PhD Empirical Legal Research in European Data Protection Law

Category:  PhD

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculteit Recht en Criminologie, Department Metajuridica, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

The Faculty of Law and Criminology Department Metajuridica, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant.

You will work for the multidisciplinary Research Group on Law, Science, Technology & Society (LSTS), which is a prominent European research institute in the area of technology and regulation since 2003. The research staff of more than 50 professors and researchers has a background in law, ethics, philosophy, political science, sociology, criminology and others. This diversity brings a necessary multidisciplinary perspective to all research projects established.

The Brussels Laboratory for Data Protection & Privacy Impact Assessments, or d.pia.lab, has been a sub-unit within the VUB-LSTS since 2015. This lab connects basic, methodological and applied research, provides training and delivers policy advice related to impact assessments in the areas of innovation and technology development. Whilst legal aspects of privacy and personal data protection constitute its core expertise, the Laboratory mobilizes other disciplines including ethics, philosophy, surveillance studies as well as science, technology and society (STS) studies.

You will become a part of a dynamic international team, composed of both experienced and early career researchers, working under the guidance of Prof. Niels van Dijk (LSTS) and Prof. Kris Baetens (Psychology). Your work will be part of the 4-year research Belgian-Polish project ‘Risk as a subjective phenomenon. Integrating cognitive science into the concept of risk in European data protection law’, funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and the Polish National Science Centre (NCN) under the Weave framework. The project is conducted in cooperation with a Polish partner from the University of Bialystok.

This project aims to better understand the subjective character of risk in data protection by further developing the concept of "risk to a right”. Recognizing the heuristics and cognitive bias influence on risk assessors within the process of Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) will be an essential part of our research.
 
More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains:

• You will develop a research proposal for your doctoral thesis within the first year of employment and write an original doctoral thesis (PhD) on the topic related to the project.
• You will conduct a literature review, case law analysis, psychological experiment (vignette), in-depth interviews, writing reports and scientific articles.
• You will organize and participate in seminars, workshops and scientific conferences related to the project.
• Among others, you will be responsible for updating the project website.
• Apart from working on the project and the PhD dissertation, you will have the opportunity to take part in the activities of the d.pia.lab and contribute to drafting research project proposals for further external funding.

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

A master’s degree in:

• Law with a program on: empirical legal studies, psychology, behavioural studies or sociology;
• if you can combine this master’s degree with a master's in Psychology or Sociology you hold a big advantage.

It is considered a plus if you can show also:

• acquaintance with risk perception studies;
• experience with data protection in general and more specifically with risk assessments in data protection;
• experience with empirical methods, including e.g., interviews, psychological experiments, and systematic literature reviews;
• a broad understanding of IT law, data protection law, consumer law and/or environmental law;
• relevant working experience (including internships and traineeships), especially related to the practical application of a risk-based approach.
• you are fluent in academic written and spoken English;
• you have excellent organizational and communication skills;
• you have the ability to work independently and in a team (either on-premises or remotely), under pressure, respect deadlines, and produce quality work;
• you can show assertiveness, resilience and the ability to “go against the flow” to pursue research goals.
• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 15/01/2024. 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike;
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques;
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps;
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 30/11/2023, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
• a draft research proposal for a doctoral thesis (1 A4-page)
• a sample of recent work f.e. essay, excerpt from recent (academic) research, article; blog post or working paper with you as an author (max. 5000 words)
• one letter of recommendation
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Maciej Otmianowski at maciej.otmianowski@vub.be or on +32 (0)2 629 24 60.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.