Searching in the dark to be expected. Struggles likely. Impactful results ensured. As an assistant professor, you will have a diverse set of responsibilities. You will conduct innovative and high-quality research, write research proposals, teach, and participate in administrative activities.

The application of computational methods in the legal domain is expected to revolutionize legal academia and practice. There is a growing need to develop data infrastructures for the legal domain and to test methodologies for legal analysis in order to answer empirical research questions. This position helps to address this need by contributing to cutting-edge research that applies technology to a legal or regulatory context. You will be offered the opportunity to collaborate with legal researchers and data / AI researchers, and to apply (and learn) computer science methods and solutions in relation to the legal domain.

The set of responsibilities will, among other things, allow you to:

• Grow in academia
• Be a pioneer in the field of law and data science
• Collaborate with experts from law as well as computer science
• Perform individually and collaboratively
• Build networks
• Participate and lead projects
• Pursue strategies to translate research results into innovation
• Develop and advance courses and educational programs at the intersection of Law and Technology

We invite applications for a position, which closely collaborates with the Institute of Data Science and the Department of Knowledge Engineering at Maastricht University. You will join an exciting and vibrant community where legal scholars and computer scientists meet and form interdisciplinary teams that work at the intersection of Law and Technology.

The exact terms of employment will depend on the qualifications and experience of the candidate. The preferred starting date is summer 2022.

Matching Skills

• PhD degree in Law (or having obtained a PhD degree at the time of appointment)
• Expertise in one or more of the following fields: contract law, tort law, family law, property law, insolvency law, company law, private international law
• Excellence in research and, preferably, a track record of obtaining research funding
• Experience in teaching
• Ability to teach in English. Willingness to learn Dutch
• Experience in supervising Bachelor, Masters, or PhD
• Possess a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) or be prepared to obtain one within two years of appointment
• Team player
• (optional) Geek-friendly.

Fixed-term contract: 12-18 months, with option to get a permanent contract.

You will be employed temporarily for 12 or 18 months (depending on your employment history) as assistant professor (level 2) and will co-develop and agree to specific development goals. Towards the end of this contract period, the decision will be taken on whether or not to grant an employment contract for an indefinite period. Your development goals will also allow you to grow further to the position of assistant professor (level 1).

The salary depends on academic qualifications and experience. The salary will be set between minimum gross month salary € 3,821 and maximum gross month salary of € 5,230 (according to assistant professor 2), based on a full-time employment, of the Collective Labour Agreement of the Dutch Universities. For people recruited from abroad a reduced income tax rate may apply. Maastricht University has attractive employment conditions, which include a pension scheme, holidays, holiday allowance and an end of year bonus.

The terms of employment of Maastricht University are set out in the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities (CAO). Furthermore, local UM provisions also apply. For more information look at the website www.maastrichtuniversity.nl > About UM > Working at UM.

The preferred starting date is before, during, or after the summer.

Maastricht University

Maastricht University is renowned for its unique, innovative, problem-based learning system, which is characterized by a small-scale and student-oriented approach. Research at UM is characterized by a multidisciplinary and thematic approach, and is concentrated in research institutes and schools. Maastricht University has around 22,000 students and circa 5,000 employees. Reflecting the university's strong international profile, a fair amount of both students and staff are from abroad. The University hosts 6 faculties: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Faculty of Law, School of Business and Economics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law of Maastricht University provides challenging and high-quality legal education for Bachelor's and Master's students. The faculty is a pioneer in small-scale and innovative education and trains lawyers for both the national and international labor market. The faculty is in the top 3 of law schools in the EU and, with 51% foreign students, is the most international law faculty in Europe. It has 3000 students and more than 300 employees. Maastricht University provides you a unique international experience in a Dutch city.

The research within the faculty is conducted within one of the faculty research institutes and the Maastricht Graduate School of Law. The focus of the research is on European and international aspects of law, human rights, migration, and Law & Technology. The faculty attaches great importance to both fundamental and more practical research and is known for its stimulating research and education climate.

The administrative unit under which the position falls is the Department of Private Law. This department consists of a dynamic group of researchers and lecturers. Colleagues describe the Department as an exciting, inspiring, and diverse yet inclusive environment that fosters professional development, ambition, and innovative research in the field of private law. The atmosphere is one of academic freedom. You will be able to engage in a variety of other activities both within and beyond the Law Faculty, be they educational, managerial, strategic or extra-curricular. Support for grant applications will be provided.

The research will be carried out at The Maastricht Law and Tech Lab. The Lab is embedded within the Faculty of Law and aims to produce cutting-edge research and to build a creative community of researchers, teachers and students at the intersection of law, technology, data science and knowledge engineering. The Lab aims to analyze how technology and data science interact with law and justice in society, how technology and data science can increase access to law and justice in society, and analyzes the ethical, legal, and social issues arising from technology and data science innovations. Activities are conducted in collaboration between lawyers, computer and data scientists and / or knowledge engineers.