PhD on Metascience

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow.

The Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences (IE&IS) department combines disciplinary knowledge from the humanities, social sciences and technical sciences to solve the complex problems of industries and society. We collaboratively focus on and create responsible and effective innovations for the research themes: Humans and Technology, Supply Chain Management, Sustainability and Circularity, and Value of Data-Driven Intelligence.

Introduction

Researchers have emphasized the importance of interpreting effect sizes for more than a century. But how do we determine whether effects are large enough to matter? This project will help researchers in psychology not only report effect sizes, but also interpret them in a meaningful way.

Job Description

A PhD position is available within the context of the NWO funded VICI project “Interpretable Effect Sizes for Psychological Science”. The candidate will conduct meta-scientific research on the interface between statistical inferences, experimental design, and the question how researchers can determine which effects are large enough to matter. The goal of the project is to make a dedicated effort to improve the interpretation of effect sizes, which should increase the informational value of studies in psychology, improve theorizing, and help researchers reflect on the importance or unimportance of the effects they observe. Relevant questions are how we can increase the falsifiability of claims in replication studies, the challenges that come with the widespread use of standardized effect sizes, how mid-level theories can constrain which effects are predicted, and whether resource constraints influence the effects psychologists consider worth investigating. These questions will be examined through statistical modelling, qualitative interviews, systematic literature reviews, surveys, and experiments.

The selected candidate will work as part of the Human-Technology Interaction group within the department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Science at Eindhoven University of Technology under the supervision of Dr. D. Lakens. The applicant will perform interviews, administer surveys, perform simulation studies and/or experiments. Findings will be presented at (international) conferences and written up for publication in scientific journals. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with other team members of the VICI project, as well as in collaboration with international scholars interested in the same topic. As part of the preparation for an academic career, the PhD student will be expected to gain teaching experience.

Job Requirements

We are looking for candidates passionate about improving the way we do science, who enjoy working in a collaborative environment. The applicant should have:

• A MSc degree, or equivalent, in Psychology, Applied Statistics, Micro-economics, or a closely related field, completed by the start date of the PhD project.
• Strong programming skills. Experience in R is appreciated.
• A good understanding of applied statistics.
• Experience with performing scientific research in the social sciences.
• Fluency in written and spoken English language.

Conditions of Employment

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you: 
• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate assessment after nine months. You will spend a minimum of 10% of your four-year employment on teaching tasks, with a maximum of 15% per year of your employment. 
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. € 2,901 max. € 3,707).  
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%. 
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process. 
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.  
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs. 
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact the hiring manager Dr. Daniel Lakens, [email protected]. 

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HR Services ([email protected]).

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the apply button. The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of two references.

The deadline to apply is May 25th, 2025. The intended starting date for this position is October 2025 (negotiable).

We do not accept applications sent by e-mail or incomplete ones.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.