PhD position in Law, technology and the human body (5 years)

Introduction

Erasmus School of Law, department Law & Markets, is looking for a fulltime PhD researcher in Law, technology and the human body (5 years with 20% teaching tasks).

Job description

The selected candidate will be embedded within the Law & Markets department, 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, Law & Markets provides bachelor teaching in, constitutional and administrative law, international and European Union law, jurisprudence, legal philosophy and commercial law. Furthermore, 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: Law, technology and the human body.

The rapid advancement of bio- and data-driven technologies is reshaping the relations between the law and the human body as a regulatory object. Legal systems worldwide are struggling to address the legal and ethical implications of the development and deployment of new technologies: from neurotechnology and human enhancement to AI-driven medical interventions. Underlying most of these developments is the increasing collection and processing of (health) data by public and private actors, raising critical questions about the role of data law and governance in fostering innovation while preventing societal and individual harms.

This PhD position offers a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of law and technology, examining how the law should understand and regulate emerging technologies that interact with or affect the human body and the vast data ecosystems that depend on it.

This research is crucial in addressing pressing legal and societal questions about data law and biolaw in an age of unprecedented technological and data-driven intervention. As governments, industries, and institutions grapple with the implications of biotechnology and AI-driven healthcare, robust legal scholarship is needed to guide regulation and policy-making in both bio- and data law.

This position is ideal for a researcher passionate about pioneering legal solutions to some of the most complex and evolving challenges at the frontier of law, technology, and data law & governance. We especially encourage theoretically informed legal research. Doctrinal, empirical, socio-legal, comparative, or other methodologies (and combinations of these) are welcome.

Key words: Law & Technology, Data Law & Governance, Human Body, Biolaw.

Co-supervisor: Dr. E. (Enrique) Santamaría Echeverría, supervisor: Prof. dr. L.S. (Leonie) Reins

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;
• have excellent oral and written skills in English (requirements: see application format);
• are capable of teaching in Dutch (or willing and able to master the Dutch language throughout the first year of the PhD trajectory).

Teaching activities will take place within the programmes and courses of the Law & Markets Department; 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. Teaching tasks will be mostly in Dutch. Teaching in English may also be part of the tasks.

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.

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 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 Erasmus University Rotterdam 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.

Employer

Erasmus University Rotterdam (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.