PhD Strategy Economics

The Strategy Economics research group in the Applied Economics Department is seeking a full time PhD student starting on September 1, 2026. The topic of the PhD will broadly fall within the area of strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship with an economics and quantitative empirical focus. The exact topic will be chosen in coordination between the successful candidate and supervisors.

Job description
This PhD project is situated in the Strategy Economics research group. Building on the group’s expertise, the vision for this project is to apply economic theories like real options theory or signalling theory to the area of strategy, innovation and/or entrepreneurship with a quantitative empirical focus.

Specific topics may include (but are not limited to): Strategic (re)positioning of firms, R&D collaboration, startup acquisition, and startup wage setting. The PhD project will be primarily empirical, with a focus on applying modern micro-econometric methods to large scale datasets such as administrative data. The exact topic will be chosen in coordination between the successful candidate and supervisors.

The successful candidate will be part of the Strategy Economics group within the Department of Applied Economics. This group contributes to theory-based empirical research on the organisation of firms, industries and markets. The group has produced a large set of publications in international leading academic journals.

As a final output, the candidate is expected to write at least 3 academic papers (cumulative PhD thesis) with the aim to be submitted to journals in Economics and related fields during or after the PhD trajectory.

The successful candidate will be able to choose an affiliation with ERIM or Tinbergen Institute depending on personal preference and the specific research topic.

General Requirements:

• MPhil or Research Master’s degree in Economics or Econometrics is preferred
  
  • Candidates with an MSc or MA degree are required to successfully complete 1 year of courses at the graduate school they are part of (Research Qualifications at the Tinbergen Institute or courses at ERIM)
• Excellent study results for both the bachelor and master’s degree
• Interest in and strong motivation for scientific research explained in a statement of purpose.
• Strong skills in quantitative empirical analysis/applied micro-econometrics.
• GRE test is required for all entering PhD students. Valid GRE (revised) General Test results are required from all PhD applicants (all 3 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing). Successful applicants typically perform among the top-10% of test-takers on the quantitative part of the GRE; applicants with a Q score below 160 will not be considered.
• Excellent command of English. Applicants whose native language is not English are therefore required to demonstrate English proficiency by:
  
  • proof that the language of instruction of their entire university education (bachelor and master programme) was English, or;
  • scoring at least 100 on the TOEFL iBT test or 7.5 on the IELTS test.
• Two (academic) reference letters, preferably from a thesis supervisor or research project supervisor. Please send letter to doctoraloffice@ese.eur.nl
• Curriculum Vitae

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 September 2026 and you will be based at Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). This position is for 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 3.059 to a maximum of € 3.881 gross per month on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The PhD track lasts 3 (following an MPhil or Research Master) or 4 years (following an MSc). The intitial contract is entered into for the duration of 18 months.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME or QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare (daycare not paid for by EUR).
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the 30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service
Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) is a leading school in economics in The Netherlands. It has a strong international reputation and aims to do outstanding research. Moreover, it provides excellent education at the BA., MA. and Ph.D. levels. Much research at Erasmus School of Economics is policy relevant, has social impact, and offers a strong research culture, ample research resources, and comparatively low teaching loads.
www.eur.nl/en/ese

The Strategy Economics group covers economic areas where strategic decision making of firms, managers, entrepreneurs, and innovators are studied vis-à-vis institutional and political varying sectoral, urban, and regional contexts. Research in this group addresses crucial sorting, heterogeneity, and causality issues on these themes.

Contact persons:

Dr. Jolanda Hessels (hessels@ese.eur.nl)

Prof. Dr. Enrico Pennings (pennings@ese.eur.nl)

For questions about the application procedure please contact:

Lindsey Pijpers (PhD Officer) – doctoraloffice@ese.eur.nl

Reference letters are not requested automatically and should be submitted to doctoraloffice@ese.eur.nl