Postdoctoral Researcher

Position Details

School: TiSEM / Department: Accounting
Location: Tilburg, The Netherlands
Contract size: 1.0 fte, 40 hours per week
Full-time gross monthly salary: between minimum €4,728 and maximum €6,433 per month
Contract duration: Temporary for 36 months (3 years)
Desired starting date: 1 September 2026

Overview

For the NWO SSH M project “Enhancing supply chain sustainability: the role of transparency and due diligence” we are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to contribute to research on supply chain due diligence regulations. The goal is to produce both fundamental research on the supply chain consequences of due diligence and transparency and develop practical knowledge on the implementation of recent regulations in the EU.

Your Position

This project investigates the impact of mandatory transparency and corporate due diligence requirements on supply chain sustainability. Although regulators frequently tout the benefits of transparency as a policy tool to increase sustainability, there is mixed evidence on its efficacy. Moreover, recent developments such as the Omnibus package call into question the extent to which recently established supply chain due diligence and transparency requirements, such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) in the European Union, will be effectively implemented. These developments highlight the need to understand the effectiveness of such mandates.

Within this project, your main task is to help analyze the country-level implementation of the CSDDD in the European Union and study the reporting and economic effects of due diligence requirements. The project will also involve data collection and analysis using natural language processing (NLP) techniques to develop a more comprehensive overview of supply chain disclosures.

You will be working with Prof. Edith Leung and Dr. Bjarne Brié, members of the Department of Accounting at the Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM), and Dr. Jochen Pierk from the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). The job also provides room to explore new ideas within the context of this project and its deliverables. The position will include a teaching task, which will be consistent with the role of a postdoctoral researcher.

Your Profile

• Has a PhD degree or is near completion of a PhD degree in accounting, finance, or related fields.
• Has demonstrated experience in research through publications in international journals and/or conferences.
• Has affinity with the topic of accounting transparency, sustainability, and supply chains.
• Has demonstrated experience analyzing textual data using NLP or other machine learning techniques.
• Has excellent English-language academic communication skills (both written and oral) – CEFR level C2. Dutch language skills are not a prerequisite.
• Has the ability to independently carry out research and collaborate within a team.
• Can efficiently explore and adopt new subject matter.

Application Procedure

We invite you to apply before January 31, 2026; this can only be done online.

To make a good selection, we ask you to provide the following documents:

• A cover letter addressed to Prof. Edith Leung, explaining your fit with the position.
• An up-to-date CV reporting your academic and professional activities and scholarly output.
• An official copy of your highest university degree (and, if your PhD is not finished yet, expected date of completion).
• Transcript of academic records/grades list for your PhD/(Research) Master’s degree.
• Your job market paper, and one or two other research papers.
• At least two letters of reference, submitted by the referees to accounting-tisem@tilburguniversity.edu. Ask your referees to use ‘Letter of reference for postdoc NWO SSH M – [your name]’ as the subject of the email. The reference letters must be submitted within two weeks of your application.

There is no set timeline for the application process, as we will review packages when they are submitted. Early applications are welcome. We will hold online or on-campus interviews for the position. We expect to have an early round of interviews in late December and a second round in February.

The selection committee consists of:
Edith Leung, Professor of Accounting at TiSEM (Tilburg University)
Bjarne Brié, Assistant Professor of Accounting at TiSEM (Tilburg University)
Jochen Pierk, Associate Professor of Accounting at ESE (Erasmus University)

You will ideally start working for Tilburg University on September 1, 2026.

About the Organization

Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) is the university largest faculty. TiSEM offers well reputed academic research and education. Its research belongs to the European top. The education programmes, of which the majority are offered completely in English, are on the international map with the AACSB accreditation awarded in 2002. Employees and students form an ambitious international community.

Recruitment code: Tilburg University applies the recruitment code of the Dutch Association for Personnel Management & Organization Development (NVP).

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