Institution: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam)
Department: Econometrics and Data Science, School of Business and Economics
Position: PhD Candidate in Statistics
Research Area: Survival Analysis and Extreme Value Theory
Employment Type: Full-time (1.0 FTE)
Contract Duration: 4 years (initial 1-year contract, extended by 3 years after positive evaluation)
Expected Start Date: February 2027 (negotiable)
Application Deadline: 15 October 2026

Position Summary

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is offering a fully funded four-year PhD position in Statistics, focusing on Survival Analysis and Extreme Value Theory (EVT) as part of the NWO-funded research project:

"Seeing beyond the study duration: extreme value theory for long term survival and cure chances."

The project aims to develop new statistical methods for analyzing time-to-event data when a proportion of the population is considered cured and will never experience the event of interest.

Examples include:

• Cancer relapse or death in oncology.
• Default prediction in credit scoring.

Current cure models generally rely on the assumption that study follow-up is longer than the time span during which events may occur. Since this assumption is rarely satisfied in practice, the project will develop new methods using Extreme Value Theory (EVT) to extrapolate beyond the observed study duration.

Research Project

The PhD candidate will join a research team consisting of:

• Two PhD candidates.
• Two senior researchers:
  • Dr. Juan Cai (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)
  • Dr. Eni Musta (University of Amsterdam)

The supervisors will guide the candidate in developing advanced statistical methodology for:

• Estimating cure rates.
• Modeling survival times of uncured individuals.
• Incorporating covariates such as:
  • Risk factors.
  • Prognostic variables.
  • Treatments.
• Developing statistical learning methods capable of handling:Providing theoretical guarantees for the proposed methods.
  • High-dimensional covariates.
  • Non-linear relationships.

Responsibilities

As a PhD candidate, you will:

• Conduct research involving:Publish research findings in academic journals.
  • Development of statistical methodology and theory.
  • Implementation of new methods in R.
  • Simulation studies.
  • Real-world data analyses.
• Present research at international conferences.
• Participate in seminars and research collaborations.
• Participate in the School of Business and Economics PhD training programme.
• Complete and defend a PhD thesis within four years.
• Contribute approximately 0.2 FTEto teaching by:
  • Teaching tutorials.
  • Supervising undergraduate students.

Required Qualifications

Applicants should have:

• A Master's degree in:
  • Statistics,
  • Probability,
  • Econometrics,
  • or a closely related field,
    completed before the project start date.
• Strong interest in:
  • Statistical theory,
  • Statistical methodology,
  • Statistical computing.
• Excellent programming skills in:Strong English language proficiency and academic writing skills.
  • R
  • Python
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a research team.
• High motivation and commitment to scientific research.

Salary

Gross monthly salary:

• Minimum: €3,059
• Maximum: €3,881

Salary is based on the UFO profile for PhD candidates and depends on education and experience.

Employment Conditions

• Full-time appointment (1.0 FTE).
• Initial contract of 1 year.
• Extension of 3 additional years following a positive evaluation.

Benefits

The position includes:

• 38-hour working week.
• 232 hours annual holiday leave.
• Additional 96 hours annual leave when working a 40-hour week.
• 8% holiday allowance.
• 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• Contribution toward commuting expenses.
• Flexible personalized benefits package.
• Access to university sports facilities at a reduced cost.

Department

Department of Econometrics and Data Science

The department develops advanced quantitative, statistical, econometric, and machine learning methods for data analysis.

Research spans:

• Machine learning.
• Statistical methodology.
• Econometric techniques.
• Data science.

The department is affiliated with the Tinbergen Institute, one of Europe's leading graduate schools and research institutes in economics, econometrics, and finance.

School of Business and Economics

The School of Business and Economics (SBE) combines socially relevant teaching and research in:

• Business Administration.
• Economics.

Research addresses major societal challenges including:

• Robotics.
• Big Data.
• Labour market participation.
• Change management.

The School employs approximately:

• 600 staff
• 7,250 Bachelor's and Master's students
• 1,700 executive education students

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is committed to values-driven education and research emphasizing:

• Diversity.
• Entrepreneurship.
• Sustainability.
• Social impact.
• Interdisciplinary collaboration.

The university has:

• Over 6,150 staff.
• More than 31,000 students.
• A single campus located in Amsterdam's Zuidas business district.

Diversity and Inclusion

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam values diversity across:

• Disciplines.
• Cultures.
• Nationalities.
• Ideas.
• Beliefs.
• Perspectives.

The university is committed to fostering an inclusive academic community where diversity contributes to excellence in education, research, and service.

Application Requirements

Applications should include:

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV), including months (not only years) for education and employment.
• Motivation letter explaining:
  • Why you wish to pursue a PhD.
  • Why you are applying for this specific position.
• Copy of your Master's thesis.Complete Bachelor’s and Master’s academic transcripts, including grades.
  • If not yet completed, submit your Bachelor's thesis.
  • Theses need not be written in English.
• Names and email addresses of two academic referees, including:Do not submit recommendation letters.
  • Your Master's thesis supervisor.

Note: All application documents except the CV should be combined into one PDF file.

Applications submitted by email will not be processed.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Contact

For questions about the position:

Juan Cai
Assistant Professor
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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