PhD Funded Position in Economics at Tilburg University – Netherlands

Tilburg University is inviting applications for a PhD candidate position in Economics at the CentER Graduate School of Economics in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The position is part of the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) and is connected to an NWO-funded research project on digital technology and women’s empowerment in low-income settings.

The successful candidate will work on the project “Digital Technology and Women Empowerment”, led by Prof. Patricio Dalton and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis. The research combines a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Nairobi, Kenya, with structural modelling of household time allocation and intra-household bargaining.

This is a four-year, full-time PhD position beginning ideally on January 1, 2027, or earlier if mutually feasible. The position offers a starting gross monthly salary of €3,204, increasing to €4,051 in the fourth year.

The role is particularly suitable for candidates with a strong background in economics, econometrics, development economics, experimental economics, causal inference, household economics, or structural econometrics, as well as practical experience conducting field research or randomized controlled trials in low- and middle-income countries.

Key Details

Detail	Information
University	Tilburg University
School	Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM)
Graduate School	CentER Graduate School of Economics
Department	Department of Economics
Position	PhD Candidate in Economics
Research Project	Digital Technology and Women Empowerment
Location	Tilburg, Netherlands
Fieldwork Location	Nairobi, Kenya
Employment	Full-time, 1.0 FTE
Working Hours	40 hours per week
Duration	4 years
Starting Salary	€3,204 gross per month
Fourth-Year Salary	Up to €4,051 gross per month
Expected Start Date	January 1, 2027, or earlier
Application Deadline	October 15, 2026
Requisition ID	24488

About the PhD Research Project

The PhD position is part of the NWO-funded project Digital Technology and Women Empowerment. The project investigates whether digital business technology can improve the performance and empowerment of women entrepreneurs in low-income settings.

The research focuses on two important channels: income and time use. It will examine whether access to and use of digital business technology can affect women’s economic opportunities, business performance, allocation of time, and decision-making within households.

A central component of the research is a large-scale randomized controlled trial in Nairobi, Kenya. The empirical work will be combined with structural modelling of household time allocation and intra-household bargaining. This combination gives the PhD candidate an opportunity to work across several areas of modern economics, including development economics, gender economics, entrepreneurship, household economics, experimental methods, and structural econometrics.

Your Role as a PhD Candidate

The successful candidate will serve as the primary field researcher for the project. The role involves substantial involvement in the planning, implementation, monitoring, and analysis of the randomized controlled trial. You will work closely with the principal investigators, Prof. Patricio Dalton and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis, as well as Dr. Elena Cettolin, Dr. Grace Wamue Ngare of Kenyatta University, and research partners in Kenya.

Because the project includes several stages of fieldwork, candidates should be prepared to spend substantial periods in Kenya. This may include time during the research design, pilot, baseline data collection, intervention implementation, and follow-up phases. The position therefore combines academic research with practical fieldwork and international research collaboration.

Main Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will cover the full research process. These include refining and implementing the experimental design and survey instruments and coordinating the listing and recruitment of eligible firms.

You will also liaise with local research partners and the survey organization, support the design and implementation of the encouragement intervention, and supervise fieldwork activities. Another important part of the position will be ensuring high-quality data collection. You will contribute to enumerator training, field protocols, and data-quality monitoring.

On the analytical side, you will manage, clean, and analyse the experimental data. You will also contribute to the development and estimation of the structural model. The research will ultimately contribute to academic publications and policy-oriented outputs. Your PhD dissertation will be developed within the broader project, with the precise collection of papers determined jointly with your supervisors.

PhD Training at CentER Graduate School of Economics

As part of the position, you will be enrolled in the CentER Graduate School of Economics PhD programme. The training programme can be adapted to your previous academic preparation through an agreement with your supervisors. This allows candidates to strengthen areas that are particularly relevant to their research project.

The position also includes a travel budget that can support PhD-level courses outside CentER, research visits, fieldwork in Kenya, and participation in academic conferences. Your working time will be divided between research and academic development. Approximately 80% of your time will be devoted to completing your PhD research, while 20% will be dedicated to acquiring academic skills through teaching courses and supervising Bachelor’s and Master’s theses.

Eligibility and PhD Requirements

Applicants should hold an academic Master’s, MPhil, or Research Master’s degree in economics, econometrics, or a closely related discipline that provides equivalent preparation for doctoral research. An excellent academic record is expected. Being in approximately the top 10% of your class is given as a guideline.

Previous hands-on experience implementing randomized controlled trials in low- or middle-income countries is an important requirement. Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and research involving firms or entrepreneurs is particularly desirable.

Practical experience with survey programming, fieldwork protocols, data-quality monitoring, and statistical software such as Stata, R, or Python will be an advantage. Candidates should also demonstrate strong organizational and communication skills. Since the research requires extensive collaboration in Kenya, applicants must be comfortable coordinating with local research partners, technology providers, survey teams, and study participants.

A strong interest in development economics, entrepreneurship, gender economics, and household economics is expected. Candidates should also be willing to develop or strengthen their skills in structural econometric modelling.

English Language Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English. Accepted qualifications include:

• IELTS: minimum overall score of 7.0, with no sub-score below 6.5
• TOEFL: minimum score of 100 internet-based or 600 paper-based
• Cambridge CAE: at least grade B
• Cambridge CPE

Exemptions may be available for native English speakers or candidates who completed both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English in Europe, Canada, the United States, Australia, or New Zealand.

Quantitative Background Requirements

Applicants should have a solid quantitative background suitable for advanced economics research. Candidates with an MSc or MPhil from a research university in the European Union should have at least 24 ECTS in quantitative and research methods courses across their Bachelor’s and/or Master’s programme.

If this requirement has not been met, a GRE or GMAT score may be submitted as evidence of quantitative competence. Candidates with an MSc or MPhil degree from a university outside the European Union are expected to provide a recent GRE or GMAT score.

Salary and Employment Benefits

The PhD position is a 1.0 FTE appointment, equivalent to 40 hours per week. The salary starts at €3,204 gross per month during the first year and can increase to €4,051 gross per month in the fourth year for full-time employment. The position follows the UFO profile for Promovendus and salary scale P.

The initial contract is temporary for 18 months to assess the candidate’s suitability. The evaluation is expected to take place after approximately 14 months. If the candidate is considered suitable, the initial contract will be followed by another fixed-term contract of 30 months, completing the four-year PhD programme. Additional employment benefits include 8% vacation pay and an 8.3% year-end bonus.

Employees receive more than eight weeks of vacation leave and can work partly on campus and partly from home. A home-office allowance of €2 per day is available under the applicable conditions.

Tilburg University also provides sustainable commuting reimbursement for walking, cycling, and public transportation, along with a €25 monthly internet allowance. Other benefits include an Options Model that allows employees to exchange certain benefits for additional leave, increased pension contributions, a bicycle, or personal training at the university’s Sports Center.

Eligible employees may receive a moving allowance, while employees from outside the Netherlands may qualify for the 30/20/10% tax facility, subject to applicable conditions. The employment package also includes an ABP pension, professional development opportunities, career and leadership training, education and research training, and language courses through the university’s Language Center.

Research Environment at Tilburg University

Tilburg University is an international academic community focused on research and education that contribute to broad prosperity, sustainability, and inclusion. The university has approximately 19,500 students from 110 nationalities and nearly 3,000 employees. Its academic work addresses major societal themes such as digitalization, the inclusive labour market, energy transition, healthcare, and preventive care.

For this PhD position, the research environment is especially relevant because it brings together development economics, experimental economics, causal inference, household economics, and structural econometrics.

Tilburg School of Economics and Management

The Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) is an internationally recognized research and education centre in business and economics. The school combines a strong research orientation with a collegial academic environment and offers undergraduate and graduate programmes to approximately 7,000 students.

TiSEM also maintains extensive connections with policymakers and industry at regional, national, and international levels. These relationships provide opportunities for researchers to connect academic findings with real-world economic and policy questions.

Department of Economics and Research Collaboration

The successful candidate will be based in the Department of Economics at Tilburg School of Economics and Management. The position involves close collaboration with the Department of Econometrics and Operations Research and its Structural Econometrics Group.

This research environment provides access to expertise across development economics, experimental and behavioural economics, causal inference, household economics, and structural econometrics. The project also offers valuable international field-research experience through collaboration with academic partners in Kenya and a professional survey and implementation partner.

Application Documents

Applicants must submit their application online and provide a complete set of documents. The application should include a letter of motivation addressed to Prof. Patricio Dalton and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis. The letter should explain your research interests and briefly describe your experience implementing RCTs or conducting other field research in low- and middle-income countries. You should also provide a current curriculum vitae, together with official copies of your university degree and complete BSc and MSc transcripts.

Applicants must submit a PDF copy of their Master’s thesis or another research-oriented piece of work, such as a Bachelor’s thesis or term paper. The submitted work must be single-authored or first-authored. Candidates who are still completing their Master’s thesis may submit a draft.

At least two references must be provided, including their exact contact details.You should also provide proof of English proficiency or request an applicable exemption. Where relevant, applicants should include a recent GRE or GMAT score.

Finally, the application should include the course list and grades from both your Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. This position offers a strong combination of academic economics research and international field experience. The PhD candidate will not only analyse experimental data but also participate directly in the design and implementation of a randomized controlled trial.The Nairobi fieldwork provides an opportunity to gain practical experience in development research while working with firms, entrepreneurs, survey teams, technology providers, and academic partners.

The project is also well suited to candidates interested in understanding how digital technologies affect economic opportunities for women. Its combination of gender economics, entrepreneurship, household decision-making, experimental research, and structural econometrics creates a broad research platform for a doctoral dissertation.For researchers aiming for an academic career in economics, the position also provides opportuni

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online before October 15, 2026: APPLY NOW Candidates who would like additional information about the position can contact Prof. Patricio Dalton or Dr. Alexandros Theloudis using the contact details; Feel free to contact Prof. Patricio Dalton at p.s.dalton@tilburguniversity.edu and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis at A.Theloudis@tilburguniversity.edu.

The first selection interviews are expected to take place in October or November 2026, with exact dates communicated to shortlisted candidates.The successful candidate is ideally expected to start on January 1, 2027, or earlier if mutually feasible.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Tilburg University PhD position about?

The position focuses on the NWO-funded Digital Technology and Women Empowerment project. It investigates whether digital business technology can improve the performance and empowerment of women entrepreneurs in low-income settings.

Where will the PhD research take place?

The PhD candidate will be based at Tilburg University in the Netherlands but will spend substantial periods in Nairobi, Kenya, supporting different stages of the randomized controlled trial.

What is the application deadline?

The application deadline is October 15, 2026. Applications can only be submitted online.

When does the PhD position start?

The desired starting date is January 1, 2027, or earlier if mutually feasible.

How long is the PhD contract?

The programme is designed as a four-year full-time PhD position. The initial employment contract lasts 18 months and is followed by a 30-month fixed-term contract if the suitability assessment is successful.

What is the salary for this PhD position?

The salary is €3,204 gross per month in the first year, increasing to as much as €4,051 gross per month in the fourth year for full-time employment.

What degree do I need?

Applicants should have an academic Master’s, MPhil, or Research Master’s degree in economics, econometrics, or a closely related field.

Is RCT experience required?

Yes. The vacancy specifically asks for hands-on experience implementing randomized controlled trials in low- or middle-income countries. Experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and with firms or entrepreneurs is strongly preferred.

What statistical software skills are useful?

Experience with Stata, R, or Python is an asset. Experience with survey programming, field protocols, and data-quality monitoring is also valuable.

What English test score is required?

Applicants generally need an IELTS score of at least 7.0 with no sub-score below 6.5, a TOEFL score of 100 internet-based or 600 paper-based, Cambridge CAE at least B, or Cambridge CPE. Certain exemptions are available.

Do I need GRE or GMAT?

Candidates with an MSc or MPhil from a university outside the EU should provide a recent GRE or GMAT score. EU applicants who do not meet the stated 24 ECTS quantitative and research-methods requirement may also use a GRE or GMAT score to demonstrate quantitative competence.

Candidates should have an excellent academic record, relevant economics or econometrics training, and practical RCT experience in low- or middle-income countries. Because the selection interviews are expected shortly after the application deadline, applicants should prepare their research materials well in advance.

Application deadline: October 15, 2026.
Expected start date: January 1, 2027, or earlier if mutually feasible.