We are looking for candidates with a PhD in psychology or behavioral sciences. At the Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society, we engage in many research projects concerning technological and societal developments, such as facial recognition, data surveillance and nudging. We are looking for a person who can help our department, which is mostly populated with people having a background in law, philosophy and economy, by enriching our understanding of what actually are the psychological effect of these technologies, how they impact people’s lives and behavior and how they perceive data-driven technologies.

The candidate will be asked in particular to assist in a research project on the relationship between identity, privacy and trust. The traditional approach to privacy is that it revolves around the right or capacity of a person to block information-communication to others, for example by blocking access to one’s home, communication or body. Our project aims to understand to what extent privacy could also be conceived as revolving around blocking information communication to oneself (e.g. being confronted with an old photo of yourself in an experimental gothic phase or a tech company that has inferred a person’s early pregnancy even before she does and informs her through pregnancy-related advertisements). As a first part of the project, we would like the candidate to help us understand the psychological mechanisms in place in terms of identity formation and how confrontations with unwanted information about oneself affects a person’s sense of identity. As a second part of this project, we will look into the fact that we are moving to a future were data-driven organisations may have more information about a person than that person has about herself (e.g. her unconscious feeling/behaviour or data-driven predictions about her future health status). Although this creates an enormous power imbalance between citizens and data-driven organisations, and these organisations could abuse their power, people tend to trust data-driven organisations and networked devices. We want to the candidate to help us understand the psychological underpinnings of this trust relationship and the experience of trust in the mediated environment (e.g. how does the design of a device effect trust attitudes).  

If you are interested, we ask you to send us your CV, a motivation letter and a short research statement (maximum 2 pages). This helps us to assess how you would approach these two questions from your background and experience in psychology or behavioral science. What research methodology would you use, which literature is relevant, which specific aspects would you focus on, what are the results you envisage?

Applicants must:

• Hold a doctoral degree in psychology, behavioral science or a related discipline.
• As you will be working in a department within the Tilburg Law School, you should be able to work within your own discipline independently and be willing to translate your research findings to and explain them in a way that they inform and help other researchers dealing with legal, philosophical and regulatory questions.
• The project is for 2 years only, which is why we are looking for a researcher that will be actively looking for funding opportunities and write grant proposals to be able to continue his/her stay at TILT after the duration of this project.
• Have perfect command of English. Knowledge of Dutch would be an asset, but is not required.
• Be available to start working as soon as possible.
• Be present at Tilburg University during working hours (working from home 1 day a week is optional), and commit to integrate in the environment provided by LTMS and the Tilburg Law School.

Fixed-term contract: 1.0 FTE, 2 years position.

The appointment will be for a fixed period of two years. Depending on the candidates’ experience and qualifications, the starting gross salary will vary between € 3,637 and € 4,978 per month (full time) based on scale 11 of the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) Dutch Universities.
 
Tilburg University is rated among the top of Dutch employers, offering very good fringe benefits, such as the possibility to determine your benefits individually through a labor choice model and reimbursement of moving expenses. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary.

Tilburg University

Tilburg University operates in the area of the humanities and social sciences. More than 900 scientists work at one of our five Schools, focusing on economics, business and entrepreneurship, social and behavioral sciences, law and public administration, the humanities and digital sciences, and theology. More than 600 employees in the seven Divisions of University Services support the Schools.

Department of Law, Technology, Markets, and Society (LTMS)

Home of Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology and Society (TILT) and Tilburg Law & Economics Center (TILEC)

By joining forces, the two centers foster a richer understanding on the effects of socio-technical change on the regulation and governance of economic activity in an age where information technology is a key driver for innovation.