PhD candidate in Governance and Legal History of Water Quality

Are you eager to investigate how centuries-old governance practices might reshape our understanding of contemporary water management? Tilburg Law School is seeking an ambitious PhD candidate to examine what today’s governance of water quality can learn from early modern cities. By tracing how civic communities once organised and enforced measures to protect water resources, the project connects historical practices to contemporary policy challenges. In this role you will conduct archival research, engage with experts in contemporary governance, and contribute actively to academic debates. We offer a four-year PhD position in the field of governance and legal history of water quality within the Department of Public Law and Governance.

Your position
Tilburg Law School is seeking a PhD candidate who will investigate how today’s governance of water quality can learn from early modern urban democratic practices. Water pollution has a long history, and early modern cities took many measures to control water quality. Most of them were likely initiated and enforced by civic collectives such as guilds, neighbourhoods, and urban officials. Early modern governments, facing rapid growth without strong state support, tended to improvise solutions preferably at the lowest governmental level.

Under supervision of Dr. Merlijn van Hulst and Dr. Marco in ‘t Veld the candidate dives into the history of water quality in cities across the Rhine Delta. How did early modern cities address water quality? How were citizens involved in shaping these practices? What insights do these historical practices provide for rethinking contemporary water governance?

To answer such questions, you will conduct archival research in several relevant cities while also comparing your findings to contemporary governance practices. To investigate parallels between past and present, the candidate engages with expertise and experts in contemporary (water) governance through literature study, interviews, and conferences. The candidate is guided towards disseminating results in international conferences, academic articles, and ultimately a dissertation (in English). There is ample opportunity to contribute your own ideas to take initiatives. The candidate is dedicating 80 percent of their time to research and 20 percent to teaching. In this way, you can work on further developing your academic career.

The research is situated at the intersection of public administration and legal history. Supervision of the governance aspects of the project will be provided by Merlijn van Hulst, while Marco in ‘t Veld will supervise the legal-historical component. Both the public administration scholars and the legal historians at the department form vibrant and close-knit teams. To a significant extent, they work on related topics, which allows for substantive exchange. In the light of this exchange of ideas and to foster social cohesion, we expect the candidate to work on our beautiful, green Tilburg University campus for at least two to three days per week. On other days, you may also work from home.

The department regularly organises team-building and social events, allowing you to get to know your colleagues better and to feel at home within the Department of Public Law and Governance. In the context of the Tilburg Graduate Law School you will be invited for methodology courses aiming to provide tools for managing a PhD project and improving various research skills. This will also facilitate the process of connecting with fellow PhD candidates.

Tilburg University is curious about how you can contribute to our research, education, impact, and to the team you will be part of. Therefore, we would like to get the best possible picture of your knowledge, insight, skills, and personality. Below you can find the qualifications we consider important for the position.

The candidate:

• Holds a master’s degree in law, public administration or history, preferably but not necessary with a focus relevant to the position. As a current master student, you are welcome to apply as long as you will complete your master program before 1 September 2026;
• Has a high proficiency (CEFR C2 level) in English and Dutch, allowing for effective communication and documentation;
• Has excellent research skills and is eager to develop new ones;
• Possesses strong conceptual abilities.
• Is ready to learn from and collaborate with researchers from a wide range of backgrounds;
• Is proactive, can work independently, and brings creativity and vision to their work;
• Has good organisational skills;
• Prior experience with archival research is considered a plus;
• Has an interest in teaching and supervising students at bachelor and/or master level (e.g., tutorial groups, thesis supervision).

To maintain a vibrant university community, all staff members are expected to carry out their work in the Netherlands, and teaching is conducted in person.

International PhD candidates with scholarships below the applicable IND income standard (currently €2,191.80 per month excluding vacation pay) are unfortunately not eligible for this vacancy.

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• A position based on 1.0 fte (40 hours per week).
• A salary of minimum €3,059 and maximum €3,881 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile PhD student and salary scale P. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a PhD in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 sub b CLA DU. You will initially be given a temporary contract for the duration of 18 months to assess your suitability. If suitable, this contract will be followed by a new fixed-term contract.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• Hybrid working with home working allowance (€2 p/day) and internet allowance (€25 p/month).
• Reimbursement sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport.
• 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.
• Moving allowance (subject to conditions).
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the 30/20/10% scheme.
• 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 green, inviting campus that’s 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 Tilburg Law School

Since its founding in 1963, Tilburg Law School has become one of the leading law schools in Europe.  Through top research and the provision of high-quality university education, the School contributes to society. Tilburg Law School is organized into five Departments: Public Law and Governance; Tilburg Institute for Law, Technology, Markets and Society; Private, Business and Labour Law; the Fiscal Institute Tilburg; and Criminal Law. The mission of the School is to understand and improve the role of law and public administration in addressing the social problems of today and tomorrow. Through research and education, our scholars contribute to that mission.

More than 4,000 students pursue a Bachelor's, pre-Master's or Master's degree at Tilburg Law School. Through this education, we train students in law, public administration, and data science. The Tilburg Educational Profile (TEP) is unique in the Netherlands. Central to it are three core concepts: knowledge, skills, and character. A university education provides students with the latest substantive knowledge and trains them to be critical thinkers and resilient professionals. In addition, the School is committed to innovative educational concepts and, partly in response to the coronavirus crisis, has invested heavily in the quality of online education and in innovative didactic tools to make and keep students inquisitive.

Tilburg Law School's research is highly regarded nationally and internationally. The Tilburg Law School Departments work closely together in their research in four signature research programs: 1) Global Law and Governance; 2) Law and Security; 3) Connecting Responsible Organizations; and 4) Regulating Socio-Technical Change.

About the department of Public Law & Governance

The Department of Public Law & Governance is a unique collaboration of researchers in the field of Public Law and Public Administration, in which various disciplines work together: International Law, European law, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Public Administration, Legal Philosophy, Political Science, Legal History and Jurisprudence.

We kindly invite you to apply before 27 February 2026; this can only be done online.

Please address your cover letter to Inge Graef and attach your resume, your masters’ diploma, your master’s thesis and the filled in TIRO application form (which can be found here). We look forward to your response.