PhD position Future of Maritime Law, framing legal certainty versus flexibility

Introduction

Erasmus School of Law, department Law & Markets, is looking for a fulltime PhD researcher in Maritime Law, framing legal certainty versus flexibility in the demanding transition of the industry (4,5 years, incl 20% teaching tasks).

Job description

PhD position: Future of Maritime Law, framing legal certainty versus flexibility 

Rapid developments in technology and environmental challenges evoke questions about how law can accelerate the industry transition in International Maritime Law.  Shipping urgently needs to transform its routines in view of emerging technologies, including the use of AI and autonomous vessels as well as the shift towards alternative fuels. These developments create challenges for the existing legal framework that need to be addressed. In that context, the tension between flexibility, legal certainty and justice is highlighted. This is inter alia expressed in doctrines of discretion, open norms, goal-based standards and proportionality.

Within international maritime law, legal certainty traditionally manifests itself in predictable rules on liability, (standardized) contract forms, and established doctrines of risk allocation. However, emerging technologies do not easily fit within regulatory and contractual frameworks, as they introduce new types of risks, new actors (e.g. technology and equipment providers), and unclear chains of causation. This raises the question of the adequacy of these regimes and legal doctrines on which these regimes are based  —such as fault-based liability, strict liability, and contractual allocation of risk.

While legal certainty is a valued and safeguarded legal principle, its interpretation, as well as its relation to flexibility in technology impacted regulatory environments remains a pitfall. In addition, it is unclear whether the doctrinal understanding of legal certainty corresponds to how legal actors perceive and rely on legal certainty in practice. Thus, existing literature is based on assumptions regarding the perception and preferences of key stakeholders, which have not been sufficiently investigated or confirmed. 

This PhD position offers a unique opportunity to study how legal certainty and flexibility are defined and interpreted in maritime law in the face of technological developments. The researcher will explore the impact of technological advancements on key maritime law regimes, the respective regulatory and legal responses, and their impact on legal certainty. A central element of this research is an empirical study targeting how stakeholders perceive and value legal certainty or flexibility in the face of technological developments.  We especially welcome applications from researchers passionate about pioneering legal solutions to the complex and evolving challenges at the frontier of International maritime law, technology, and sustainable transition. 

Keywords: legal certainty, maritime law, legal adaptability, technological disruptions, empirical research, shipping   

Co-supervisor: Dr. Fiona Unz, supervisor: Prof. Jolien Kruit

Job requirements

We are looking for candidates who:

• have completed or are about to complete a master’s degree in law (LLM); 

• are interested in legal-scientific research;

• want to combine research with educational tasks; 

• have demonstrable research experience or interest in the transition of maritime law topics;

• have experience with teaching;

• are able to communicate and engage with the shipping industry;

• have excellent writing and communication skills in English, and preferably also in Dutch.

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.

Candidates who have already obtained a Dutch doctoral degree - or the degree 'Doctor of Philosophy' (PhD), or an equivalent - or are preparing to obtain such a degree elsewhere, in principle cannot be admitted to the doctoral programme at EUR. 

Employment conditions and benefits

What do we offer?

• A fully funded 4,5-year PhD-position (fulltime), start date between August-October 2026;

• Gross monthly salary with a minimum of EUR 3,059 and a maximum of EUR 3,881 (CAO-NU, P-scale). Every PhD candidate starts in step 0 of the P-scale;

• Guidance from an enthusiastic team of researchers and Erasmus Graduate School of Law and being connected to the relevant IMC project-workgroups;

• A professional work environment on Campus Woudestein in Rotterdam

• A temporary contract of 18 months that will extend after a positive evaluation.

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

Department Law & Markets 

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. Your teaching activities will take place within these programmes and courses; the particular teaching tasks will be decided on the basis of the expertise of the candidate as well as the needs of the Department. Teaching tasks for bachelor courses will be mostly in Dutch. Teaching in English is required in the Master Programmes and may also be part of the tasks.

Erasmus School of Law

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

More information about Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Law and Erasmus Graduate School of Law can be found on the websites.

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 (unz@law.eur.nl). 

Applying

Deadline for application is 21 June 2026.

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 (max 2 pages),

• CV,

• 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 29 June - 2 July 2026. 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 any days or 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.