The Amsterdam Law School has avacancy for three PhD candidates in European Private Law.

Applicants are asked to submit a research proposal of approximately 1000 words, which should include a section on methodology. Applicants are invited to formulate an innovative research question (or hypothesis).

The research question should link up to one of the research orientations of the Centre for the Study of European Contract Law (CSECL). Although originally founded as a research centre specifically for European contract law, today its researchers specialise in (the private law aspects of) a variety of legal fields. These include European consumer protection, environmental, financial, fundamental rights, housing, insolvency, labour, property and private international law. CSECL’s approach to European private law is multi-disciplinary, combining thorough legal analysis with pertinent insights from other fields, such as political theory, moral theory, political economy, behavioural sciences, and economic analysis.

The researcher may also embed her/his European private law research project within the programme on ‘Law and Justice Across Borders’, though that is not strictly necessary. In that programme, CSECL collaborates with the Amsterdam Center for European Law and Governance (ACELG) and the Amsterdam Center for International Law (ACIL).

The position is first and foremost a research position; yet the candidates may have the opportunity, or may be asked, to contribute to teaching activities to a limited extent in the second and possibly third year of PhD research

The successful candidates will:

• carry out independent high-quality scientific research leading to the degree of PhD;
• actively contribute to the research community in the Law Faculty, in particular at CSECL and the research group on ‘Law and Justice Across Borders’;
• present intermediate research results at international workshops and conferences;
• participate in the organization of research activities and events, such as conferences, workshops and joint publications;
• show the relevance of her/his research for society and contribute to the dissemination of research results;
• possibly contribute to teaching responsibilities in the field of international law.  

The successful candidate must have

• a completed master’s degree in (European) private law or a related discipline at the start of the employment;
• demonstrable research interest in European private law;
• excellent command of English (written and spoken);
• interest in inter-disciplinary research;
• the ability to work in a team;
• curiosity and willingness to challenge opinions, and to be challenged.

Knowledge of disciplines other than law is an asset, but not a requirement.

The successful candidates will be offered an initial contract for 15 months. Upon positive evaluation of the PhD students’ performance the contract will be extended by 33 months.

The gross monthly salary will be in accordance with the salary scales for PhD candidates at Dutch universities, scale P (Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities) ranging from €2,222 to €2,840 gross per month (full-time equivalent). Secondary benefits at Dutch universities are attractive and include 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year Bonus.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

http://www.uva.nl/en/home

Amsterdam Law School

The University of Amsterdam’s Law School prides itself on its international orientation and strong social commitment. This is reflected by both its research and educational activities. The Amsterdam Law School offers three Bachelor’s programmes and a variety of Master's, some of which are taught exclusively in English (i.e. International and European Law, European Private Law, International Criminal Law, and Law & Finance). The Amsterdam Law School prepares students for a wide variety of legal careers including law firms, government, business and industry, the national and international judiciary, public service, human rights advocacy, and academia. With 3,700 students and over 400 staff members, it is one of the largest law faculties in the Netherlands. The Amsterdam Law School is located in the centre of Amsterdam.

http://www.uva.nl/en/faculties/faculteit-der-rechtsgeleerdheid/faculty-of-law.html