PhD Candidate: The Law on the Use and Sharing of Health Data

The European legal framework has two competing goals in relation to health data. Health data should be used and shared for better healthcare and research. At the same time, data protection should always be ensured. This project is aimed at the exploration of this tension. It analyses whether the European legal framework leads to an adequate balance between data protection and the free movement of health data, both within and outside the context of Radboud Healthy Data programme.

This position is part of the Radboud Healthy Data programme, particularly of work package 4 (ethical, legal and societal aspects, WP4).  Within the broader context of Healthy Data WP4, the legal PhD project is focused on the legal concerns in relation to the use and sharing of health data, both within and outside of the context of the Radboud Healthy Data programme. 

Under the European Strategy for Data, the European Commission has the aim to facilitate the use and sharing of data. Within this broader strategy, health data are of special importance in view of the proposed European Health Data Space (EHDS). At the same time, the use and sharing of health data leads to data protection risks. The aim of this project is to understand and navigate this tension. Its objective is to understand the legal implications of the various possibly conflicting rules, and whether the resulting legal framework leads to an adequate balance of the various interests.

A full description of the project can be found in the attachment below.

Your research will culminate in a doctoral thesis in the form of either a monograph or a collection of previously published research papers. Your PhD supervisors will be Pieter Wolters, Raphaël Gellert and Tim Walree.

You will be part of the Department of Private Law of the Faculty of Law. The research will be part of the Radboud Business Law Institute. Furthermore, you will collaborate with researchers from various disciplines in iHub, Radboud University's interdisciplinary hub on digitalisation and society. This also includes other researchers in the Radboud Healthy Data programme.

In principle, the position will involve 100% research for four years. However, a five-year position with 75% research and 25% teaching is also a possibility, in which case you will be expected to teach courses at the Department of Private Law.

• It concerns an employment for 1.0 FTE.
• The gross starting salary amounts to €3,226 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,720 in the fourth year (salary scale 10).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

The Radboud Business Law Institute (Onderzoekcentrum Onderneming & Recht, OO&R) facilitates and conducts high-quality academic research in the field of business-oriented private law. The institute is a collaboration between the Radboud University Law Faculty and a number of partners, including renowned national and international law firms, financial institutions and multinationals.

The Radboud Healthy Data Programme is a joint, digital transformation programme of Radboud University and the Radboud university medical center. Radboud Healthy Data aims to connect and further develop our expertise in health-related data management and AI, with the aim of enhancing the development of a responsible and sustainable digital infrastructure for the entire Radboud University campus. Focus areas in the programme are FAIR data stewardship, AI methods, education, ethical/legal/societal considerations, data-related community activities, and scientific breakthroughs. We build upon our strong history and ongoing activities with partners in our networks. Through Healthy Data, we will strengthen our data-driven infrastructure and our collaborative AI research at the Radboud University campus in order to improve health and healthcare in society.

iHub, Radboud University's interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society, is looking for a PhD candidate for research into the use of bulk data by state bodies. iHub brings together a diverse range of scholars from across the humanities, social sciences, law, engineering and natural sciences to tackle urgent questions raised by the increased digitalisation and datafication of science and society. iHub's mission is to better understand the effects of digitalisation on our society and to help steer digital transformations in ways where public values are central.



Radboud University
We are keen to meet critical thinkers who want to look closer at what really matters. People who, from their expertise, wish to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This ambition unites more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University and requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

You can apply until 29 October 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Pieter Wolters. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A motivation letter, including your thoughts on the most pressing issues in this project and how you would like to approach them. 
• Your CV.
• A transcript of your grades.

The first round of interviews will take place on Monday 13 November. You would preferably begin employment on 2 January 2024.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.