Associate Professor in Cybersecurity Law and Governance

We are looking for an enthusiastic colleague in the field of cybersecurity law and governance. 
Cybersecurity is both the process and the result of making cyberspace secure. Its goal is to ensure that digital information, computers, networks, and (ICT-based) infrastructures and all the applications dependent on these, are free from threats to their confidentiality, integrity, or availability. It requires both proactive and reactive processes working toward this ideal. Cybersecurity is one of the great challenges of our times, in view of the continuous stream of reports of cyberattacks, ransomware, data leaks, etcetera. Incentivizing all stakeholders to do what they can, in an international context characterized by patchworks of legal frameworks, polycentric governance, and complicated international relations, is a huge task.
Will you be our next Associate Professor to contribute to research and teaching in this domain?
Do you like working in a team and want to make an impact with your research? This is your chance!

Your position 
The position involves a leading role in education as well as in research, both individually and as part of a team of ambitious scholars, with the opportunity to collaborate on existing cybersecurity projects and develop new ones. Cybersecurity is a broad field relating to a wide range of challenges. Your expertise and capacity enable you to develop top-notch research in the areas of cybercrime, cyberviolence, cyber-espionage, hacktivism, network security, security of products with digital elements, and others. TILT is also teaching on different aspects of cybersecurity in its master program and programs of other schools, such as the TSHD master program on AI & cybersecurity. 

The candidate is expected to develop original, fundamental research as well as engage in policy-relevant research. The candidate is also expected to collaborate in and develop research projects in collaboration with others at TILT working on Technology and Fundamental Rights. Addressing questions relating to the distribution of responsibilities in a multi-stakeholder, public/private, multi-level governance context, to achieve appropriate levels of cybersecurity. This comprises issues of digital resilience, duties of care, certification, and standard setting. These issues come to the forefront in critical infrastructures and the Internet of Things, but also in social media and platforms involving privacy- sensitive information of millions of users.

The candidate will also contribute to research on commissioned projects, take the initiative to write tenders to acquire new research projects, and conduct research for various studies. (S)he will work in close collaboration with the rest of the staff in preparing activities and events, including initiatives for professional learning. 

TILT offers a Master Program in Law & Technology and contributes to several other Master`s and Bachelor`s programs. The candidate will contribute to teaching courses that TILT is involved in and will be supervising Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis students and engage in the supervision of PhD projects. The candidate will also take the lead or contribute to professional education in the fields of their expertise. Such professional education will be provided in both Dutch and English. The intended ratio between teaching and research is roughly 40%-50%, with the remaining 10% for academic leadership.

The candidate must have experience in the field of cybersecurity law and governance and in particular in cybersecurity law; standards, certification, code of conduct, and other soft- law instruments; or cybersecurity governance. The research of the candidate will be linked to the TILT Signature Research Plan: Regulating Socio-Technical Change. This is a forward-looking research program that seeks to shape the Department’s agenda for research and policy at the intersection of law, regulation, and technology. 

The successful candidate is expected to:

• have a PhD in law, with a specialization or demonstrable experience in cybersecurity issues;
• have a specialization in two of the three areas: 1) cybersecurity law 2) standards, certification, codes of conduct, and other soft- law instruments, or 3) cybersecurity governance; basic familiarity with the other area is considered a plus;
• have a strong track record in research and international, high-quality publications;
• have a track record in acquisition of national or European funding;
• have a track record publishing on governance mechanisms and soft law (e.g., standard-setting, certification, codes of conduct) and be willing to develop themselves further in this;
• have a strong interest in research valorization, demonstrated for example by active participation in policy-related events and projects
• have excellent communication and teamwork skills,
• have an established network of contacts and international recognition in the field of the vacancy;
• have experience or demonstrable interest in multidisciplinary research and willingness to develop themselves further in this;
• have good teaching skills and experience in teaching, including a UTQ (BKO);
• have academic citizenship: actively participating in the wider university community.
• be committed to being an active member of our team and the department, and to integrate into the environment provided by the department and the Law School;  
• be a collaborator with first-class communication skills, and have experience working in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments (affinity and experience should be evident from the candidate’s education or past performance in teaching, research or publications);  
• show scientific integrity and contribute to an open and diversified academic culture;  
• demonstrate personal leadership: you take responsibility for your work and career and possess a good level of self-knowledge;
• have an excellent command of written and spoken English (minimum CFR level C2); willingness to learn Dutch (CFR: B2 level).
• move to the Netherlands before the start of the employment. As Tilburg University provides in-person and hybrid education, the starting point is that all employees perform their work in the Netherlands.

What do we offer?
Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment: 

• A position based on 0,8 – 1,0 FTE (32 - 40 hours per week).
• A salary of minimum of €6.286 and maximum €7.651 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile Associate Professor 2 and salary scale 13. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant education and work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a structural position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 1 of the CLA DU. You will initially receive a temporary contract for the duration of 12 (internal candidates) or 18 (external candidates) months. If proven suitable and continuation in the same position, a permanent contract will be entered into after this period.
• 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 transportation.
• A monthly internet fee 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 outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the 30/20/10% tax facility.
• A pension with ABP; the most sustainable 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 Collective Labour Agreement of 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 Tilburg Law School 
Tilburg Law School was founded in 1963 and has since grown into a leading faculty for law and public administration. Our education and research are distinctly innovative and interdisciplinary. We are driven by our mission to actively engage with pressing societal challenges such as new technologies, sustainability, and the position of vulnerable groups in the rule of law, from the perspective of law and public governance. We operate in response to local, regional, national, and international developments, and collaborate closely with other disciplines such as economics, behavioral and social sciences, philosophy, history, and digital sciences. The faculty is organized into five departments: Public Law & Governance, Private, Business and Labour Law, Criminal Law, the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society, and Tax Law. 

Our education 
Tilburg Law School offers bachelor's programs in Law, Tax Law, Business Law and the English-taught Global Law program. We offer nine legal master's programs, five of which are offered in hybrid formats and six are taught in English. The faculty also offers both a bachelor's and a master's program in Public Governance. One of the focal points in our education is vulnerability in a legal, social and governance perspective. Through this, we aim to contribute to a just and sustainable society. Tilburg Law School is a frontrunner in educational innovation and values inclusive, accessible, and flexible education. We train our students to become knowledgeable, skilled, and critical academics who are equipped to navigate the complex challenges of the evolving (digital) society. 

Our research 
The five departments of Tilburg Law School closely collaborate in four distinctive research programs focusing on globalization and law, regulation of technology, vulnerability in criminal law, and sustainable private law relations. These research programs include both legal and public governance scholarships, as well as interdisciplinary approaches. 
We strongly emphasize team science, encouraging researchers to work together, share knowledge, and strengthen one another in content and methodology.

Regulating Socio-Technical Change
This program brings together a broad range of legal and non-legal disciplines, perspectives, and methodologies to form a comprehensive understanding of socio-technical changes. It focuses on three core questions: What are the regulatory challenges? How should they be addressed? And who are—or should be—the actors involved?

The Department Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, and Society (TILT) is home to teaching and research on the effects of socio-technical change on the regulation and management of economic activities in an era when digital technology is a key driver of innovation. 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. Our research program Regulating Socio-Technical Change brings together a broad range of legal and non-legal disciplines, perspectives, and methodologies to form a comprehensive understanding of socio-technical changes. It focuses on three core questions: What are the regulatory challenges? How should they be addressed? And who are—or should be—the actors involved? TILT builds on a vibrant and strong community of international and interdisciplinary researchers. Reading groups, lectures, departmental meetings and work-in- progress meetings are organized regularly. Social activities such as a monthly get-together are also hosted. We value meeting each other in person; we cherish and actively invest in an open, respectful, supportive, and inspiring atmosphere.

Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Prof. dr. Bert-Jaap Koops at E.J.Koops@tilburguniversity.edu. 

We cordially invite you to apply before August 24, 2025, (23:59 CEST); this can only be done online. Address your cover letter to Prof. dr. Maurice Adams. In order to make a good selection, we also ask you to provide the following documents: 

• Your resume
• An official copy of your university degree
• Publication list and one or two publications
• Contact details of at least two referees 
  We only approach referees in case of a second round of interviews