PhD position Relation between Law and Behavioral Change (4,5 years)

Introduction

Are you curious about how criminological knowledge is applied in practice and whether and how this knowledge is used in policy development? Then this PhD position might be for you.

Erasmus School of Law, department Law, Society & Crime, is looking for a fulltime PhD researcher in the  Relation between Law and Behavioral Change (4,5 years, with 20% teaching tasks).

Job description

PhD position: Relation between Law and Behavioral Change

Criminology produces a wealth of knowledge that can be relevant to policy, society, or legal practice. This also raises questions, such as to what extent this knowledge is utilized and applied in practice by various actors. The current PhD project will focus on the relationship between social scientific knowledge, such as criminology, and practice. Candidates are invited to submit a proposal that fits within this broader theme.

One example of a topic that could fall within this project is the debate on more severe punishment. For years, there has been a discussion about harsher punishments and their deterrent effect. While criminological research finds no evidence that more severe punishment is effective in reducing crime, there remains a strong societal and political call for harsher penalties. The belief that punishment has a deterrent effect is persistent. A project could further investigate the persistence of this belief in the deterrent effect of punishment. Projects could, for example, focus on the role of the media, (populist) politics, public perceptions, or how different scientific disciplines view the deterrent effect of punishment.

Other proposals that fit within the broader theme are also welcome.

Co-supervisor: Dr. M.E. (Malouke) Kuiper, supervisor: Prof.dr. C.G. (Karin) van Wingerde

Job requirements

We are looking for candidates who

• hold a master’s degree in Criminology, Psychology, Public administration or other social science discipline relevant for this PhD position;
• can demonstrate scientific research skills;
• can demonstrate experience with quantitative empirical research methods
• have excellent oral and written skills in English (requirements: see application format)
• Have Dutch language skills, level B2 minimal

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 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  (preferably) 1 November 2025, or 1 January 2026 at the latest, and you will be based at Erasmus School of Law, Department Law, Society & Crime 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 € 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.

Department

The Department Law, Society & Crime provides a home to researchers in Criminology, Criminal Law, Sociology of Law and Health Law. Research in the Department focuses on four distinct, albeit interrelated research lines:

1. The study of phenomena related to unsafety, insecurity, and marginalization, and the social responses to these phenomena, both from a legal normative perspective and an empirical perspective;
2. The analysis of fundamental assumptions underlying rules and regulations and studying the implementation of regulation, its effectiveness and its legitimacy, and the unintended consequences of the way in which the law is implemented;
3. The study of actors and professions within the (criminal) justice system, including judicial decision-making and the way in which legal professionals operate;
4. Fundamental legal reflection on the role of legal sanctions, (reforms in) criminal proceedings, and the study of transitions between legal domains including questions about competences between various jurisdictions and authorities.

Thematically, this includes (but is not limited to) research on various forms of crime and harm (environmental crime, juvenile crime, organised and subversive crime, corporate and white-collar crime, fraud, radicalism), medical-ethical issues, migration, diversity, multiculturalism, and processes of inclusion/exclusion, research on the role of legal sanctions, research on different modes of governance and its intended and unintended consequences, and digitalization and the use of big data.

Research in the department is characterized by the multidisciplinary background of its staff (criminal law, criminology, sociology, anthropology, public administration, psychology), often adopts an empirical perspective and applies multiple empirical research methods (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research). Moreover, given the multidisciplinary background of its staff, the Department is particularly well equipped to study international comparative socioeconomic and legal issues that have global causes and are often dealt with nationally or locally.

The Department is responsible for a considerable part of the bachelor and master curricula of Erasmus School of Law. Specifically, the department provides bachelor education in Criminology, Criminal Law, Law and Sociology, and health law. Furthermore, the Department Law, Society & Crime is responsible for 4 Master programmes, including in Criminology, an International Master in Advanced Research in Criminology, Criminal Law, and a Double Degree programme preparing for legal practice. Most of the bachelor teaching is in Dutch, teaching in the masters is also in English.

Additional information

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

Applying

Deadline for application is 22 September 2025.

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

• EGSL application form including a research proposal (max 2000 words), merged in 1 document,
• motivation letter,
• CV (max 2 pages),
• copy 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 7 October 2025. Please be aware that invitations for interviews will be send a very short time before, 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 (kuiper@law.eur.nl).