the European Union need to have at least 24 ECTS credits in quantitative and research methods courses during their BSc and/or MSc or MPhil programs. If this is not the case, but you would still like to be considered for admission, you are welcome to hand in a GRE or GMAT test score to show your quantitative competences.
   2. candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a university outside the European Union: please provide a recent GRE or GMAT test score.

Increasing your value 
Tilburg University is rated among the top Dutch employers and has excellent terms of employment.
With us, you will find everything you need to maximize your potential and development. We offer excellent facilities and support for research, education, and making societal impact. In all three of these areas, we “recognize and reward” you in line with national university aspirations. With great opportunities such as obtaining a senior teaching qualification, collaborating in an academic collaborative center, or participating in our Connected Leading program. We attach great importance to team spirit and have a clear, shared vision of (personal) leadership (Connected Leading) . Developing qualities such as self-reflection, dialogue, and transparency are central to this. We expect managers to embrace this and continue developing in this respect. Read more about careers at Tilburg University and personal development here.   

Your terms of employment
Your valuable contribution will be rewarded with attractive benefits and sufficient attention to work-life balance. Our offer includes:

• A position based on 1,0 fte (40 hours per week)
• An appointment for the total of 48 months. The selected candidate will initially be appointed for 18 months, with an extension for the following 30 months based on a positive evaluation. The evaluation will take place after about 14 months.
• A starting gross salary is € 2,770 per month (for a full-time appointment) in the first year, up to € 3,539 in the final year. 

In addition to your monthly salary, you will receive 41 vacation days (for a 40-hour work week), a holiday allowance (8%), and a year-end bonus (8.3%). We reimburse the full cost of sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, or public transportation. We have a moving expenses scheme that makes it attractive to live close to the university. You will be enrolled in the ABP pension fund through us. Our Options Model allows you to choose from a variety of facilities at a tax advantage. You can work in a hybrid manner: on campus and from home. Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for temporarily a tax-free allowance of 30% (tax regulation may change as of January 1, 2024) of their taxable salary if they meet the relevant conditions. The university applies for this allowance on their behalf. 

Tilburg University

Your work environment 
You will work in a pleasant working environment; a green campus with plenty of facilities. At a leading, entrepreneurial, and innovative university in the humanities and social sciences. The university employs 2,400 staff members and hosts 20,000 students of some 100 different nationalities. For nearly a century, this organization has worked together with a tradition aimed at contributing to society. We strive to be a community where differences in age, gender, orientation, and cultural and religious backgrounds are valued, with equal opportunities for colleagues and students and where, moreover, all decisions take into account the importance of preserving the Earth for future generations.  

Tilburg University is one of Europe’s leading universities in the fields of business and economics, ranking #3 in the European Union in the field of Business Research (UT Dallas World Ranking) and #27 in Economics & Business Worldwide (US News Ranking 2023). The School of Economics and Management has 7,000 students (26% international) and 400 academic staff (50% international).  The campus provides a green, academically centered environment with modern facilities and convenient local transportation.  Tilburg’s central position in the Benelux offers excellent regional and international access.  Major airports nearby include Amsterdam (Netherlands), Brussels (Belgium) and Düsseldorf (Germany).  

Read more about the university here

Tilburg School of Economics and Management

Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) is the university largest faculty.  TiSEM offers well reputed academic research and education. Its research belongs to the European top. The education programs, of which the majority are offered completely in English, are on the international map with the AACSB accreditation awarded in 2002. Employees and students form an ambitious international community.
Tilburg School of Economics and Management

If you have any further questions regarding this opening, please do not hesitate to contact Dr. Stefano Cassella by e-mail: s.cassella@tilburguniversity.edu.