PhD positions Faculty of Law (3.0 FTE) (V24.0600)

Are you a (nearly) graduated law student with an interest in scientific research? If so, one of these positions could be a great opportunity for you.

We are looking for three enthusiastic PhD students who want to do research within one of the following topics:

Project 1: AI and evidence in criminal investigations, see: https://www.rug.nl/research/gradschool-law/phd/phd-vacancy-1
Law enforcement increasingly faces large, complex datasets for evidence discovery, requiring AI tools for efficient triage, filtering, and review while ensuring privacy, data protection, and fair trial compliance. AI holds promise in analyzing data and detecting patterns, but its use raises legal and ethical questions. The Netherlands Forensic Institute’s Hansken platform provides digital forensic tools with safeguards for chain of custody and defense access. This PhD research examines the legal implications of AI for evidence triage, its human rights impacts, and compliance with EU and Council of Europe AI regulations, developing guidelines for reliable, accountable, and legally compliant implementation.

Project 2: Social Media Evidence in the Construction of Arguments Before the International Court of Justice, see https://www.rug.nl/research/gradschool-law/phd/phd-vacancy-2
This PhD project investigates the growing use of social media evidence in arguments before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Parties increasingly rely on social media content—photos, videos, statements—to support their positions, raising questions about evidentiary standards and litigation strategies. The research explores how litigants construct arguments using social media evidence, focusing on strategy (e.g., establishing facts, interpreting rules, or broader goals) and authority (e.g., why courts accept or reject such evidence). Employing doctrinal, qualitative, and potentially interdisciplinary methodologies, the project may compare the ICJ with other international courts to analyze trends and implications of this novel evidentiary practice.

Project 3: Nexus Netween External and Internal Security Threats or Informality in EU Migration and Foreign Relations Law, see https://www.rug.nl/research/gradschool-law/phd/phd-vacancy-3
For this project the candidate can chose between two topics. This first deals with the intersection of external and internal security concerns in the EU, focusing on case studies such as the instrumentalization of migration or the spread of terrorism. It could explore how the division line between external and internal threats is increasingly blurred, and how the EU and its Member States respond to this phenomenon. This project may equally look at external factors such as those which configure both as an external and internal security threat in the EU.
The second regards the growing use of informality in EU migration and foreign relations law. In EU migration law, informality has been used in recent crisis responses and informal "deals" are often preferred to formal international agreements. Informal agreements are also present in the CFSP, especially in the division of tasks between the Member States. This research could assess the implications of such informal actions for the rule of law, governance, and accountability.

A more detailed description of the research projects can be found through the links in the descriptions above.

In your doctoral research, under the supervision of your supervisors, you will conduct independent scientific research resulting in a dissertation. You will be accommodated at the Groningen Graduate School of Law (GGSL). The GGSL offers a training program to help carry out this research. Your training program will be tailored to your interests, and needs for development. During your appointment, you will publish and present (partial) results of your research in academic and professional journals and participate in academic activities and events, such as conferences and seminars.

In addition, you make a limited contribution to the teaching of the department.

Organization
The University of Groningen is an internationally-oriented university that has partnerships with world-class international universities such as Uppsala, Göttingen and Ghent. We have around 34,000 students and 6,500 staff members from The Netherlands and abroad. We work together with partners in society on the themes of Healthy Ageing, Energy and Sustainable Society.

Faculty of Law
The Groningen Faculty of Law is a modern, (inter)nationally-oriented organization with both a broad and classic profile. Even though it has a four-century-long tradition, it continues to innovate its education in order to train broadly-oriented lawyers. Our research largely transcends legal fields and is multidisciplinary in nature. With almost 5,000 students and 500 staff, it is a medium-sized faculty of the UG.

You must have a (nearly) completed Master’s degree, preferably in law and/or a related domain that is relevant to the execution of the research proposal.

The ideal candidate has the following competences:

• creativity
• an analytical mind
• results-oriented
• a critical research attitude
• perseverance

Other requirements:

• good didactic and relational skills
• good command of English and a minimum level of Dutch, depending on your field of research
• flexible availability during examination periods
• work attitude focused on teamwork, flexibility and communication.

Please check the project page of the research you are interested in for other specific requirements.

In accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities, we offer

• A gross starting salary of at least € 2,901 during the first year with a maximum of € 3,707 in the 4th year.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus over the annual gross salary.
• A temporary employment contract for a period of 4 years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year.
• Attractive leave policy and opportunities to follow training courses.

Starting date: to be determined in consultation, but preferably no later than 1 September 2025. This means that students who are in the final stage of their studies and will graduate this academic year are also invited to apply.

You may apply for this position until 2 February 11:59pm / before 3 February 2025 Dutch local time (CET) by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the application by half February 2025. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview which will take place in the end of February and beginning of March 2025, and may be asked to provide a sample of writing. It will also be possible to interview remotely.

Please indicate clearly in your cover letter which research project you are applying for!

Your application comes with:

• A cover letter explaining why you want to do research, why this subject is specifically important and why you are ideally suited for this.
• A curriculum vitae.
• A list of marks or results acquired in your Bachelor's and Master’s degrees.
• The name of a reference that we may contact and/or a written recommendation.
• A research proposal of maximum 3 A4 (excluding bibliography, but including footnotes) which includes the following:

1. the introduction of the research question2. the definition of the question
3. relevant literature
4. the methodology
5. the plan of approach

The University of Groningen strives to be a university in which students and staff are respected and feel at home, regardless of differences in background, experiences, perspectives, and identities. We believe that working on our core values of inclusion and equality are a joint responsibility and we are constructively working on creating a socially safe environment. Diversity among students and staff members enriches academic debate and contributes to the quality of our teaching and research. We therefore invite applicants from underrepresented groups in particular to apply. For more information, see also our diversity policy webpage: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/policy-and-strategy/diversity-and-inclusion/

Our selection procedure follows the guidelines of the Recruitment code (NVP): https://www.nvp-hrnetwerk.nl/nl/sollicitatiecode and European Commission's European Code of Conduct for recruitment of researchers: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter/code

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