PhD Position in Empirical Legal Research on the Rule of Law & Judicial Politics

Introduction

The Rotterdam Institute of Law and Economics (RILE), Department of Law & Business, Erasmus School of Law (ESL), is seeking applications for a full-time, four-year position as PhD researcher in Law, Politics and Public Choice. This position supports ESL’s ambition to strengthen its position as a leading European research institute and contributes to the Erasmus University Rotterdam’s impact domain “Resilience and robustness of our society”.

Job description

PhD Position in Empirical Legal Research on the Rule of Law & Judicial Politics

The PhD project should employ an empirical approach to examine pressing challenges facing democratic societies, particularly related to the rule of law, public trust in courts, judicial independence, judicial decision making, or court-curbing. This may involve, for example, studying how courts respond to judicial pressure, how citizens form trust in judicial institutions, how legal institutions can safeguard democratic governance or how governments attempt to weaken judicial oversight.

This PhD position will be integrated into the European Doctorate in Law and Economics (EDLE), which is one of the largest doctorate programmes in the field. It is a joint doctoral programme by four European universities: the Universities of Bologna, Hamburg, Rotterdam, and Rennes.  A mandatory mobility period during the first year will include research stays in Bologna and Hamburg, offering the PhD researcher a unique opportunity to engage with leading scholars and build a strong international academic network.

Supervisors: Prof. Louis Visscher (first supervisor) and Dr. Aylin Aydin-Çakır (co-supervisor)  

Job requirements

We are looking for candidates who:

• hold a master’s degree in Law, Law & Economics, Political Science or another discipline relevant for this PhD position;
• have a solid academic background or research interest in legal studies;
• have knowledge of empirical methods; experience in quantitative methods will be an advantage;
• have excellent oral and written skills in English (requirements: see website).

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 Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU).

The 4- year position starts with a temporary employment contract for 18 months. This probationary period consists of an educational programme, offered by EDLE and 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 30-month period PhD researchers focus on their research and the completion of their thesis. In both phases structured guidance is provided by the thesis supervisors. Every PhD candidate is supervised by two or three (co-) supervisors.

The start date of this position is 1 October 2026 and you will spent time at the different partners of the EDLE programme, see the website. 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 € 3059 and a maximum of € 3881 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 on-campus sports centre!
• 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 Young@EUR, FAME, QuEUR, or Young Erasmus Academy.
• 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. 

Erasmus University Rotterdam 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

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. www.eur.nl.

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 University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus Graduate School of Law and EDLE on the websites.

Applying

How to apply: applicants are invited to submit a set of application files (in English), via the Erasmus University portal in this vacancy. Information about the EDLE application procedure and the required documents can be found here. Deadline for application is 15 February 2026.

Additional information about the vacancy and/or the EDLE programme can be requested by contacting EDLE via rile@law.eur.nl or the co-supervisor (aydincakir@law.eur.nl).