PhD Student, Postdoc, or Research Assistant in Responsible AI for Swiss Justice
The University of Basel's Faculty of Law, one of the oldest faculties at the institution, is offering two positions (40–60%) as PhD student, Postdoc, or research assistant in the SNF project 'Responsible AI for Swiss Justice.' The positions are based at the Chair of Private Law under Prof. Dr. Cordula Lötscher, with collaborative ties to ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne. The project aims to develop and empirically evaluate AI tools for Swiss courts, combining legal analysis, technical development, and field trials to understand the practical impact of AI on judicial decision-making.
Responsibilities include supporting the chairholder in research, contributing to scientific presentations and publications in justice research, civil law, and civil procedure law with a focus on digitalization, assisting with teaching and student supervision, preparing and conducting own teaching sessions (up to 2 hours per week), helping with exam and paper corrections, and handling organizational and administrative tasks related to the project and chair.
PhD candidates are expected to write a legal dissertation. Requirements for PhD applicants include an excellent legal degree (Master or Licentiate), with a lawyer's license and court experience preferred but not mandatory. Postdoc applicants must have completed a dissertation and demonstrate strong interest in civil procedure law, civil law (ZGB), and digitalization. All candidates should be interested in interdisciplinary work at the intersection of law, computer science, economics, and ethics. Optional IT affinity and experience with empirical data analysis are valued. Strong IT user skills, excellent German writing and editorial skills (ideally also in English), precision, efficiency, independence, organizational skills, initiative, commitment, and teamwork are required.
The project offers opportunities for scientific investigation of current questions at the interface between academia and practice, interdisciplinary and inter-university collaboration, and cooperation with courts to advance the use of AI in justice. Participants will gain deep insights into academic research, have the chance to shape the project within a committed and open-minded team, and can attend professional conferences.
Employment conditions follow the personnel and salary regulations of the University of Basel. The application process requires submission of a motivation letter, CV, certificates and diplomas (including Maturzeugnis), references if applicable, master's thesis, and dissertation via the university's online application tool. Applications by other means will not be considered. The application window closes on July 19, 2026.
