The Department of Marketing is an internationally recognized research group, committed to excellence in research and teaching. Our group conducts rigorous and managerially relevant research across the entire spectrum of marketing, including marketing modeling, marketing management & strategy and consumer behavior. Members of the Department of Marketing are located on three different campuses: Antwerp, Brussels, and Leuven.
Members of our department have published in the leading journals in marketing, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Retailing, and Journal of Service Research. Our department is also home to co-editors and associate editors at leading journals.
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Project
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, HubSpot, 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.
Profile
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.
Offer
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 research projects examining the organizational and financial consequences of Customer Success Management.
- Supervision by an internationally recognized researcher with extensive publication and editorial experience in top journals.
- A dynamic and stimulating research environment.
- The possibility for international research stays, pending budget approvals.
- Access to an extensive international academic network and collaborations with leading service organizations.
- Access to world-class doctoral training, research seminars, and international conferences;
- The opportunity to publish in leading international journals and develop a strong academic profile for a future career in academia or industry.
- A competitive salary and benefits in accordance with KU Leuven regulations for doctoral researchers.
The intended starting date is December 1, 2026, or as soon as possible.
Interested?
Applicants should submit the following documents: a motivation letter, a curriculum vitae, official transcripts of their bachelor's and master's studies, and, if available, a writing sample (e.g., a master's thesis or a scientific research paper).
For more information please contact Prof. dr. Yves Van Vaerenbergh, mail:
[email protected]. Please add the number of the vacancy in your email.
KU Leuven strives for an inclusive, respectful and socially safe environment. We embrace diversity among individuals and groups as an asset. Open dialogue and differences in perspective are essential for an ambitious research and educational environment. In our commitment to equal opportunity, we recognize the consequences of historical inequalities. We do not accept any form of discrimination based on, but not limited to, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, ethnic or national background, skin colour, religious and philosophical diversity, neurodivergence, employment disability, health, or socioeconomic status. For questions about accessibility or support offered, we are happy to assist you at this email address.
