We are looking for two highly motivated PhD students to carry out research and write a PhD in either of the two topics: 

1. Wealth and Family Cohesion

This project delves into how the accumulation or de-cumulation of wealth can profoundly influence family relationships. Our primary goal is to investigate how families across different national contexts navigate these financial transitions and assess their impact on familial bonds. We aim to uncover whether these processes lead to a strengthening of family bonds and a sense of unity, or if they create tension and conflict within families. As a PhD candidate on this project, you will engage in two key stages of research. Initially, you will analyze cross-national harmonized panel data to understand how different wealth and debt components may influence family well-being across various contexts. Subsequently, you will collaborate on designing survey experiments to examine how variations in net wealth or debt shape perceptions of within-family obligations across different countries.

2. Uncertainty Around Candidate Quality and Discriminatory Hiring Outcomes 

This research project focuses on the intricate relationship between uncertainty around candidate quality and discriminatory hiring outcomes. It aims to unravel the mechanisms through which uncertainty about a candidate's qualifications contributes to both overt and covert forms of discrimination in hiring processes. By investigating the interplay between uncertainty reduction strategies and discriminatory hiring practices, the project aspires to offer insights for more equitable hiring processes. Potential activities for the PhD candidate include conducting an in-depth literature review to identify gaps in the current understanding of discriminatory hiring practices, designing and implementing lab studies to simulate hiring scenarios and test hypotheses about the impact of uncertainty around candidate quality, designing field experiments and vignette studies to evaluate real-world applicability of findings, and analyzing observational data from various settings, such as grant allocation and political selection committees. Through these efforts, the PhD candidate will contribute to a pivotal shift in the understanding of discriminatory hiring outcomes.

Your responsibilities 

The main tasks will include:

• Planning and executing data harmonization, independently conducting complex longitudinal data-analyses. 
• Assisting with designing and implementing survey experiments.
• Active participation in the Department of Sociology (e.g., by attending lecture series and departmental meetings).
• Writing international scientific publications.
• Presenting at national and international scientific conferences and disseminating findings to a non-scientific audience (e.g., policy makers).
• Teaching and supervision (e.g., supervision of bachelor theses, max 0.2 FTE).

What you contribute 
Tilburg University seeks candidates with knowledge, skills, and character. We are curious about your contribution. We think you should have the following qualities for this position: 

We look for a highly motivated PhD student. Applicants must have obtained (or are close to obtaining) a relevant (Research) Master degree in Sociology or related disciplines. 

• Interest in conducting high-quality research on one or more of the advertised project topics
• Excellent research skills and quantitative data analytical abilities, including in-depth knowledge of statistical programs (Stata or R) 
• Excellent project management and organization skills 
• Excellent communication and cooperation skills and the willingness to work in a team 
• Proficiency in English (written and spoken)
• Interest in providing education in the department, such as bachelor and master thesis supervision 
• Commitment to open science

Increasing your value
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. 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 FTE (40 hours per week) 
• This is a vacancy that is temporarily funded on the basis of the National Education Program, in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 6 sub c of the CLA for Dutch Universities. You will be given a temporary employment contract for the duration of 12 months. Upon a positive outcome of the first-year evaluation, the candidate will be offered an employment contract for the remaining three years.
• A salary ranging from a minimum of 2,770 euros to a maximum of 3,539 euros gross per month for full time employment, based on UFO profile Promovendus and salary scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.

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, for a reimbursement, from home. Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance of 30% of their taxable salary if they meet the relevant conditions. The university applies for this allowance on their behalf.

We aim for September 1, 2024 as starting date, but the exact date can be determined together.

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. 
Read more about Tilburg University here.

Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Tilburg University is a specialized university with a high international reputation that strives to advance society by deepening the understanding of that society through research and education. Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences offers excellent, innovative education aimed at preparing students to become future leaders by focusing on knowledge, skills, and character building. The School offers a varied range of Bachelor and Master programs to its 3,000 students and is organized around the motto of "Understanding Society". The school’s intellectually stimulating working environment challenges its employees to realize their ambitions; involvement and cooperation are essential to achieve this. 
Read more about Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences here.

The Department of Sociology focuses on examining questions of social inequality and social cohesion in comparative perspective. We study various dimensions of inequality and cohesion, such as housing markets, educational mobility, family dynamics, trust and attitudes, values and norms. Our research interests are largely reflected in our teaching agenda. 
We further host international comparative surveys such as the European Values Study or the European Social Survey. The department has a very strong research orientation with a focus on high-quality publications in leading journals in the fields Sociology and Social Policy. The department offers courses in various programs on the Bachelor and Master level, which are related to the PhD project, such as about strategic family sociology, social stratification, political sociology and other topics. 
Read more about the department here.