PhD Position in Behavioral Economics on Promoting Honesty

This PhD position will be within the Behavioural Economics research group at the Erasmus School of Economics. We are looking for a full time PhD student starting on September 1, 2025. The research topic falls within the intersection of behavioral economics and social psychology. Broadly, the topic will address “how can we elicit more honest behavior”. Relevant research areas are behavioral analysis, behavioral change, and decision-making in the context of ethics, dishonesty, and deception.

Aligned with the general vision of the Behavioural Economics research group, the prospective PhD student will advance our understanding of human behaviour and the factors that shape it. The particular aim of this PhD vacancy is to understand and improve ethical decision-making – to understand how individuals make ethical decisions in highly complex environments. The PhD student can investigate which factors drive their (dis)honest behavior and how we can help them to make more honest decisions. This topic will be investigated using quantitative research methods, such as online and lab experiments. More information on the members and research of the group is available here: https://www.eur.nl/en/ese/department-applied-economics/behavioural-economics/people

The successful candidate will be supervised by dr. Sophie van der Zee and at least one other member of this research group. The Behavioural Economics group is a part of the Department of Applied Economics of the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). The group’s research is on the intersection of behavioral economics and social psychology. As such, most members are affiliated with the Tinbergen Institute and/or the Erasmus Research Institute in Management (ERIM). This interdisciplinary approach also shows in the publication record of the group, which encompasses top economics, finance, psychology, management, and political science journals such as Econometrica, The Review of Financial Studies, Management Science, Experimental Economics, Nature Communications, Psychological Science, the American Political Science Review, European Economic Review, Journal of Economic Psychology, and many more.

The successful candidate will be able to choose an affiliation with ERIM or Tinbergen Institute depending on personal preference and the specific research topic. The specific topic of the research project is open and will be determined in coordination between the candidate and supervisors within the broader topic described above.

As a final output, the candidate is expected to write at least 3 academic papers (cumulative PhD thesis) with the aim to be submitted to journals in economics journals during or after the PhD trajectory.

• MPhil or Research Master’s degree in Economics, Econometrics, Mathematics or Physics is preferred
• Candidates with an MSc or MA degree are required to successfully complete 1 year of courses at the graduate school they are part of (Research Qualifications at the Tinbergen Institute or courses at ERIM)
• Excellent study results for both the bachelor and master’s degree
• Interest in and strong motivation for scientific research explained in a statement of purpose.
• GRE test is required for all entering PhD students. Valid GRE (revised) General Test results are required from all PhD applicants (all 3 sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing). Successful applicants typically perform among the top-10% of test-takers on the quantitative part of the GRE; applicants with a Q score below 160 will not be considered.
• Excellent command of English (IELTS/TOEFL). Students whose native language is not English are therefore required to demonstrate English proficiency by:

• holding a degree from a Dutch university or an institution at which English is the language of instruction, or
• scoring at least 100 on the TOEFL iBT test or 7 on the IELTS test.
• Two (academic) reference letters, preferably from a thesis supervisor or research project supervisor.
• Curriculum Vitae

Employment conditions and benefits

We offer you an internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with excellent working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU).

The start date of this position is 1 September 2025 and you will be based at Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). This position is for 1 fte. The salary ranges from a minimum of € 2.901 to a maximum of € 3.707 gross per month on a fulltime basis (38 hours), in accordance with the CAO-NU. The PhD track lasts 3 years (following an MPhil or Research Master) or 4 years (following an MSc). In both cases the contract can be extended with an additional year in case the PhD candidate has the ambition and possibilities for an academic career. The intitial contract is entered into for the duration of 18 months.

Everything else we offer you, you can find below!

• Everything you need for agood work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 41 days of paid leave with a 40 hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre!
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAMEor QuEUR.
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense:development days and a personal career budget and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insuranceswith Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offerspartially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare(daycare not paid for by EUR).
• Moving to the Netherlands for your job with EUR? Then you may be eligible for the30%-ruling if you meet the requirements of the Belastingdienst (Dutch tax agency), and with our Dual Career Programme we will also help your partner find the right job for them.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. www.eur.nl.

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) is a leading school in economics in the Netherlands. It has a strong international reputation and aims to do outstanding research. Moreover, it provides excellent education at the BA., MA. and Ph.D. levels. Much research at Erasmus School of Economics is policy relevant, has social impact, and offers a strong research culture, ample research resources, and comparatively low teaching loads.

www.eur.nl/en/ese

Group

The Behavioural Economics group is part of the Department of Applied Economics of the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE). The group’s vision is to help people understand their current decisions and help them change behaviour for the better. The research is guided by insights from behavioural economics, finance, and psychology. Behavioural economics provides us with the necessary tools to identify which barriers to change in behaviour are present, why these barriers exist, and what the optimal behaviour should be. In turn, this knowledge allows us to design interventions to help people make better decisions. The methods used are field, laboratory, and online experiments. More information can be found here: https://www.eur.nl/en/ese/department-applied-economics/behavioural-economics/research

Additional information

Contact person:

dr S.C. van der Zee (vanderzee@ese.eur.nl)

More information:

https://www.eur.nl/people/sophie-van-der-zee

We are looking forward to your application. Applications will be reviewed by the supervisors and recruitment committees. An interview could be part of the application process. Kindly note that we can only accept applications containing all the required documents and information. We look forward to receiving your application.

Persons of all gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities, ages, neurodiversities, functional impairments, citizenships, or any other aspect are welcome to apply and join the EUR community.

For questions regarding the application procedure please contact Lindsey Pijpers (PhD Officer) at doctoraloffice@ese.eur.nl.