PhD Candidate in Systemic Actors and Digital Rule Enforcement
Explore how regulators adapt enforcement strategies to systemic actors in digital platforms under EU laws like DSA, DMA, and AI Act.
Best for:Best for legal scholars, political scientists, or interdisciplinary researchers with a passion for digital regulation, qualitative research methods, and international mobility.
Overview
This PhD position at the University of Amsterdam’s Institute for Information Law (IViR) investigates how enforcement of digital rules evolves when facing systemic actors—such as smartphone ecosystems or cloud services—that transcend traditional compliance boundaries. As part of the EU-funded **REGULAIRE** Doctoral Network, the candidate will trace enforcement processes across jurisdictions, interview stakeholders, and develop frameworks for adaptive regulatory learning. The project integrates legal research with practitioner engagement, including a three-month secondment to a leading digital regulator. The successful applicant will contribute to the DSA Observatory and Amsterdam Law School’s Sectorplan initiative while benefiting from interdisciplinary training, network-wide collaboration, and exposure to transformative technologies like AI and quantum computing.
What you'll do
- Develop and refine research questions with the supervision team, ensuring alignment with the REGULAIRE project’s objectives.
- Conduct qualitative research through process tracing, interviews, and case studies on enforcement dynamics across jurisdictions.
- Analyze and synthesize research data to build typologies of regulatory learning patterns and best-practice enforcement frameworks.
- Participate in three residential summer schools, monthly paper development seminars, and network-wide training activities.
- Complete a three-month intersectoral secondment at a leading digital regulator to observe adaptive enforcement strategies.
- Contribute to the DSA Observatory and Amsterdam Law School’s Sectorplan initiative on Democratic Digital Transformation.
- Engage in teaching assistance for undergraduate and master’s students as part of the PhD programme.
- Adhere to open-science principles, research integrity, and FAIR data practices throughout the project.
Requirements
Degree required: Master’s degree (or equivalent) in law, political science, media and communication studies, or a related legal/social science/interdisciplinary field, completed by the start date.
Degree offered: PhD
Language: English; IELTS 6.5 or equivalent (if applicable).
Instruction: English
- Demonstrable interest in the intersection of law and digital technologies.
- Skills or experience in qualitative regulatory process tracing and conducting interviews.
- Excellent written and spoken English proficiency (IELTS 6.5 or equivalent).
- Willingness and ability to engage in international mobility, including secondments and network-wide activities.
- Strong critical and analytical thinking, with a creative approach to research.
- Collegial attitude and capacity to work both independently and collaboratively in teams.
- Must meet the [MSCA eligibility conditions](https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/how-to-participate/mscacriteria) (e.g., mobility rule: no prior residence in the Netherlands for more than 12 months in the last 3 years).
- No upper age limit for MSCA Doctoral Networks, but prior academic experience is expected.
Funding & terms
How to apply
Deadline: 2026-11-02
Submit a single PDF file via the University of Amsterdam’s online application portal. The application must include a letter of motivation (max 1 page), a 2-page CV, a writing sample (max 20 pages), and contact details for two referees. Only complete applications received by the deadline will be considered.
- Letter of motivation (max 1 page, 12pt font, single-spaced)
- Full academic CV (2 pages max., 12pt font, single-spaced)
- Writing sample (e.g., Master’s thesis chapter or paper, max 20 pages)
- Names and contact details of two referees (including thesis supervisor)
Contact
Joris van Hoboken· Professor of Information Law
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