These posts are part of the research centers ‘Public and Private interests: A new balance’ and Erasmus Center for Empirical Legal Studies (ECELS).

Position 1 and 2 (4 years):

o   Erasmus School of Law welcomes proposals within the overarching theme ’Public and private interests: A new balance’,

o   with a strong focus on empirical legal research,

o   preference is given to proposals on topics situated at the intersection of private and public law,

o   for at least one of the advertised PhD positions, Professor Peter Mascini (Chair empirical legal research) will be involved as methodology supervisor.

o   Applicants are invited to submit a (short) research proposal written in English and in accordance with the application format, which can be found on the EGSL website. In their proposal, applicants are requested:

-          to specifically include empirical legal research (ELR);

-          to elaborate how this method will be applied in their research;

-          to elaborate how their proposal aligns with public and private interests.

Position 3 (3 years) is for a specific project within the sectoral plan: Project 7. The needle in the haystack: international exchange of fiscal information 2.0 in the public and private interest. Applicants are asked to elaborate a (short) research proposal based on this description,  written in English and in accordance with the application format, which can be found on the EGSL website.

A key aspect of Erasmus School of Law is that research groups work across the boundaries of legal disciplines, applying various methods of empirical legal research.. Within this research community, you will study the role of private actors, in particular businesses, in safeguarding public interests in one of the 11 PhD research projects. Furthermore, the research community is comprised of four professors and four postdoc researchers. The research will be conducted within the framework of the nationwide sectoral plan for legal science, and namely the two research areas of ’Public and private interests: A new balance’ and ‘Empirical Legal Studies’, in collaboration with our partner therein, the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen.

We are looking for candidates who:

·       hold a master’s degree in Law, Criminology or other discipline relevant for this PhD position[1];

·       can demonstrate scientific research skills, proven, for example, by academic publications or by the quality of your master thesis;

·       (for position 1 and 2) can demonstrate experience with empirical (legal) research;

·       have excellent oral and written skills in English (requirements: see application format).

Candidates will be selected based on their professional qualification, the letter of motivation and the quality of their research proposal, and will be employed at Erasmus Graduate School of Law. See below for the specific requirements regarding the application procedure.

[1] Current master students, who will finish their master before January 2022, are welcome to apply. Bear in mind that proof of a master’s degree is a formal requirement for employment.

Fixed-term contract: 18 months initially.

The position begins with a temporary employment contract for 18 months, starting in January 2022. This probationary period consists of an educational programme and individual research and entails an evaluation of the progress of the research after one year. In case of a positive evaluation, the contract will be extended. In the remaining 30-month (project 3: 18-month) period PhD researchers focus on their research and the completion of their thesis. In both phases structured guidance is provided by the thesis supervisors and a doctorate committee composed of senior researchers and one of the PhD coordinators of Erasmus Graduate School of Law.

We offer an attractive position with good terms of employment in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO NU). The monthly salary is € 2,395 gross for a fulltime position of 38 hours a week during the first year (CAO NU scale doctoral candidate), which will increase annually up to € 3,061 gross per month in the fourth year.   

The attractive benefits package includes an end of year bonus of 8.3%, holiday allowance of 8%, extensive leave facilities for a healthy work/life balance, a good pension fund and an excellent collective insurance package. Staff are also entitled to use various facilities, such as sport facilities and library.

Since April 2018, Erasmus University Rotterdam has offered a Dual Career Programme to partners and spouses of new international employees. This programme is executed in close cooperation with Leiden University and TU Delft and aims to help partners and spouses find a job on the Dutch labour market. See www.eur.nl/en/working/international-staff-eur/family/work-partners.

Erasmus University Rotterdam

The Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a pronounced social orientation in its education and research. Our scientists and students work to solve global and social challenges, inspired by the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Our academic education is intensive, active, and applied. Our research is increasingly taking place in multidisciplinary teams, which are highly intertwined with international networks. With our research impact and study quality, Erasmus University Rotterdam is highly ranked and can compete with leading European universities. Important values for Erasmus University Rotterdam are being daring, curious, socially involved, deliberate and aspiring to success.

Erasmus School of Law

Erasmus School of Law is an international oriented faculty with its heart and soul rooted in Rotterdam. Our faculty is a breeding ground for academic talent in the field of (Tax) Law and Criminology. We aim to be a partner of legal practice, government, business, science and art. Erasmus School of Law facilitates education and research at an outstanding level. A key aspect of Erasmus School of Law is that research groups work across the boundaries of legal disciplines, applying modern tools of social science research, such as empirical and experimental methods.