The department of Public Law and Governance (PLG) is looking for 3 PhD Candidates who will be working within the project ‘Causal Pattern Analysis of Economic Sovereignty’ (CaPANES), which is funded by the European Research Council (ERC, ERC Consolidator Grant 2021, nr 101044356). PLG is a large, diverse and interdisciplinary department, home to nearly 100 academic staff and a range of legal and social science disciplines. You will develop and grow in research, both individually and as part of a team of ambitious scholars.
  
As PhD Candidate in legal history, you will analyze the historical use of sovereignty concepts in cities of commerce. The CaPANES project hypothesizes that in the early modern period cities of commerce, even within states, had foreign relations of their own and made strategic use of legal terms that defined their economic sovereignty. The CaPANES project pursues legal-historical analysis of both the domestic context of cities of commerce and of their interactions with other cities and states. The CaPANES combines qualitative and quantitative methods (social network analysis, modelling), and aims to yield conclusions that are relevant also for discussions on present-day economic sovereignty. The PhD Candidates will analyze the law, institutions and correspondence of six cities of commerce (Florence, Toulouse, Rouen, Bruges, Southampton and Lübeck). The first PhD position is concerned with Bruges and Southampton (c. 1400-c. 1520), the second PhD position with Rouen and Lübeck (c. 1450-c. 1620) and the third one with Florence and Toulouse (c. 1400-c. 1550). 20% of the appointment may be dedicated to teaching and/or administration.

Tilburg University believes that academic excellence is achieved through the combination of excellent research and education, whereby societal impact is achieved by means of sharing knowledge. In doing so, we recognize that excellence is achieved not only through individual performance, but primarily through team efforts where each team member acts as a leader connecting people. 

You have studied law and/or history, and have written one or more papers on an institutional-historical or legal-historical topic. Candidates should demonstrate their interest in history and research methods (qualitative and⁄or quantitative). Acquaintance with archival research is a plus. 

Candidates are expected to combine good research skills with excellent networking and communicative skills and to have an entrepreneurial mindset.. You have scientific integrity and will contribute to an open and diversified culture of excellence. You are committed to becoming an active member of our team, the department, and the school.

For all three positions it is required that candidates have high proficiency in English, both written and spoken. Candidates for the first PhD position (Bruges-Southampton) have a good command of Dutch (reading). Candidates for the second PhD position (Rouen-Lübeck) have a good command of French (reading) and German or Dutch (reading). Candidates for the third PhD position (Florence-Toulouse) have a good command of French (reading) and Italian (reading). 

Tilburg University assumes the provision of face-to-face education. The starting point is that all employees perform their work in the Netherlands. This means, among other things, that new employees are expected to move to the Netherlands before the start of their employment.

Personal qualities/talents
You show personal leadership: you take responsibility for your work and career and possess a good level of self-knowledge.  
You have team spirit: you feel part of a team and express this through collaboration, sharing knowledge and experiences, and contributing to an open and inclusive work environment. 

Tilburg University is among the top employers in the Netherlands and has excellent terms of employment.

This is a position for 0.8 -1.0 FTE (32-40 hours per week). 

The salary amounts to a minimum of €2,541 and a maximum of €3,247 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile PhD Candidate and salary scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system for salary scaling that is based on relevant education and work experience.

You will initially be appointed for a fixed period of 16 months with a statutory probationary period of two months. After 12 months, an evaluation will take place. If the performance evaluation is positive, your employment agreement will be extended for the remaining period of 32 months.

You are entitled to a vacation allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3% of your gross annual income. If you work 40 hours per week, you will receive 41 paid days of leave per year.

Tilburg University offers excellent employment conditions with attention to flexibility and (personal) development and has excellent fringe benefits (one of the best non-profit employers in the Netherlands), such as an Options Model for employment conditions and an excellent reimbursement of moving expenses.

We make clear agreements on career paths and offer all kinds of facilities and arrangements to maintain an optimal balance between work and private life. You can also follow numerous training courses, for example, in the areas of leadership skills, personal effectiveness, and career development. 

All employees of the university are covered by the so-called General Pension Fund for Public Employers (Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP). Researchers from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax-free allowance of 30% of their taxable salary. The university applies for this allowance on their behalf. The university offers attractive fringe benefits (one of the best non-profit employers in the Netherlands),

Tilburg University values an open and inclusive culture. We embrace diversity and encourage the mutual integration of groups of employees and students. We focus on creating equal opportunities for all our employees and students so that everyone feels at home in our university community.

Tilburg University has a lively campus in beautiful green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport. We are committed to a sustainable society and challenge you to make an active contribution.

Please visit working at Tilburg University for more information on our terms of employment. 

Tilburg University

Tilburg University's motto is Understanding Society. Based on this vision, our more than 1,500 employees conduct research, inspire more than 19,000 students of 110 nationalities, and bring people from different disciplines and organizations together to learn from each other. In this way, we want to contribute to solving complex social issues. In doing so, we work from the fields of economics, business and entrepreneurship, social and behavioral sciences, law and public administration, humanities and digital sciences, and theology. We seek the connection between the various disciplines to find solutions to the major issues we face as a society. Our students are educated to become responsible and entrepreneurial thinkers, driven by solidarity, a sense of responsibility, and empathy, who are able to influence and give direction to a rapidly changing society in an innovative way. Tilburg University has a culture of collaboration and co-creation, at local, regional, national, and international level.

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; 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, skill 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 Organizations; and 4) Regulating Socio-Technical Change. 

Department of Public Law & Governance

The Department of Public Law & Governance (PLG) is a unique collaboration of researchers in the fields of International Law, European law, Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Environmental Law, Public Administration, Legal Philosophy, Political Science, Legal History, and Jurisprudence. Collaboration within the Department is very much inspired by joint research interests.