MSCA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS AT VU FACULTY OF LAW, DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE (criminology, criminal policy, criminal law, penal enforcement law, probation and imprisonment)

Vilnius University (VU) invites motivated researchers with a strong track record to prepare joint applications for 2024 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA PF) call with a deadline on September 11, 2024. MSCA PF are among the flagship, most prestigious research fellowships in Europe, with the objective of supporting researchers’ careers, enhancing their creative and innovative potential, and fostering excellence in research.

• European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe (12-24 months).
• Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents who wish to engage in R&I projects with organisations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (12-24 months outgoing phase in a non-associated Third Country & 12 months mandatory return phase to a host organisation in Europe).
• Extra funding opportunity! If you apply for the European Postdoctoral Fellowship with the host institution located in a widening country (Lithuania), and in case your proposal is not funded under the MSCA PF call due to a lack of budget, it will be automatically resubmitted to ERA Fellowships call and will have one more opportunity to get funding.

HOST INSTITUTION AND RESEARCH GROUP

VU is one of the oldest higher education institutions in Eastern and Central Europe. It tops the ranking as the number one university in Lithuania and leads the country in education, a broad spectrum of fundamental and applied research, training and retraining programs, and consultancy services and provides research and development services to a wide range of businesses. VU offers dynamic research and training environment and is well integrated into a collaborative network of international universities.

The Department of Criminal Justice at VU Faculty of Law has its origins in 1804 when the Council of VU appointed the Italian scholar Aloysius Ludwig Cappel (1777-1838) to teach criminal law at the University. The Department of Criminal Justice employs almost 20 scholars, most of whom are also practitioners of the highest calibre – judges of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania, judges of other courts, advocates and prosecutors. They teach several dozen lectures on criminal law, conduct seminars, supervise coursework and master's theses, prepare scientific publications, and participate in various working groups and committees. Most of them are involved in various research projects and are professionals in their field. Various scientific and practical events are organised regularly. The library has excellent access to a wide range of databases.

SUPERVISOR

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gintautas Sakalauskas graduated in law from Vilnius University, then LL. M. studies at the University of Greifswald (Germany), where he wrote his dissertation under the supervision of one of the world's leading criminologists, Prof. Dr. F. Dünkel, comparing the German and Lithuanian prison systems. He received a scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for research in Germany. Dr. Sakalauskas’ studies and research in Germany broadened his horizons considerably, and he established contacts with researchers in his field in many other countries. After returning to Lithuania, Dr. Sakalauskas worked at the Lithuanian Law Institute and began teaching at VU, participating in at least ten international research projects on incarceration, criminal policy, restorative justice, juvenile delinquency, and other topics. He has published over 100 scientific publications and delivered over 150 scientific presentations at various national and international conferences. He is an expert of the Lithuanian Science Council, a member of the Grace Commission under the President of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Lithuanian Social Work Council. Dr. Sakalauskas has participated in various working groups for drafting laws, he regularly conduct trainings for practitioners, and prepares publications in the media on topical issues related to crime, criminal policy, and the execution of sentences.

Personal profile:
http://web.vu.lt/tf/g.sakalauskas/
https://www.tf.vu.lt/about_us/departments/department-of-criminal-justice/sakalauskas-gintautas-assoc-prof-dr/

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL SKILLS

Good knowledge of criminal policy and criminology and ability to conduct comparative research.  

POSSIBLE RESEARCH TOPICS

Comparative criminology, comparative criminal policy, comparative criminal law, comparative penal enforcement law.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

• Supported fellows must be in possession of PhD at the call deadline (September 11, 2024).
• Have up to 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research from the date of award of the doctoral degree at the call deadline.
• Fellows must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline

Detailed information on the eligibility can be found on p. 91-94 of the MSCA Work Programme 2023-2024.

HOW TO APPLY?

• Contact the supervisor Dr. Gintautas Sakalauskas (gintautas.sakalauskas@tf.vu.lt) directly to express your interest in making a joint application based on your research interests. Do not forget to provide the following documents (cc to research@cr.vu.lt):
  - curriculum vitae
  - list of publications 
  - proposal summary
• Request a letter from your supervisor endorsing you as a candidate, and send it to the Research Projects Office (research@cr.vu.lt). The candidates who wish to participate in VU MSCA PF Webinar are kindly requested to submit their endorsement letters by May 31, 2024.
• After receiving your supervisor’s endorsement, you can start preparing your MSCA PF project proposal. Please note that in order to prepare and submit your application on time (by September 11, 2024), you can seek support from VU Research Projects Office (research@cr.vu.lt).

For more information follow the link.