is looking for a PhD candidate

Department: Methodology and Statistics

Location: Tilburg

Contract size: 1.0 fte (40 hours per week)

Full-time gross monthly salary: €3.059 – €3.881

Contract duration: 12 months with a possible extension of 36 months.

Desired starting date: September 2026

Are you interested in developing innovative statistical methods to understand how people’s choices are shaped by their social networks? Tilburg University is looking for a motivated PhD candidate to work on methodological advances at the intersection of social network analysis, behavioral choice modeling, and statistical modeling.

This PhD project focuses on developing and applying statistical methods for modeling how individual choices are shaped not only by people’s own preferences and characteristics, but also by the preferences, behaviors, and positions of others in their social networks. Many social and behavioral decisions cannot be fully understood by studying individuals in isolation. The project therefore aims to bridge behavioral choice modeling and social network analysis by developing an integrated framework for studying network-dependent choices.

As a PhD candidate, you will develop, evaluate, and apply statistical models for interdependent decisions. The project will examine questions such as how people are influenced by peers, family members, colleagues, or other network members; how network position affects susceptibility to social influence; and how individual and collective outcomes emerge from these dependencies. Neighborhood preferences and living-arrangement decisions will serve as one important empirical application, particularly in the context of housing scarcity and unequal access to attractive living environments. Depending on your interests and available data opportunities, the project may also examine other network-dependent choices, such as work-related decisions in teams, peer influences on health behavior, or social participation and inclusion.

The research will be supervised by Dr. Li Zeng, Dr. Francisco Bahamonde-Birke, and Prof. Dr. Jeroen Vermunt, who bring complementary expertise in social network analysis, machine learning, behavioral decision-making, choice modeling, and modeling heterogeneity using latent class analysis. Regular supervisory and collaborative team meetings will support the integration of the different research lines. The project is embedded in the Department of Methodology and Statistics and aligns with the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences’ ambition to develop and apply advanced methods to understand individual and collective behavior in changing social contexts. The department fosters an open working culture based on mutual respect and appreciation.

We are looking for a strong PhD candidate with a relevant (Research) Master’s degree and a background in applied/mathematical statistics, econometrics, data science, machine learning, sociometrics, psychometrics, computational social science, or a related field, with a strong interest in social networks and behavioral modeling. Candidates with a social science degree and very strong quantitative skills can also apply.

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

For more information, see our Working at Tilburg University | Tilburg University and the CLA Dutch Universities.

Would you like to know more before applying? Feel free to contact Dr. Li Zeng: L.Zeng@tilburguniversity.edu

We kindly invite you to apply before July 1, 2026. Applications can only be submitted online. Address your letter of motivation to Dr. Li Zeng. Your application should include:

• A letter of motivation, including research area(s) or topics of interest.

• A curriculum vitae.

• A transcript or list of courses and grades.

• A sample of your academic writing, such as a bachelor’s or master’s thesis or a paper. If you are currently working on your master’s thesis, you may submit your thesis draft.

You will receive notification from us shortly after the letter selection. The first selection interviews are expected to take place in the week of July 15, 2026.

The selection committee consists of:

1. Dr. Li Zeng, Assistant Professor

2. Dr. Francisco Bahamonde-Birke, Assistant Professor

3. Prof. Dr. Jeroen Vermunt, Head of department

The envisioned start date of the position is the 1st of September 2026.

Tilburg University is an academic, inclusive, and engaged community. Together with nearly 3,000 employees, we are committed to broad prosperity, sustainability, and inclusion. For current and future generations. We develop and share knowledge for the requirements of people and our society. This is how we contribute to solving complex social issues and help society move forward.

We educate our 19,500 students of 110 nationalities to become responsible leaders with knowledge, skills, and character. With our education and research for broad prosperity, we exceedingly focus on themes such as mental and preventive care, an inclusive labor market, the energy transition, and digitalization.

Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) is one of the five faculties of Tilburg University. The teaching and research of the Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences are organized around the themes of “Adaptive societies, organizations, and workers”, “Healthy life span”, and “Personalized prevention and care”. The School’s inspiring working environment challenges its workers to realize their ambitions, involvement and cooperation are essential to achieve this.
Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Tilburg University

The Department of Methodology and Statistics is responsible for education and research in methodology and statistics for the social and behavioral sciences. Methodology and statistics play an essential role in all subfields of the social and behavioral sciences, and related fields including data science and artificial intelligence. At the Department of Methodology and Statistics, we do research on and teach about computational, quantitative and qualitative methods that researchers need in order to answer challenging research questions, come up with strong research designs, critically apply statistical analyses, and avoid bias when interpreting research findings. Within the department, there is a strong focus on developing novel statistical and methodological techniques to tackle complex problems in the social and behavioral sciences.

Link to our website: Department Methodology and Statistics | Tilburg University

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