PhD position in Marketing Strategy

Educational sciences » Research methodology

Information science » Information management

Technology » Communication technology

Technology » Information technology

Organisation/Company KU LEUVEN Research Field Economics » Applied economics Economics » Business economics Economics » Commercial economics Economics » Consumer economics Economics » Econometrics Economics » Financial science Economics » Management studies Economics » Marketing Economics » Microeconomics Economics » Production economics Economics » Social economics Educational sciences » Research methodology Information science » Information management Mathematics » Applied mathematics Mathematics » Statistics Technology » Communication technology Technology » Information technology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Final date to receive applications 5 Aug 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country Belgium Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by a EU programme Reference Number BAP
- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Research project:
Does Customer Success Management Generate Success for Organizations? Understanding the Impact of Customer Success Management on Firm Performance
Organizations across industries are increasingly shifting from selling products to delivering subscription-based services. As a result, making sure that customers successfully adopt and realize value from these services has become a strategic priority. This transformation has given rise to a rapidly growing organizational function:
Customer Success Management (CSM).
Although customer success teams have become increasingly common in organizations such as Salesforce, Microsoft, Hub Spot, and many other firms, little scientific evidence explores whether investments in customer success actually improve organizational performance. This project seeks to provide empirical evidence on the financial impact of Customer Success Management.
The successful PhD candidate will investigate questions such as “Does implementing Customer Success Management create value for organizations?”, “How do investors respond to announcements of Customer Success Management initiatives?”, or “Does Customer Success Management improve organizations' long-term financial performance?”, among others. Ultimately, the goal of the project is to answer a fundamental question:
Organizations invest billions in Customer Success Management, but does it actually pay off?
The successful candidate will become part of the Department of Marketing at KU Leuven and will work under the supervision of Professors Yves Van Vaerenbergh. We are looking for an enthusiastic and ambitious candidate who:

• Holds (or will obtain before the start of the appointment) a Master's degree in Business Engineering, (Business) Economics, Econometrics, Statistics, Quantative Analysis, Data Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline, with a strong affinity to marketing strategy and/or customer management.
• Has an excellent academic record. Excellent (on average cum laude or higher) results in prior studies are a requirement.
• Demonstrates strong interest in Customer Success Management.
• Possesses strong analytical and quantitative research skills. Successful candidates need to be able to work with large datasets and to execute advanced statistical analyses.
• Has excellent written and spoken English.
• Participates in seminars and conferences and enrolls in the PhD program of the Faculty of Economics and Business at KU Leuven.
• Assists in educational activities, such as supervising bachelor’s or master’s theses or exam supervision.
• Is motivated to publish in leading international academic journals and present research at international conferences.
• Enjoys working independently while also collaborating with the supervisor and in an international research team.

We offer:

• A full-time funded PhD position (4 years, upon successful yearly evaluation) at the Department of Marketing, Faculty of Economics and Business, KU Leuven.
• The opportunity to work on one of the first large-scale…