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.

Opportunity for a PhD or Postdoc position: 
The Department of Economics, jointly with Tilburg Sustainability Center, has a vacancy for a 2 up to 4-year Postdoctoral Researcher and/or a 4-year PhD researcher in Economics.

We are looking for an economist with strong analytical and quantitative skills, programming experience in either R or python, and motivated to combine rigorous research with social impact. The researcher will contribute to empirical studies about small energy users and the energy transition, as well as the development of a new generation of computable general equilibrium models for circular economy and climate strategies.

The position is rooted in two projects. The first project is embedded in the Academic Collaborative Center for Climate and Energy (https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/collaboration/program-broad-prosperity/climate-and-energy). Together with governments, businesses, and civil society organizations we tackle the challenges for climate and the energy transition. Research questions include (but are not restricted to): How do consumers respond to dynamic pricing? What types of energy contracts incentivize flexible energy consumption, support investments in solar and storage, while securing customers against price volatility? How do energy markets respond to volatile renewable supply?

The second project is from Horizon Europe: “CircoMod - Circular economy modelling for climate change mitigation” (www.circomod.eu). The EU project hosts a diverse group of European researchers on economics, climate, material flows, and policy making. Tilburg University contributes by developing analytical and quantitative models for circular economy (CE) strategies, and extending economic models with material balances and secondary markets.

Both projects aim for social impact and publications in top field journals. The new researcher will be supervised by prof. Reyer Gerlagh (https://scholar.google.nl/citations?hl=en&user=VnXzJAIAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate), and is hosted at the economics department, which offers a large environmental economists group, including Prof. Sjak Smulders, Prof. Daan van Soest, Prof. Herman Vollebergh, and many junior researchers including Dr Julie Metta and Dr Etienne Lorang.

The job can include a teaching task including thesis supervision, which will be consistent with the role of Postdoc/PhD candidate. Preferences for teaching are discussed at the interview and can be part of a balanced job offer.

PhD position
When you will be hired as a PhD candidate, you will be enrolled as a PhD candidate in the world-class PhD program of CentER Graduate School for Economics and Business.
PhD candidates are supervised by two faculty advisors, of which at least one is senior. There is also a travel budget for attending PhD level courses outside of CentER, work visits 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 master/bachelor theses within the department.
Depending on the assessment of previous coursework, you may need to take some extra courses to complement skills.

Tilburg University believes that academic excellence is achieved through the combination of outstanding research and education, in which social impact is made by sharing knowledge. We recognize that excellence is achieved through team effort and individual skills. 

More specifically, we are looking for a candidate who has:

• Ambition to reach out to university partners and make a difference through excellent research
• Demonstrated analytical skills (courses and/or papers)
• Demonstrated skills in economic theory (courses and/or papers)
• Skills for quantitative modelling (both empirical and for analysis/simulation; R and python)
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability
• The ability to independently carry out research, and co-work in a team
   

In addition, for the PhD position

1. An academic 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.

In addition, for the Postdoc position

1. Doctoral/PhD degree in Economics. The doctoral degree must be completed by September 1, 2024.
2. Demonstrated experience in research through publications, conference presentations, or previous projects.   
3. Excellent English-language academic writing skills in accordance with the standards of the best journals in our field.
4. Demonstrable project management skills, and ideally also some project management experience.
5. Postdocs are expected to work both independently, taking initiative in research project development and execution, and collaboratively within a team, making demonstrated independence and teamwork valued qualifications.
6. If you have any of the following additional skills or evidence of skills, please include them specifically in your application, as they can be of value in the selection process:
7. Experience with inter- and/or transdisciplinary research collaborations, exemplified e.g., by prior involvement in projects of that kind. 

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

PhD position 

• 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, based on salary scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.

Postdoc position

• A position based on 1,0 fte (40 hours per week)
• A temporary contract for 2 up to 4 years at 1.0 FTE.
• A starting gross salary is € 3.226 and maximum € 5.929 gross per month for full time employment, based on salary scale 10 or 11 of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. It depends on your relevant work experience if you are scaled as a Researcher 4 or 3.

Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system for salary scaling that is based on relevant education and work experience;

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. 

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 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 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 the university here.

Tilburg School of Economics and Management

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’s Europe’s top 10 across various business domain. In addition to the strong research focus and collegial research climate, it offers a wide variety of educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate level, with about 7,000 students enrolled. The School is well-connected to both policy makers and industry in the region and internationally, providing ample opportunities for creating impact with research.
Tilburg School of Economics and

The Academic Collaborative Center (ACC) for Climate & Energy 
Candidates will be embedded in the Department Economics (TiSEM). In addition, your research will take place in the context of the ACC for Climate and Energy, which is an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional center within Tilburg University. In this ACC we study the social dimensions of the energy dimensions, including the regulatory, market and governance challenges encountered throughout the energy transition and in the achievement of the decarbonization goals. We work together with partners from public institutions, industry, and other knowledge institutes to map the problems encountered in the energy transition and to develop solutions for these hurdles. The ACC Climate & Energy is led by prof. Wendy van der Valk & prof. Martijn Groenleer. As the ACC is a cross-faculty collaboration, you are expected to work with academics from other departments, faculties and institutions, as engaging in team science is core to our approach. The project furthermore involves close transdisciplinary collaboration with non-academic partners such as local and regional governments, network operators and universities of applied science.