Thibault Schrepel

Three fully funded PhD positions in Competition Law and AI are open at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) within the ERC project ATLANTIS , led by Thibault Schrepel . The project sits at the intersection of law , competition law , antitrust , artificial intelligence , and computational methods . ATLANTIS studies how competition agencies use AI and other computational tools, and how the legal framework should adapt. The three PhD candidates will work as a team rather than as isolated researchers. Two positions are legal-track and one is a computational-track position. The legal projects focus on: (A) data access by competition agencies , including Regulation 1/2003, Directive (EU) 2019/1, GDPR, business secrecy, rights of defense, and proportionality; and (B) fairness and bias in AI use by competition agencies , including transparency, explainability, AI-generated evidence, and standards of proof. The computational position supports both projects through data documentation, empirical work, bias auditing, and explainability techniques. The positions are based at the Faculty of Law at VU Amsterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The team will have access to a network of more than 80 antitrust agencies and 50 academics worldwide, with research stays at leading institutions and collaboration with an international advisory board. The post emphasizes publications from year one, co-authorship, empirical work with agencies, workshops, and an international conference. Funding: fully funded PhD employment for four years, full-time, with a salary of €3,059–€3,881 gross per month, plus standard Dutch university employment benefits. Eligibility: legal-track applicants need a master’s degree in law with excellent marks and strong competition law expertise. Computational-track applicants should preferably have a master’s degree in computer science, data science, computational science, AI, or a related field, with experience in machine learning, fairness/bias, or explainable AI. Applicants should be comfortable with empirical work and interdisciplinary collaboration. Deadline: 15 September 2026. How to apply: indicate in your cover letter whether you are applying for the legal or computational track. Submit the application through AcademicTransfer before the deadline.