PhD in Information Systems and Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

In today’s hyper-connected world, digital technologies are reshaping industries—from cybersecurity to agentic AI, ethical technology, and ecosystems. This digital transformation brings both new opportunities and significant challenges for companies. At no time in the past decades have we seen a broader and more profound shift in the way the economy works. In this PhD programme, we will equip you with the foundational understanding and rigorous methods so that you can contribute to the policy debate on when digital technologies make our lives better, and when they do not.

Our faculty engages in a wide array of cutting-edge projects, including (but not limited to) artificial intelligence, education, digital platforms, circular and digital business models, energy digitisation, data markets, social networks, online privacy and piracy, ethics, and the future of business. As a PhD student, you will work with our faculty on a research question based on your interest and its suitability with the faculty interests.

We seek highly motivated candidates with a strong academic record and a passion for interdisciplinary research. Applicants should have robust quantitative skills, holding a degree in information systems, other business school areas (e.g., strategic management, marketing, operations), or in adjacent fields like economics, computer science, econometrics, or statistics. Proficiency in programming languages such as Python is expected. We are particularly interested in candidates with a clear ambition to pursue an academic career after completing their PhD.

Keywords

Information systems, artificial intelligence, generative AI, business analytics, information strategy, circular platforms, digital platforms, ecosystems, energy informatics, data markets, responsible AI, economics of information systems, quantitative methods, agentic AI, data governance, AI governance, cybersecurity, large language models

Topic

You will develop a research question in close collaboration with our faculty. We work on a diverse range of interdisciplinary research topics, such as energy digitalisation and decarbonisation (Yashar Ghiassi-Farrohfal), digital marketing and recommendations (Dimitrios Tsekouras, Yagmur Ozdemir), data markets and cybersecurity (Sameer Mehta), social networks (Anna Priante), user-generated content (Olga Slivko), AI in education (Otto Koppius), digital platforms (Philipp Cornelius, Dainis Zegners), and human-computer interaction (Jie Tang). This is not an exhaustive list, but should give you an idea of the areas we work in.

For more details on our faculty and research topics, visit our website: https://www.rsm.nl/faculty-research/departments/technology-and-operations-management/business-information-management/

PhD Responsibilities

During the PhD, you will learn how to:

• Identify a meaningful research phenomenon relevant to managers and policymakers.
• Gather primary or secondary data necessary to understand this phenomenon better (e.g., lab or field experiments, large-scale databases).
• Leverage the scientific literature to establish and examine the theoretical foundations.
• Define key variables and relationships, formalising them mathematically and aligning them with data.
• Recognise the primary assumptions required to solve or estimate the model and assess their implications.
• Develop methodologies to extract insights and results from the data.
• Present findings at national and international conferences.
• Prepare research outcomes for publication in leading scientific journals and your dissertation.

You will benefit from our robust industry ties, access to institutional databases, software development support, and the Erasmus Behavioural Lab. This state-of-the-art facility supports world-class research on consumer behaviour, offering cubicles, group labs, video labs, eye tracking, and EEG technology.

Information Systems Section

You will join RSM as part of the Business & Information Management (BIM) section of the Department of Technology & Operations Management (TOM). We are globally recognised for our research excellence and interdisciplinary approach, publishing research in top information systems and management journals, such as Information Systems Research and Management Science. Our section is a vibrant, intellectually stimulating environment for research, with a diverse, young, and highly international faculty. We have fourteen research-active faculty who were educated at prestigious institutions in Europe, the USA, and Asia. We offer a strong tradition of research and teaching with a global perspective.

BIM offers a high-profile MSc Business Information Management, one of Europe’s largest master’s programmes in information systems, enrolling over 250 students annually. In 2020, we launched the MScBA Business Analytics & Management to offer a more technical approach in data science.

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top business schools, known for pioneering research and education that advances excellence in management. Located in the international port city of Rotterdam—a hub for business, logistics, and trade—RSM is committed to shaping leaders with an innovative mindset who are prepared to drive positive change towards a sustainable future. Our range of bachelor's, master's, MBA, PhD, and executive programmes are designed to foster critical, creative, and collaborative thinkers and doers.

Approach

Throughout your PhD journey, you will receive rigorous training through coursework in information systems, economics, econometrics, machine learning, and large-scale data analytics. Working closely with your advisors, you will define, develop, and execute original research projects. The dissertation, guided by your unique interests and insights, will require creativity, self-direction, and a deep commitment to advancing scientific knowledge.

Coursework

The core curriculum is designed to develop your methodological skills, modelling capabilities, and in-depth subject knowledge. During your first and second years, you will take courses offered by the Tinbergen Institute (http://www.tinbergen.nl), ERIM (https://www.erim.eur.nl/), and other research institutes. These courses cover essential topics for understanding information systems, including microeconomics (individual choice, aggregate supply and demand, equilibrium), causal inference (endogenous variables, choice modelling), statistics and probability, Bayesian modelling, machine learning, and deep learning.

Research Seminars

We host weekly BIM research seminars featuring leading scholars from top institutions around the world who share their insights on the latest research trends. These seminars offer a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in mainstream research, explore critical methodological challenges, and engage with emerging perspectives from scholars and journal editors, providing a strong foundation for your academic career.

Required profile

We seek candidates who have:

• A passion for understanding the impact of digital technologies on individuals, organisations, markets, system design, public policy, and society.
• Enthusiasm for quantitative analysis, data, programming, and scientific inquiry.
• Proven experience in conducting and completing research projects.
• A degree in information systems, other business school areas (e.g., strategic management, marketing, operations), or in adjacent fields like economics, computer science, econometrics, or statistics
• Experience in developing and estimating econometric or statistical models using R, SAS, Stata, or Python.
• Openness, intellectual curiosity, and a willingness to learn and adapt.
• Ambition to pursue an academic career as a leading researcher and educator.
• Motivation to independently formulate and carry out research projects, aiming for publication in top-tier journals.
• Eagerness to explore and answer novel research questions.
• Experience in writing and publishing scientific papers. 

Required by ERIM

All application documents required by ERIM can be found here. 

Expected output

Scholarly Publications

You will develop three research papers aimed at publication in top-tier information systems and management journals, such as Management Science, MIS Quarterly, and Information Systems Research. The BIM faculty has a strong track record of publishing in these leading journals, and we will support you in publishing your work in these journals. Your individual research papers will be compiled into a PhD dissertation, which you will defend after your last year.

Placement Record

Our widely connected and well-known research faculty will support you in finding an academic position after your PhD. In the past, our graduates have secured faculty positions at top business schools worldwide, including MIT, Northwestern University, George Washington University, Copenhagen Business School, IE Business School, University of Amsterdam, and VU Amsterdam.

Cooperation

To enhance your international profile, we strongly encourage a research visit at one of the top universities for three to six months during their third or fourth year. Previous students have visited renowned institutions such as MIT, the University of Maryland, the University of Minnesota, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Employment conditions

ERIM offers fully-funded and salaried PhD positions, which means that accepted PhD candidates become employees (promovendi) of Erasmus University Rotterdam. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO).

Erasmus University Rotterdam aspires to be an equitable and inclusive community. We nurture an open culture, where everyone is supported to fulfil their full potential. We see inclusivity of talent as the basis of our successes, and the diversity of perspectives and people as a highly valued outcome. EUR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, functional impairment, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Contact information

For questions regarding the PhD application and selection procedure, please check the Admissions or contact the PhD Doctoral Office at phdadmissions@erim.eur.nl.