Postdoctoral researcher digital legal history

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with skills in digital humanities, to work with us as part of the CaPANES-project (ERC Consolidator Grant ‘Causal Pattern Analysis of Economic Sovereignty’). This project addresses economic sovereignty of commercial cities in the period of c. 1400-c. 1620. You will be part of a vibrant team of fourteen legal historians, within the Department of Public Law and Governance.  

As postdoctoral researcher you will be responsible for the development and assessment of social network analyses that will be part of the ongoing research within the CaPANES-project. The CaPANES project integrates network analysis as a method to study contacts and diplomatic relations between trading cities in Western Europe. In addition, the dispersal and use of concepts will be combined with prosopographical data (semantic social network analysis). Moreover, the postdoctoral researcher will set up agent-based models for testing the interactions and loops between variables of intra-city developments. Within cities, social, economic and political phenomena had an impact on the self-perception of the city in terms of their sovereignty and autonomy. You will publish on the use of digital methods to answer legal-historical questions. 

You will be working within the Department of Public Law and Governance. The CaPANES-project is part of the theme ‘Urban Constitutionalism’, which is one of the axes of the Signature Plan ‘Global Law and Governance’. The PLG Department hosts legal scholars, sociologists and governance scholars. PLG is a welcome environment for interdisciplinary research. 

What do we ask? 
Tilburg University is curious about how you can contribute to our research, education, impact, and to the team you will be part of. Therefore, we would like to get the best possible picture of your knowledge, insight, skills, and personality. Below you can find the qualifications we consider important for the position.

• You have a PhD on a legal-historical, political-historical or institutional-historical topic, preferably for the later Middle Ages or early modern period
• You have knowledge of digital humanities’ methods, in particular social-network analysis; if not acquired already, you are willing to learn agent-based modelling
• You have high proficiency of English, and are willing to learn Dutch
• You have a portfolio of international, peer reviewed publications
• You demonstrate scientific integrity 
• You will contribute to an open and inclusive organizational culture
• 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.

To maintain a vibrant and active university community, it is important that we meet each other regularly and that the connection between us remains good. Therefore, the premise is that all staff members carry out their work in the Netherlands.

What do we offer?
Tilburg University offers excellent terms of employment with attention to flexibility and room for (personal) development. We recognize and reward our employees and encourage the use of talents and strengths.

Tilburg University is committed to an open and inclusive culture, embracing diversity, and encouraging the mutual integration of groups of staff and students. We create equal opportunities for all our staff and students so that everyone feels at home in our university community. 

We work in a vibrant and lively (work) environment on our beautiful campus, close to the forest and easily accessible by public transport. We are committed to a sustainable society and challenge you to make an active contribution to this. 

For this position, we offer:

• A position based on 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week);
• It is a vacancy for 2 years (one time renewable, max. duration 32 months);
• A salary of minimum 4.332 € and maximum 5.929 € gross per month for full time employment, based on UFO profile Researcher 3 and salary scale 11 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;
• Vacation allowance (8%) and a year-end bonus (8.3%);
• Vacation days (41 days for a 40-hour work week);
• Full reimbursement of commuting expenses for sustainable travel: walking, biking and public transportation;
• Moving allowance;
• Options Model for benefits and reimbursement of expenses;
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a tax-free allowance of 30% of their taxable wages. We will apply for this reimbursement for you;
• You will be enrolled in the General Pension Fund for Public Employers (ABP) through us;
• Various training courses, for example in leadership skills, personal effectiveness, and career development;
• A wide range of amenities and facilities and various arrangements to create an optimal work-life balance.

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

Tilburg University's motto is Understanding Society. Based on this vision, our almost 2,800 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. 

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.

Please attach the following documents to the application:

1. cover letter
2. CV
3. official copy of your PhD degree
4. best publication and publication list
5. contact information of at least two referees (including name, phone number, and e-mail address). 

The first selection interviews will take place on 24 November 2023. Tilburg Law School uses structured interviews and part of this is a permanent appointment advisory committee. This committee consists of the following members:  

1. Prof. D. De ruysscher, professor of legal history, PI of the CaPANES project      
2. Dr M. den Hollander, assistant-professor legal history      
3. Gaby Coenen, manager of the PLG Department      

Ideally, you will start working for Tilburg University on 2 January 2024.