PhD researcher in EU Company Law and EU Competition Law

Are you interested in pursuing a PhD at the intersection of EU company law and EU competition law? Do you want to explore how legal frameworks shape markets, corporate behaviour, and economic ordering in times of profound societal transformation? This PhD position offers the opportunity to develop your own ambitious research project exploring the role of law in addressing today’s most pressing challenges.

Join Us

PhD Research Project
European economies are undergoing structural transformation. Business corporations operate in an environment marked by:

• Growing social and economic inequalities, both within and between Member States, including widening disparities in income, wealth, and labour conditions;
• The urgent need to address ecological degradation and planetary boundaries, requiring far-reaching changes in production and consumption patterns;
• Concerns about the EU’s ability to remain competitive in a global economy characterised by geopolitical fragmentation and industrial policy revival;
• The rapid development and deployment of artificial intelligence, with significant implications for labour markets, corporate governance, and market structures.

Corporations and markets are not neutral phenomena: they are constituted and structured by law. Company law, competition law, and (where relevant) financial law form the legal architecture of the European market economy. They structure corporate purpose, allocate economic power, and shape market dynamics. How do these legal regimes interact and how can — or should — they contribute to sustainable, inclusive, and competitive economic development within the EU and beyond?

Applicants are asked to write their own research proposal within the broad theme indicated above. The proposal must integrate both EU company law and EU competition law. It may also incorporate elements of financial law, organisational ethics or broader EU economic governance. While the European Union must form a core part of the analysis, comparative or transnational perspectives are encouraged. We appreciate projects that combine a strong theoretical framework with doctrinal analysis of EU company law and EU competition law. Where appropriate, empirical methods (case studies, interviews, quantitative analysis, or mixed approaches) are welcome. Interdisciplinary engagement – such as with economics, political theory, sociology, or business studies – is welcome.

What you will do

• You will primarily carry out your doctoral research;
• You will contribute to teaching activities on a limited scale.

What we ask of you

• You have a master’s degree in law;
• You have knowledge of EU law;
• You have experience with and passion for academic research and writing;
• You have a clear research interest within the scope of this position.

What we offer you
We offer an employment contract for one year with a probationary period of two months, preferably starting on 1 September 2026. The appointment will be extended for another three years upon a positive assessment, i.e until 31 August 2030. The employment contract is for 38 hours a week. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis).

Your salary will start at € 3.059 gross per month increasing till € 3.881 (year 4) on the basis of a full working week of 38 hours. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8.3% year-end allowance. A favourable tax agreement, the 30% ruling, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU) is applicable.

You will be supported in developing your own original PhD research by a team of academic supervisors. You will participate in the Amsterdam Law School’s PhD training programme and be part of its PhD community.

Where you will work
As a doctoral researcher, you will join the Amsterdam Centre for Transformative Private Law (ACT) and the Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance (ACELG) at the Amsterdam Law School.

ACT and ACELG are two leading research centres, offering high-quality contributions to research and education in their respective fields. ACT seeks to investigate the role of private law in constituting and changing societies.

The ACT research group studies private law in a broad sense, encompassing both traditional areas (including contract, tort, property, family, and company law) and relative newcomers in the field (such as consumer law, labour law, insolvency law and financial law). ACELG seeks to advance the understanding and development of European law and governance to foster just, democratic, and sustainable European societies. ACELG investigates various dimensions of European law, including the institutional, constitutional and economic ones.

Curious about our organization? Learn more about working at the University of Amsterdam here.

If you recognize yourself in this profile and are interested in the role, we look forward to receiving

1. Your CV;
2. A cover letter explaining your motivation and suitability for this position (max. 500 words);
3. A research proposal. The suggested structure of the proposal is: problem statement, research question, methodology and bibliography (max. 2,000 words, bibliography included). Please use footnotes;
4. A writing sample in English (e.g. a published article, a draft paper, a master thesis etc.);
5. Your academic transcripts (bachelor and master degree);
6. The contact details of two referees whom the selection committee may contact during the selection process (no reference letters required at this stage) to be listed at the end of the CV.

Please note that it is only possible to upload two documents, therefore please combine the required files in two (PDF-)documents.

We strongly encourage applicants to avoid extensive use of AI-based tools and to submit materials that reflect their own independent thinking and writing.

Applications are open until 26 April 2026 (time: 23:59), late submissions will not be considered. Based on the written applications, selected candidates will be invited to an online interview. They will be notified on 13 May 2026 at the latest. The interviews will take place on 18 and 19 May. The final round of the application process takes place in the week thereafter, on 28 Mau in person at the University in Amsterdam. If you have not heard from us by 13 May, this means that we have selected other candidates for the next round of the application. Due to the expected high number of applicants, we are unfortunately not in the position to provide any feedback on applications that do not make the selection.

For questions about the position, please contact:

• Jan Broulík j.broulik@uva.nl
• Kinanya Pijl k.c.i.pijl@uva.nl