This time of transition calls for people who can further advance the world and science forward. People who, in keeping with our values, are curious, connecting, caring, and courageous.

Opportunity for a PhD position: 
There is a PhD position available for a project funded by the Dutch Scientific Council (NWO), entitled The Synergy between Semidefinite Programming and Approximation Theory.
This concerns a 4-year paid PhD position in the Department of Econometrics and Operations Research. 

A master’s degree in (Applied) Mathematics, Operations Research, or a related discipline is required, and specialized knowledge of Approximation Theory and/or Semidefinite Programming would be ideal. More generally, a solid background in numerical analysis and mathematical optimization is necessary for this project.

The envisaged starting date for the position is December 1st, 2024, but a later date is negotiable. Applications will be dealt with on a first-come-first-serve basis until the position is filled. To get an idea of the topic of the proposal, potential candidates are encouraged to look at the preprints https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.04190, https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.19219 and https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.10438 before applying.

Please be aware that the PhD program in Business requires that you follow PhD courses in the first year. The courseload amounts to 36 ECTS, which is the equivalent for 6 full courses. The course program is composed by your supervisor and PhD program coordinator. 
 
PhD position
When you will be hired as a PhD candidate, you will be enrolled as a PhD candidate in the world-class PhD program of CentER Graduate School for Economics and Business. PhD candidates are supervised by two faculty advisors, of which at least one is senior. There is also a travel budget for attending PhD level courses outside of CentER, work visits and conferences. 80% of the position’s time will be dedicated to the completion of your PhD research, and 20% to the acquisition of academic skills through teaching courses and supervising master/bachelor theses within the department.
Depending on the assessment of previous coursework, you may need to take some extra courses to complement skills.

Requirements 
Tilburg University believes that academic excellence is achieved through the combination of outstanding research and education, in which social impact is made by sharing knowledge. We recognize that excellence is achieved through team effort and individual skills. 
 
More specifically, we are looking for a candidate who has:

1. An academic Master’s or MPhil/Research master’s degree in operations research, (applied) mathematics or another relevant field.
2. Completed the previous degree with an excellent GPA (top 10% of class as guideline)
3. Proficiency in English to be proven by means of an IELTS score of at least 7.0, with no sub scores below 6.5, a TOEFL score of at least 100 (internet based) or 600 (paper based), a Cambridge CAE (at least B) or a Cambridge CPE. Exemptions can be provided upon request to native English speakers or to candidates who have obtained their bachelor’s and master’s degree in English in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, or New Zealand.
4. A solid quantitative background, to be proven in one of the following ways:
   1. candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a Research University in the European Union need to have at least 24 ECTS credits in quantitative and research methods courses during their BSc and/or MSc or MPhil programs. If this is not the case, but you would still like to be considered for admission, you are welcome to hand in a GRE or GMAT test score to show your quantitative competences.
   2. candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a university outside the European Union: please provide a recent GRE or GMAT test score.

Your valuable contribution will be rewarded with attractive benefits and sufficient attention to work-life balance. Our offer includes:
 
PhD position 

• A position based on 1,0 fte (40 hours per week)
• An appointment for the total of 48 months. The selected candidate will initially be appointed for 18 months, with an extension for the following 30 months based on a positive evaluation. The evaluation will take place after about 14 months.
• A starting gross salary is € 2,770 per month (for a full-time appointment) in the first year, up to € 3,539 in the final year, based on salary scale P of the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.

In addition to your monthly salary, you will receive 41 vacation days (for a 40-hour work week), a holiday allowance (8%), and a year-end bonus (8.3%). We reimburse the full cost of sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, or public transportation. We have a moving expenses scheme that makes it attractive to live close to the university. You will be enrolled in the ABP pension fund through us. Our Options Model allows you to choose from a variety of facilities at a tax advantage. You can work in a hybrid manner: on campus and from home. Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for temporarily a tax-free allowance of 30% (tax regulation may change as of January 1, 2024) of their taxable salary if they meet the relevant conditions. The university applies for this allowance on their behalf. 

Your work environment
You will work in a pleasant working environment; a green campus with plenty of facilities. At a leading, entrepreneurial, and innovative university in the humanities and social sciences. The university employs 2,400 staff members and hosts 20,000 students of some 100 different nationalities. For nearly a century, this organization has worked together with a tradition aimed at contributing to society. We strive to be a community where differences in age, gender, orientation, and cultural and religious backgrounds are valued, with equal opportunities for colleagues and students and where, moreover, all decisions take into account the importance of preserving the Earth for future generations.  
Read more about the university here.

Increasing your value 
Tilburg University is rated among the top Dutch employers and has excellent terms of employment.
With us, you will find everything you need to maximize your potential and development. We offer excellent facilities and support for research, education, and making societal impact. In all three of these areas, we “recognize and reward” you in line with national university aspirations. With great opportunities such as collaborating in an academic collaborative center or participating in our Connected Leading program. We attach great importance to team spirit and have a clear, shared vision of (personal) leadership (Connected Leading). Developing qualities such as self-reflection, dialogue, and transparency are central to this. We expect managers to embrace this and continue developing in this respect. Read more about careers at Tilburg University and personal development here.   

Tilburg School of Economics and Management

Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) is one of Europe’s leading centers for research in business and economics, with research rankings consistently among’s Europe’s top 10 across various business domain. In addition to the strong research focus and collegial research climate, it offers a wide variety of educational programs at the undergraduate and graduate level, with about 7,000 students enrolled. The School is well-connected to both policy makers and industry in the region and internationally, providing ample opportunities for creating impact with research.
Tilburg School of Economics and Management

If you have any further questions regarding this opening, please do not hesitate to contact Professor Etienne de Klerk at e.deklerk@tilburguniversity.edu.