Post-doctoral researcher Department of Religion and Practice

Organisation/Company Tilburg University Research Field Religious sciences » Church studies Religious sciences » Pastoral studies Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Final date to receive applications 8 Mar 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Netherlands Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Not Applicable Hours Per Week 40.0 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

The Department of Religion and Practice is looking for a post-doctoral researcher to join and enrich our research. We offer a unique opportunity to submit your own research proposal and, thereby, make your own contribution to our research agenda. What research question will you present?

Your position will be placed in the Department of Religion and Practice. The Department conducts research on church, Christianity, and religion in late modernity, focusing on possible sites of God (loci theologici). The emphasis is on religious practices with a Christian and especially Roman Catholic signature. Such sites may be places where one traditionally expects to encounter the religious, but the Department's research also focuses on places not immediately associated with the religious, the Christian or the Catholic.

In both categories, attention to the transformation of church, Christianity, and religion is an important focus. After all, even traditional sites of the religious are subject to change in late modernity. Among non-traditional sites, this transformation may be such that explicitly religious, let alone Christian or Catholic, dimensions are hardly recognizable or considered relevant anymore.

The Tilburg School of Catholic Theology is looking for a post-doctoral researcher to enrich our research on these processes. This can be, aligned with the interdisciplinary composition of the Department, with practical theological or religious science research or with hermeneutical or empirical methods. A combination of both approaches is possible. Your research may focus on institutional-church fields of action such as church buildings, on pastoral care in secular settings such as spiritual care, or more broadly on religious phenomena in society.

Your research links to this key question: what are the characteristics and opportunities of the changing sites of the religious, especially the Christian and Catholic, in late modern society and how can one interpret these transformations scientifically?

With your application, we would like to receive a brief outline of how you would like to conduct research on this question.

• has a PhD in a discipline of practical theology or religious studies;
• is motivated to co-write research proposals and is team science oriented;
• collaborates with a senior Religion and Practice researcher with an appropriate substantive profile;
• has international publications relevant to the position at an excellent level;
• has interest in and is willing to undertake related tasks such as providing education or organizational tasks;
• has mastered the Dutch and/or English language or is willing to master Dutch at B2 level;
• is visible on the Tilburg campus and has active input into the School and Department;
• is, in principle, appointable to a canonically recognized theological school (is an advantage).

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment:

• Employment of 0.8 - 1.0 FTE (32 - 40 hours per week).
• Salary between €4,075 and €6,433 (in scale 10) gross per month for full-time employment (Researcher 4 or 3, salary scale 10 or 11). Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience.
• This is a vacancy for a temporary position in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 5 under b of the CLA DU. Candidates will be given a temporary contract for the duration of 12 months, with prospects of an extension of another 24 months. The total duration will be a maximum of 36 months.
• 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)…