Two PhD Positions in Business - Track Strategy & Entrepreneurship

The Department of Strategy & Entrepreneurship is looking for 2 PhD students in the general field of strategy and entrepreneurship research. The department focuses on research in strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Our work is organized around two main themes: Strategy and Performance, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation, exploring how firms adapt, innovate, and grow in dynamic environments. Our faculty consistently publish their impactful and societally relevant research in top academic journals such as Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, and Journal of Business Venturing.

Candidates with solid training in management theory and research methods are encouraged to apply. As a PhD student, you will be an integral part of the department, and you will benefit from a supportive, pluralistic, and inspiring research environment. The department allocates a yearly travel budget to PhD students for attending international conferences and presenting their research. Visit the department page for more information about our research and education: https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/about/schools/economics-and-management/organization/departments/strategy-and-entrepreneurship

The position
PhD candidates will be employed by Tilburg University and the appointment is intended to lead to the completion of a PhD dissertation. During the first year, you will receive extensive tailor-made training in theory and methods by taking several PhD-level courses (about 42 European credits), in combination with research training by your PhD advisors. There will be no teaching responsibilities during this first year. After the first year there will be a formal GO/NO GO decision. For the remaining three years, 80% of the position’s time will be dedicated to the completion of your PhD research, and 20% to the acquisition of pedagogical skills through teaching courses and supervising master/bachelor theses within the department.

The PhD dissertation will be a product of the student's creativity and initiative, shaped with guidance from the advisors, and will demand a strong dedication to scientific exploration. A PhD dissertation at CentER requires the design and execution of three studies. The execution of each study typically involves conceptualization of the research questions and ideas, data collection, quantitative and/or qualitative analysis of the data, and writing and revising as well as presenting academic papers. The aim is to publish these studies in high-quality academic journals. Upon successful completion of your courses and your research work, as demonstrated by a submitted and approved PhD dissertation and the subsequent public defense, you will be awarded a doctoral degree by Tilburg University.

Faculty leads for these two PhD positions: Anindya Ghosh, Xavier Martin, Louis Mulotte.

1. An academic Master’s or MPhil/Research Master’s degree in business and/or economics.
2. Completed the previous degree with an excellent GPA (top 10% of class as guideline)
3. Ambition to perform top-level research and occasionally teach, ability to work autonomously and within a team, and interest in interacting and delivering in an international environment.
4. Proficiency in English, to be proven by means of an IELTS score of at least 7.0 (no sub scores below 6.5), or a TOEFL iBT score of at least 100 (minimum sub-scores of 21 for Speaking and 25 for Writing). Exemptions can be provided to native speakers and candidates who have obtained their Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in English in the European Union, UK, Canada (with the exception of Quebec), USA, Australia or New Zealand.
5. A solid quantitative background, to be proven in one of the following ways:
   • 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.
   • candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a university outside the European Union: please provide a recent GRE or GMAT test score.

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment: 

• A position based on 1 FTE. 
• A salary of € 2901 gross per month in the first year, up to €3707 gross per month in the fourth year for full-time employment, based on UFO profile Promovendus and salary scale P. 
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 under b of the CLA DU. You will initially receive a temporary contract for the duration of 18 months to assess your suitability. The evaluation will take place after about 14 months. If suitable, this contract will be followed by a new fixed-term contract of 30 months. (N.B. program is 4 years, full-time).
• 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 website and the CLA Dutch Universities. 

Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainably, 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 TiSEM
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 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 Management

Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Dr. Zi-Lin He at Z.L.He@tilburguniversity.edu.

We cordially invite you to apply before March 15, 2025; this can only be done online. In order to make a good selection, we ask you to provide the following documents:

1. Letter of motivation, including research area/topics of interest.
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Official copy of your university degrees.
4. A pdf copy of your master thesis or other research-oriented output (such as a Bachelor Thesis or a term paper).  This work must be single- or first-authored.  If you are currently working on your master thesis, feel free to submit your thesis draft.
5. The exact contact details of at least two references.
6. If applicable, a recent IELTS or TOEFL score. 
7. If applicable, a recent GRE or GMAT score.  
8. Course list and grades of your BSc and MSc programs (full transcripts).

Shortly after the letter selection you will receive notification from us. It is expected that the first round of interviews will take place in late March and a potential second round of interviews in early April.

The selection committee consists of: Zi-Lin He (committee chair), Anindya Ghosh, Xavier Martin, Louis Mulotte.

You will ideally start working for Tilburg University on January 01, 2026 or September 01, 2025.

This vacancy has been published simultaneously internally and externally. In case of equal suitability, our preference is for an internal candidate.