Interested in conducting cutting-edge socio-legal PhD research into crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law in and via the Netherlands (‘ondermijning’), in a dynamic interdisciplinary public-private research consortium? We are passionate about supervising you and five other PhD candidates as well as, in the fifth year, three postdoc researchers in this state-of-the-art prestigious five-year research programme, innovative in focus and approach, with both academic and societal impact. Please apply now to be a force for a more resilient democracy and rule of law.

About Us:
You will be a PhD researcher in our interdisciplinary public-private research consortium that seeks to address the fundamental problem of crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law in and via the Netherlands (in Dutch: rechtsstaat-ondermijnende criminaliteit or in short ondermijning). Realizing that, for such a complex issue, the sum is more than its parts, more than 28 scholars from at least nine disciplines jointly conduct interdisciplinary research under the overall theoretical framework of complexity science. Given that neither the private sector nor the public sector can address this challenge on its own, 22 private and public agencies including three banks, two intelligence and law enforcement agencies, two applied knowledge institutes, three ministries, three NGOs, and three network organizations collaborate in this interdisciplinary public-private research consortium. Altogether, our COMCRIM community intends to gain a fundamental understanding of crimes that corrode democracy and the rule of law and develop proactive, evidence-based solutions thereto that foster resilience including on rule of law principles like accountability to the law, equality before the law, and fairness in the application of the law. To achieve this aim, we inter alia detect such crime in unorthodox data sources like banking records, follow the money, and discern networks, patterns and trends.

COMCRIM
This five-year research project entitled COMbatting CRIMes that undermine democratic societies governed by the rule of law in a smart and comprehensive manner (in short: COMCRIM) is part of the NWA research programme ‘Research along Routes by Consortia (ORC)’, financed by the Dutch Research Council NWO (see for more information under budget range 2-5 million euros). The NWA supports excellent research in the Netherlands, providing funding to scientific consortia that have the potential to rank among the world’s best in their field. COMCRIM is a response to the urgent need for an informed perspective on crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law in and via the Netherlands. Under the overall theoretical framework of complexity science, COMCRIM seeks to understand the systemic problems caused by such crime to core public and private institutions, society, and public values and norms. The project brings together three lines of inquiry: (i) socio-legal, (ii) computer science, and (iii) socio-economic research. Researchers in criminal law, private law/human rights due diligence, social science, computer science, artificial intelligence, complexity science, ethics, criminology, and statistics jointly conduct the interdisciplinary research involving supervision of our six PhD researchers and three postdoc researchers as well as our other personnel like student assistants. They will be guided by an equally interdisciplinary international expert group and national advisory group. As a close-knit team, the COMCRIM community will develop solutions for comprehensively and smartly tackling what complexity science understands to be the ‘ecosystem’ of crimes that undermine democratic societies governed by the rule of law. For more information, please contact COMCRIM’s project director and principal investigator, Dr. Jill Coster van Voorhout, and see our website: https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/comcrim

Your PhD project in context
Your PhD research project entitled “Socio-legal research into crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law” at Maastricht University is the first of six work packages of COMCRIM: COMbatting CRIMes that undermine democratic societies governed by the rule of law in a smart and comprehensive manner. Your study is essential to our interdisciplinary public-private research consortium with its focus on the systemic factors of crimes that corrode democracy and the rule of law. This quest for systemic factors means, in short, a study of their business model. Since hardly any such crimes can be committed without (a) persons, (b) money and (c) infrastructure, our study highlights (a) human trafficking, (b) money laundering and (c) corruption. While all three are crimes themselves, they also allow us to detect (a) forced commission of (other) such crimes, (b) the whitewashing of their criminal proceeds, and (c) their effects of interweaving the under- and upperworld.

Consequently, this PhD research project focuses on proactive crime (victim) detection in unorthodox data sources such as banking records, following the money, and discerning the criminal networks consisting of perpetrators, victims and facilitators. While criminal law is central to this PhD research project, socio-legal methods will be used to detect these three systemic factors of criminality that corrodes democracy and the rule of law. This PhD research project is thereby interdisciplinary by design, and will be enriched thanks to your close collaboration with the five other PhD research projects on, in short, human rights and business due diligence under private law, artificial intelligence, complex systems science, criminology, statistics and economics.

As a part of the socio-legal research line, your PhD research project 1.1. contributes to answering its research question: Is the Netherlands a breeding ground for crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law and, if so, how should the country (pro)actively protect itself against its most corrosive effects (inter)nationally? Its two sub-questions with a criminal law focus are: Sub-question 1.1.a: How can we gain a fundamental understanding of crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law in all their dimensions through (improved) crime (victim) detection and analysis? and Sub-question 1.1.b: How should the Netherlands respond with (retributive and proactive) law and policy interventions against such crime and its most corrosive effects, considering that criminal law ought to be used as last resort (ultimum remedium)? Thanks to the provision of answers to the above, you will contribute to the overall aim of COMCRIM, which is to answer its central research question: How should the complex problems caused by crimes that undermine democratic societies governed by the rule of law be tackled in a smart and comprehensive manner?

Your Role:
As a PhD researcher, you will play a key role in conducting research in your own research project in close collaboration and with multiple learning opportunities in the diverse team. While the research project design has been described in detail above, you will within its bounds have the academic freedom to come up within your own ideas that we are eager to discuss with you.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, conduct, and publish research on crimes that undermine democracy and the rule of law and devise more effective data-driven (preventative) interventions thereto;
• Contribute to the public debate and organize outreach activities of COMCRIM;
• Contribute to the overall COMCRIM programme in terms of events, research meetings, activities;
• Collaborate with other researchers within the COMCRIM consortium;
• Give guest-lectures in the area of your expertise at BA or MA level at Maastricht University;
• If interested, help co-supervising research projects of student assistants working on related topics.

Your Activities:
The COMCRIM community provides a stimulating research environment, fostering teamwork, educational innovation, and societal impact. As a key member, you will:

• Conduct research and benefit from educational development activities;
• Contribute to teamwork within committed departments and universities;
• Support and elevate our ambitious research agenda in its scientific and societal impact goals.

We are looking for the following in the candidate: A proactive, collaborative PhD Researcher, who is experienced in or has a demonstrable eagerness to start working on interdisciplinary research in a ditto public-private research consortium, who has by the time of appointment:

• A (research) master’s degree in criminal law, social sciences or a comparable discipline;
• A strong affinity with the research topic and in collaborating in a team of researchers from different disciplines including an interest to learn and work with supervisors from the areas of criminal law, human rights and business due diligence/private law, artificial intelligence, complex systems science, criminology, ethics, statistics and economics;
• An excellent written and spoken command of Dutch and/or English, for instance demonstrated by publications in Dutch-language and/or English-language journals, blogs or comparable publications (written and spoken command of other languages, including Spanish, French, and/or German is a plus);
• A demonstrable interest in or experience with empirical research methods, specifically with mixed methods research, big data research, and qualitative research methods;
• An interest in ensuring scientific and societal impact;
• The ability, willingness, and commitment to do autonomous work in an interdisciplinary team;
• An interest in having an active role in organizing workshops, lecture series, and similar events.

Current master students are welcome to apply. However, appointment will only be possible if the master’s degree has been obtained before the start of the employment contract. You can apply without having proof of obtaining your master’s degree, however, bear in mind that proof of a master’s degree is a formal requirement for employment and must be delivered at least 3 weeks before the start date of the contract.

What we offer

As PhD Researcher at the Faculty of Law, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale PhD according to UFO profile PhD, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from € 2,770 and € 3,539 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow. You will be a member of our research community in Maastricht, while you can also regularly benefit from the research community at the Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam through its partnership in COMCRIM
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• We provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.
• While your research takes place at Maastricht University, we also facilitate working at the Institute for Advanced Study in Amsterdam, so that you can also conduct research there with all other members of the team consisting of at first the other five PhD Researchers and the project director/principal investigator as well as your and their supervisors

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University

Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law at Maastricht University is a top-quality provider of challenging and rewarding Dutch and European legal education at bachelor’s, masters and PhD-level. A true pioneer in small-scale education and the teaching of legal skills for a broad range of future legal professionals.

The clear research focus on European and international aspects of law and technology. On the empirical dimension of law provides both students and staff with a stimulating work environment. The faculty values its open and inclusive community, which contributes to creating a productive and pleasant place for work and study.

The Faculty of Law offers a wide range of bachelor and master's programs. Would you like to learn more about our programs? Visit our website for more information on the courses, career perspectives, and admission requirements of our programs.