PhD positions in Information Systems & Operations Management

The Department of Information Systems and Operations Management is a growing high-quality high-impact research group in Tilburg University’s School of Economics and Management. Faculty span a wide range of research topics and methods. Recently, we have grown substantially in size and in research output, with in particular an outstanding group of junior and mid-career faculty. Our leading faculty publish in premier outlets such as those in the FT50 journal list. In addition, a subset of our PhD projects are sponsored by industry and research council funding, and address directly impactful societal challenges. We have close collaboration with a number of research centers at our University, including the Zero Hunger Lab and the Tranzo Healthcare Research Lab.

For 2024, there are multiple openings available for anyone interested in pursing a doctoral (PhD) degree in Business (track Information Systems Operations Management) at the world-renowned CentER PhD Program of Tilburg University. Note that for all positions, it is required to have completed a Master’s Degree at the start of enrollment at Tilburg.

Embedding

All PhD candidates will be embedded in the productive, collegial, and engaged Department of Information Systems & Operations Management at Tilburg University. The new department consists of faculty, lecturers, postdoctoral fellows, and PhD candidates. The PhD candidates are also enrolled in the world-class CentER PhD Program, where they will take about 40 European credits of courses as part of working towards the PhD degree. For each candidate, two of the ISOM faculty members are designated as advisors. At least one of the advisor needs to be clear at the moment of admission. The second advisor will be selected jointly by the PhD candidate and the first advisor within six months after start of enrollment.

The ISOM Department of Management is part of the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM). TISEM is the largest school of Tilburg University. It benefits from a strong research reputation, for instance exemplified by the recent top-10 ranking in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (“Shanghai Ranking”) for the field of business administration.

Requirements

• An academic Master’s or MPhil/Research Master’s degree in business studies, economics, econometrics, operations research, industrial engineering or another relevant field that is deemed an equivalent to the previous education profile.
• Completed the previous degree with an excellent GPA (top 10% of class as guideline)
• 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.
• A solid quantitative background, to be proven in one of the following ways:
• 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.
• candidates with a MSc or MPhil degree from a university outside the European Union: please provide a recent GRE or GMAT test score.

If you have any of the following additional skills or evidence of skills, please include them specifically in your application, as they can be of value in the selection process:

• Knowledge of Python / R programming and/or other evidence of data science skills (including certificates obtained through online education).
• Evidence of econometric and/or data science work conducted with empirical data.
• Evidence of prior research work, exemplified by a master’s thesis, or academic papers.
• Excellent academic writing skills (a writing sample of a thesis or paper can serve as evidence).

How to Apply

To apply for these positions, please submit the following documents not later than January 15, 2024.  The only way to apply is online.  Interviews are expected to start in the second half of January 2024, and will be conducted online initially.

1. Letter of motivation, including research area/topics of interest, specifically indicating at the top of your letter for which of the above scope(s)/project(s) you are applying .
2. Curriculum vitae.
3. Official copy of your university degree and grades (full transcripts of BSc and MSc).
4. A pdf copy of your master thesis or other research-oriented output (such as a Bachelor Thesis or a term paper).  This work must be single- or first-authored.  If you are currently working on your master thesis, feel free to submit your thesis draft.
5. The exact contact details of at least two references.
6. Proof of proficiency in English, or a request for exemption 
7. If applicable, a recent GRE or GMAT score. 

If you have any further questions regarding these openings in general, please do not hesitate to contact Professor Jan C. Fransoo at jan.fransoo@tilburguniversity.edu. For specific questions regarding specific projects, see the faculty leads at the specific opening.