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Introduction

Erasmus School of Law, department Law & Markets, is looking for a PhD researcher in Digitalisation, AI-technology and LGBTQ+ Rights (4,5 years, with 20% teaching tasks).

Job description

The selected candidate will be embedded within the department Law & Markets, home of a vibrant and diverse academic community. The overarching mission of the department Law & Markets is to develop and deliver cutting-edge, high-quality research and teaching on legal institutions shaping markets and their implications for socio-economic justice and sustainability. The research group specifically studies legal and societal problems generated in the complex dynamics of international, European and domestic laws regulating technology, trade, industry, investment, money, and more generally markets. The focus is on how to make the law in any form socially, environmentally and financially sustainable, how to deal with technological innovation on an inclusive basis and how to combine private and public interests responsibly. Researchers have different profiles, including law and technology, public law, international and EU law, legal theory, and commercial law. The department is keen on multidisciplinary research. 

The department is responsible for a considerable part of the bachelor and master curricula of Erasmus School of Law. Specifically, department Law & Markets provides bachelor teaching in constitutional and administrative law, international and European Union law, jurisprudence, legal philosophy and commercial law. Furthermore, department Law & Markets is responsible for several master programmes including in law and technology public law, international and European Union law and commercial law. Most of the bachelor teaching is in Dutch, while most of the master teaching is in English.

PhD position: Digitalisation, AI-technology and LGBTQ+ Rights

The rapid advancement of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in society is reshaping the relationship between law, the human body, identity, and digital ecosystems. Legal systems worldwide—and particularly within the European Union (EU)—are facing urgent challenges in addressing the ethical and societal impacts of AI-driven applications and machine-learning for generative AI, especially for minorities. The LGBTQ+ community has historically dealt with exclusion, violence and inequality. To prevent AI and digitalisation from perpetuating or aggravating inequality, it is crucial to protect the LGBTQ+ community against discrimination that might result from this. Conducting legal research on this topic is therefore not only desirable, but also necessary for a fair and inclusive digital society.

This PhD position offers a unique opportunity to investigate how the law addresses emerging AI technologies and digital platforms to the safeguard fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ individuals in the EU, focusing particularly on the enforcement of EU law rules, among which being the AI Act, the GDPR, the DMA, the DSA etc. and their limits. Special attention will be given to discriminatory algorithms, AI-driven applications and generative AI, exploring how legal mechanisms can prevent and remedy systemic biases that adversely impact LGBTQ+ individuals and which legal routes are available for possible legal relief.

The project sits at the crossroads of technology law, human rights law, and EU regulatory frameworks, offering a critical perspective on how to foster innovation while ensuring equality, dignity, and non-discrimination. Your research could employ doctrinal, socio-legal, empirical, comparative, or mixed methodologies, and we particularly encourage theoretically informed and interdisciplinary approaches.

This research is crucial in providing robust legal scholarship to guide EU regulation and policymaking at the intersection of AI, digitalisation, the internal market, and fundamental rights. As governments, industries, and institutions grapple with the societal consequences of AI and digital platforms, your work will contribute to shaping an inclusive digital future.

We especially welcome applications from researchers passionate about pioneering legal solutions to the complex and evolving challenges at the frontier of EU law, technology, and social justice.

Key words: Law & Technology, Data Law & Governance, LGBTQ+ Rights, Anti-Discrimination Law, EU Internal Market Law, Digitalisation.

Co-supervisor: Dr. Masuma Shahid, supervisor: Prof. René Repasi

Job requirements

We are looking for candidates who:

• hold a master’s degree in law or other discipline relevant for this PhD position;
• can demonstrate scientific research skills;
• want to combine doing PhD research with teaching;
• have excellent oral and written skills in English (requirements: see application format);
• are capable of teaching in Dutch. Candidates who have at least B2 proficiency in Dutch at the moment of application and are willing and able to master the Dutch language throughout the first year of the PhD are also welcome to apply.

Teaching activities will take place within the programmes and courses of the department Law & Markets; the particular teaching tasks will be decided on the basis of the expertise of the candidate as well as the needs of the department, and may be in the areas of law and technology, Dutch constitutional and administrative law, international and European law, jurisprudence and legal philosophy and commercial law. The candidate is expected to be able to teach in both Dutch and English.

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 has to be delivered at least 3 weeks before the start date of the contract.

Candidates who have already obtained a Dutch doctoral degree - or the degree 'Doctor of Philosophy' (PhD), or an equivalent - or are preparing to obtain such a degree elsewhere, in principle cannot be admitted to the doctoral programme at EUR.

Employment conditions and benefits

An internationally oriented and varied job in an enthusiastic team, with good working conditions in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The position is for 4,5 years fulltime and starts with a temporary employment contract for 18 months. This probationary period consists of an educational programme, offered by Erasmus Graduate School of Law, 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 period PhD researchers focus on their research and the completion of their thesis, next to the teaching tasks. 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. Every PhD candidate is supervised by two or three (co-) supervisors.

The start date of this position is 1 October 2025 and you will be based at Erasmus School of Law, department Law & Markets in Rotterdam. In accordance with the conditions applied at ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ as indicated in the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO NU) of the Dutch universities, the salary is based on the P-scale, with a minimum of € 2901 and a maximum of € 3707 gross per month, on a fulltime basis. Every PhD candidate starts in step 0 of the P-scale.  

Next to that, we offer you:

• Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 29 days of paid leave with a 38-hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our !
• Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as , FAME, QuEUR, or .
• Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library.
• Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use.
• Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare. 

ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ aspires to be an equitable and inclusive community. We nurture an open culture, where everyone is supported to fulfill their full potential. We see inclusivity of talent as the basis of our successes, and the diversity of perspectives and people as a highly valued outcome. EUR provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, functional impairment, citizenship, or any other aspect which makes them unique. We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

Employer

ÌÇÐÄÖ±²¥ (EUR) is an internationally oriented university with a strong social orientation in its education and research, as expressed in our mission ‘Creating positive societal impact’. EUR is home to 4.100 academics and professionals and almost 33.000 students from more than 140 countries. Everything we do, we do under the credo The Erasmian Way – Making Minds Matter. We’re global citizens, connecting, entrepreneurial, open-minded, and socially involved. These Erasmian Values function as our internal compass and create EUR’s distinctive and recognizable profile. From these values, with a broad perspective and with an eye for diversity, different backgrounds and opinions, our employees work closely together to solve societal challenges from the dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Rotterdam. Thanks to the high quality and positive societal impact of our research and education, EUR can compete with the top European universities. .

Faculty / Institute / Central service

Erasmus School of Law employs 500 members of staff and is attended by around 5000 students. Erasmus School of Law offers bachelor programmes in Law, Tax Law and Criminology. Next to that, Erasmus School of Law offers a wide variety of master programmes and several postgraduate tracks.

At Erasmus School of Law, the fundamental premise of academic research is that law cannot be considered in complete isolation or as an end in itself. It is embedded in an economic and social context that shapes law. At the same time, law shapes society and defines economic relationships. In line with this vision, the mission of Erasmus School of Law is to carry out innovative research on the function of law in its economic and social context. The overarching theme of Erasmus School of Law is therefore 'Where law meets business': Erasmus School of Law is all about the interplay between law, practice and society. Both research and teaching at Erasmus School of Law have a strong social and business orientation. Erasmus School of Law is committed to promoting international and interdisciplinary research, as evidenced by its participation in various international research collaborations.

Additional information

Please find more information about Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, and Erasmus Graduate School of Law on the websites.

Applying

Deadline for application is 22 June 2025.

Applicants are invited to submit a set of application files (in English):

• an EGSL application form including a research proposal (max 2000 words) on the given theme, merged in 1 document,
• a motivation letter (max 2 pages),
• a CV,
• a copy of a Master’s diploma and transcripts

The application form and more information can be found on the  EGSL-website. Please apply via the Erasmus University’s application portal.

Interviews will be held between 2 and 10 July 2025. Please be aware that invitations for interviews will be sent very shortly  beforehand, so make sure you are available in this week. If there are days/times in this week that you are not available, please inform EGSL (egsl@law.eur.nl) about this before the application deadline. We will try to take this into account. 

Additional information about the vacancy can be requested by contacting the Erasmus Graduate School of Law office via egsl@law.eur.nl or via the co-supervisor (shahid@law.eur.nl).