Job opening PhD candidate in Governance and Legal History of Water Quality

Tilburg University Tilburg Law School

is looking for a

PhD candidate in Governance and Legal History of Water Quality

Department: Public Law and Governance

Location: Tilburg

Contract size: 1.0 FTE (40 hours per week).

Full-time gross monthly salary:

Contract duration: 48 months (4 years)

Desired starting date: September 1st 2026

Are you eager to investigate how centuries-old governance practices might reshape our understanding of contemporary water management Tilburg Law School is seeking an ambitious PhD candidate to examine what todays governance of water quality can learn from early modern cities. By tracing how civic communities once organised and enforced measures to protect water resources the project connects historical practices to contemporary policy this role you will conduct archival research engage with experts in contemporary governance and contribute actively to academic debates. We offer a four-year PhD position in the field of governance and legal history of water quality within the Department of Public Law and Governance.

Your position

Tilburg Law School is seeking a PhD candidate who will investigate how todays governance of water quality can learn from early modern urban democratic practices. Water pollution has a long history and early modern cities took many measures to control water quality. Most of them were likely initiated and enforced by civic collectives such as guilds neighbourhoods and urban officials. Early modern governments facing rapid growth without strong state support tended to improvise solutions preferably at the lowest governmental level.

Under supervision of Dr. Merlijn van Hulst and Dr. Marco in t Veld the candidate dives into the history of water quality in cities across the Rhine Delta. How did early modern cities address water quality How were citizens involved in shaping these practices What insights do these historical practices provide for rethinking contemporary water governance

To answer such questions you will conduct archival research in several relevant cities while also comparing your findings to contemporary governance practices. To investigate parallels between past and present the candidate engages with expertise and experts in contemporary (water) governance through literature study interviews and conferences. The candidate is guided towards disseminating results in international conferences academic articles and ultimately a dissertation (in English). There is ample opportunity to contribute your own ideas to take initiatives. The candidate is dedicating 80 percent of their time to research and 20 percent to this way you can work on further developing your academic career.

The research is situated at the intersection of public administration and legal history. Supervision of the governance aspects of the project will be provided by Merlijn van Hulst while Marco in t Veld will supervise the legal-historical component. Both the public administration scholars and the legal historians at the department form vibrant and close-knit teams. To a significant extent they work on related topics which allows for substantive the light of this exchange of ideas and to foster social cohesion we expect the candidate to work on our beautiful green Tilburg University campus for at least two to three days per week. On other days you may also work from home.

The department regularly organises team-building and social events allowing you to get to know your colleagues better and to feel at home within the Department of Public Law and the context of the Tilburg Graduate Law School you will be invited for methodology courses aiming to provide tools for managing a PhD project and improving various research skills. This will also facilitate the process of connecting with fellow PhD candidates.

Your profile

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.

The candidate:

• Holds a masters degree in law public administration or history preferably but not necessary with a focus relevant to the position. As a current master student you are welcome to apply as long as you will complete your master program before 1 September 2026;
• Has a high proficiency (CEFR C2 level) in English and Dutch allowing for effective communication and documentation;
• Has excellent research skills and is eager to develop new ones;
• Possesses strong conceptual abilities.
• Is ready to learn from and collaborate with researchers from a wide range of backgrounds;
• Is proactive can work independently and brings creativity and vision to their work;
• Has good organisational skills;
• Prior experience with archival research is considered a plus;
• Has an interest in teaching and supervising students at bachelor and/or master level (e.g. tutorial groups thesis supervision).

To maintain a vibrant university community all staff members are expected to carry out their work in the Netherlands and teaching is conducted in person.

International PhD candidates with scholarships below the applicable IND income standard (currently 2191.80 per month excluding vacation pay) are unfortunately not eligible for this vacancy.

What do we offer

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• A position based on 1.0 fte (40 hours per week).
• A salary of minimum 3059 and maximum 3881 gross per month for full-time employment based on UFO profile PhD student and salary scale P. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a PhD in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 sub b CLA DU. You will initially be given a temporary contract for the duration of 18 months to assess your suitability. If suitable this contract will be followed by a new fixed-term contract.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave.
• Hybrid working with home working allowance (2 p/day) and internet allowance (25 p/month).
• Reimbursement sustainable commuting: walking cycling and public transport.
• An Options Model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave more pension a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center.
• Moving allowance (subject to conditions).
• Employees from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for the 30/20/10% scheme.
• A pension with ABP; the most sustainable Dutch pension fund.
• Training in personal development career development leadership education and research or a language course at our Language Center.
• A work culture in which we embrace differences everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities.
• A green inviting campus thats easily accessible by public transport.

For more information see our website and the CLA Dutch Universities.

Want to know more

Would you like to know more before applying Feel free to contact Merlijn van Hulst () or Marco in t Veld ().

Information and application

We kindly invite you to apply before 27 February 2026; this can only be done online.

Please address your cover letter to Inge Graef and attach your resume your masters diploma your masters thesis and the filled in TIRO application form (which can be found here). We look forward to your response.

The letter selection will take place by March 6th. You will be notified as soon as possible thereafter. The selection interviews will take place on March 25 (afternoon). During the interview you are asked to give a 5-minute presentation about your research proposal. Candidates traveling from the Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg and Germany are invited for an on-campus interview; traveling costs can be reimbursed when traveling by public transportation. For candidates living outside these countries the interviews will take place online using TEAMS.

The selection committee consists of:

1. Merlijn van Hulst associate professor of public administration (supervisor)
2. Marco in t Veld assistant professor of legal history (supervisor)
3. Jonathan Verschuuren professor of international and European Environmental law
4. Inge Graef Vice-Dean of Research

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

This vacancy has been published simultaneously internally and case of equal suitability our preference is for an internal candidate.

About Tilburg University

Tilburg University is an academic inclusive and engaged community. Together with nearly 3000 employees we are committed to broad prosperity sustainably 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 19500 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.

About Tilburg Law School

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; Tilburg Institute for 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 4000 students pursue a Bachelors pre-Masters or Masters 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 skills and character. A university education provides students with the latest substantive knowledge and trains them to be critical thinkers and resilient 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 Schools 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 Responsible Organizations; and 4) Regulating Socio-Technical Change.

About the department of Public Law & Governance

The Department of Public Law & Governance is a unique collaboration of researchers in the field of Public Law and Public Administration in which various disciplines work together: International Law European law Constitutional Law Administrative Law Environmental Law Public Administration Legal Philosophy Political Science Legal History and Jurisprudence.

Application Code

Tilburg University uses the NVP job application code.

Disclaimer

The text of this job posting is the copyright property of Tilburg University. Use distribution or publication of (parts of) this text is not permitted without the express permission of Tilburg University. This also applies to recruitment and selection agencies not acting on behalf of Tilburg University. Tilburg University only cooperates with agencies with which an agreement has been concluded. Unsolicited acquisition or mediation will not be considered.