Postdoctoral Researcher

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The ERC research project “MIGJUST: Global Migration Justice: Beyond conflicting approaches to migration in international human rights law”, (ERC-AdG-2023- 101141743) is seeking to fill a full-time research position at a post-doctoral level.

The key hypothesis of MIGJUST is that there is a fundamental conflict in human rights case law on migration between the human rights approach, adopted by the Inter-American Court and Commission of Human Rights and the African Court and Commission of Human and Peoples’ Rights, and on the other hand the sovereignty approach of the European Court of Human Rights. The difference is also at work in the case law of the UN human rights bodies. The two approaches are reflected in, and are in turn reinforced by, political theory on migration justice. In academic studies, the conflict has not been noted because the case law of the European Court of Human Rights is considered to constitute the most developed version of international human rights law. The conflict between the two approaches is problematic because it goes against the international character of international law and hinders international cooperation. MIGJUST will address this problem by:

• analysing the under-studied case law of the Inter-American, African and UN human rights bodies;
• carrying out a comparative analysis of the European, Inter-American, African and UN case law in the field of migration;
• relating the varying positions to political theory on migration justice; and
• developing methodologies to resolve the doctrinal conflict.

The postdoctoral researcher will become a member of the Migration Law Research Group at the Faculty of Law and Criminology. English will be the main language of work.

YOUR TASKS

• At least 70% of your assignment will be spent on academic research, more particularly to research political theory on global migration justice, as foreseen in the MIGJUST research plan.
• You will focus in particular on contributions which, unlike the authors who dominate the debate, explicitly pay attention to colonial history and the role that racial distinctions play in regulating migration.
• You will complete this task by writing 4 academic articles; co-organizing a conference and co-editing an edited volume resulting from the conference; and co-authoring a policy brief.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• You hold a thesis-based doctorate (obtained max. 6 years ago. This term of 6 years is determined by the date written on the above-mentioned required diploma) on Law and/or Political Theory and/or Political Philosophy.
• You are fluent in English as this is the primary working and publication language of the MIGJUST project.
• You are willing to live in or near Ghent.
• You have a demonstrable affinity with law, political theory and migration.
• You have good knowledge of international human rights law.
• You are able to work both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary and international team.
• You are capable and willing to play a key role in the MIGJUST research team.
• You possess excellent academic writing/presentation skills.
• You have meticulousness, organization skills and capacity to manage deadlines.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer you a contract of indefinite duration with a maximum term of 5 years.
• Your contract will start on 1/11/2024 at the earliest.
• Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale PD1. Click here for more information about our salary scales.
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, a bicycle allowance and eco vouchers ... Click here for a complete overview of all the staffbenefits (in Dutch).

INTERESTED?

Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.

Your application must include the following documents:

• In the field ‘CV’: your CV and an overview of your study results (merged into one pdf file)
• In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format
• In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
• In the field “other documents”: an overview of your study results, two letters of recommendation, a writing sample in English, ideally an academic or research paper on a topic related to MIGJUST (10,000 words maximum).

Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. dr. Thomas Spijkerboer (Thomas.spijkerboer@ugent.be). Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.

Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read the FAQ or contact us via selecties@ugent.be or +32 9 264 34 36