These posts are part of the research community ‘Public and private interests: A new balance’.

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. 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 three postdoc researchers. The research will be conducted within the framework of the nationwide sectoral plan for legal science, in collaboration with our partner therein, the Faculty of Law of the University of Groningen.

PhD research projects

• Project 1. Managing conflict and instability in public-private supervisory networks
• Project 4. Controlling the market for corporate control; conflicting public and private interest in listed companies
• Project 6. The future of work

Erasmus School of Law is recruiting ambitious PhD researchers who will perform excellent research in Law or Criminology (M/F 1.0 FTE, starting in September or October 2021). As a PhD researcher, you will join a law school ranked in the top 50 of the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings of global law schools, which is committed to promoting excellent international and interdisciplinary research with a high positive societal impact.

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.

You have a university degree in Law, Criminology or other discipline relevant for one of the PhD positions mentioned above. You can demonstrate relevant scientific research skills, proven, for example, by academic publications or by the quality of your master thesis. Moreover, you can demonstrate affinity with conducting empirical (legal) research. You have excellent oral and written skills in English.

Current master students, who will finish their master this summer, are welcome to apply. Bear in mind that proof of a master degree is a formal requirement for employment, which will only be possible if the master degree has been obtained before half August 2021, in order to start in September 2021, and before half September in order to start in October 2021.

Fixed-term contract: 18 months (with possible extension of 30 months).

The position begins with a temporary employment contract for 18 months. 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 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 School of Law

Erasmus School of Law (ESL) employs 500 members of staff and is attended by around 5000 students. ESL offers bachelor programmes in Law, Tax Law and Criminology, with a focus on active academic learning. Students can subsequently choose from a wide variety of master programmes. ESL also collaborates in Double Degree programmes combining law and (business) economics or law and business administration and is one of the founders of the European Master in Law & Economics. Once students have completed their master’s degree, they may choose from several postgraduate tracks provided by Erasmus School of Law (in collaboration with Erasmus Academy and others).

The fundamental premise underlying academic research conducted at Erasmus School of Law is that law cannot be considered in splendid isolation or as an end in itself. It is embedded in an economic and social context that shapes law. At the same time, law itself shapes society and defines economic relationships. In line with this vision, our mission is to conduct innovative research on the function of law in its economic and social context. This research has a strong social and business-driven orientation. Erasmus School of Law is committed to promoting international and interdisciplinary research, as shown by its participation in several international research collaborations. The PhD programmes at Erasmus School of Law are also firmly embedded in international networks. Erasmus Graduate School of Law is part of the Association of Transnational Law School (ATLAS), which aims to bring together talented doctoral students in the field of law. Erasmus School of Law is also part of the prestigious European Doctorate in Law and Economics Programme (EDLE) as well as the Marie Curie European Training Network on EU Trade and Investment Policy (EUTIP).

We engage in research-driven education, in which research questions as well as the interdisciplinary and international approach are embedded.

Erasmus Graduate School of Law

Erasmus Graduate School of Law (EGSL) provides a research environment in which PhD researchers are stimulated to actively participate. EGSL creates an environment in which critical reflection, an interdisciplinary approach to law, the exchange of ideas and sharing experiences amongst all researchers play a crucial role.

More information about Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Law and Erasmus Graduate School of Law can be found on the websites.