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PhD in Economics at Tilburg University on Digital Technology and Women Empowerment Tilburg University in Netherlands
Degree Level
PhD
Field of study
Sociology
Funding
PhD position with salary from €3,204 gross per month in year 1 up to €4,051 gross per month in year 4 for full-time employment. The contract is initially 18 months, then potentially renewed for 30 months if suitable. Includes travel budget for PhD courses, research visits, fieldwork in Kenya, and conferences, plus standard university benefits.
Deadline
Oct 15, 2026
Country
Netherlands
University
Tilburg University
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About this position
Tilburg University’s Tilburg School of Economics and Management is recruiting a PhD candidate in Economics for the NWO-funded project Digital Technology and Women Empowerment. The project is led by Prof. Patricio Dalton and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis, with collaboration from Dr. Elena Cettolin and Dr. Grace Wamue Ngare, and involves partners in Kenya.
The research focuses on development economics, gender economics, entrepreneurship, household economics, experimental economics, and structural econometrics. The PhD researcher will be the primary field researcher on a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Nairobi, Kenya, studying whether digital business technology can improve women entrepreneurs’ performance and empowerment through income and time-use channels.
Main responsibilities include refining the experimental design and survey instruments, coordinating recruitment of eligible firms, liaising with local partners and survey teams, supporting the intervention, supervising fieldwork and enumerator training, managing and analyzing data, contributing to structural model development, and writing academic and policy outputs. The dissertation will be developed within this project, and the candidate will also gain teaching and supervision experience.
Eligibility highlights: an academic Master’s or MPhil/Research Master’s degree in economics, econometrics, or a closely related field; excellent academic record; hands-on RCT experience in low- or middle-income countries; strong quantitative skills; and English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL/Cambridge, with possible exemptions). Candidates from outside the EU should provide a recent GRE or GMAT score, and EU research-university graduates should have sufficient quantitative/research-methods coursework.
Funding and conditions: full-time 1.0 FTE position with a salary from €3,204 gross per month in year 1 to €4,051 gross per month in year 4, plus travel budget for courses, research visits, fieldwork in Kenya, and conferences. The initial contract is 18 months, with possible extension to 30 months if suitable.
Application deadline: 15 October 2026. Apply online and submit a cover letter addressed to the two supervisors, CV, transcripts, degree documents, thesis or research output, references, proof of English proficiency or exemption request, and GRE/GMAT if applicable.
Funding details
PhD position with salary from €3,204 gross per month in year 1 up to €4,051 gross per month in year 4 for full-time employment. The contract is initially 18 months, then potentially renewed for 30 months if suitable. Includes travel budget for PhD courses, research visits, fieldwork in Kenya, and conferences, plus standard university benefits.
What's required
Applicants need an academic Master’s or MPhil/Research Master’s degree in economics, econometrics, or a closely related field, with an excellent academic record (top 10% guideline). Demonstrated hands-on experience implementing randomized controlled trials in low- or middle-income countries is required, with strong preference for Sub-Saharan Africa and work with firms or entrepreneurs. Experience with survey programming, field protocols, data-quality monitoring, and statistical software such as Stata, R, or Python is an asset. Candidates should have strong organizational and communication skills, be willing to spend extended periods in Kenya, and have interest in development economics, entrepreneurship, gender economics, household economics, and structural econometric modelling. English proficiency is required via IELTS 7.0 overall with no sub-score below 6.5, TOEFL 100 iBT/600 paper, Cambridge CAE B, or Cambridge CPE, with possible exemptions for native speakers or certain English-taught degrees. A solid quantitative background is required; EU research-university graduates need at least 24 ECTS in quantitative/research methods, otherwise GRE or GMAT may be submitted, and non-EU graduates must provide a recent GRE or GMAT score.
How to apply
Apply online before 15 October 2026. Address the cover letter to Prof. Patricio Dalton and Dr. Alexandros Theloudis, and upload your CV plus the requested documents including motivation letter, transcripts, thesis or research output, references, English proof or exemption request, and GRE/GMAT if applicable.
More information can be found here
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