RU CiTiP – Doctoral Researcher in Intellectual Property Law
Doctoral researcher in Intellectual Property Law at KU Leuven
The KU Leuven Centre for IT & IP Law (CiTiP), part of the Faculty of Law and Criminology in Leuven, is recruiting a highly motivated doctoral researcher for a full-time PhD position. The project is linked to the internally funded C2 research project
“Technological intermediation and consumerisation of human creativity”
and is situated within CiTiP’s long-standing research environment in intellectual property law, ICT law, privacy, cybersecurity, biotechnology, and the legal and ethical aspects of innovation, information, and data.
The successful candidate will conduct research under the supervision of the project’s principal investigators, support their research activities, and develop a doctoral proposal. The role combines independent scholarly work with participation in a dynamic interdisciplinary team and active contribution to the scientific and academic life of the Centre and the Faculty. Duties may include research assistance, event organisation, and limited student/exam supervision in Dutch and/or English, depending on experience.
Research interests should align with intellectual property law and its intersections with new technological developments, especially copyright law, consumer law, and competition law. The centre highlights a strong collaborative research culture, with more than 90 researchers and fellows and involvement in interdisciplinary, internationally funded projects such as Horizon Europe/H2020, Digital Europe, Marie Curie Actions, FWO, ICON, and other Belgian and Flemish funding schemes.
Applicants must hold a Master’s degree in Law, preferably with specialisation in IP, consumer law, or competition law. A strong background in EU law is mandatory, and prior knowledge of intellectual property, consumer, and/or competition law is desirable. Excellent English is required; Dutch is an asset. Strong communication skills, flexibility, independence, teamwork, and an interest in research publications, conferences, workshops, and project applications are all valued. Familiarity with empirical, comparative, or computational methods is considered an advantage.
The position offers a full-time doctoral scholarship for an initial period of one year, with a realistic possibility of extension to the full PhD duration of four years at KU Leuven. The scholarship is comparable to salary scale 43 and includes standard employee-style benefits such as training opportunities, leave, insurance, bicycle allowance, eco vouchers, and access to sports and cultural facilities.
Deadline: 2026-09-09 23:59 (Europe/Brussels). Applications should be submitted via the KU Leuven jobsite link. For further information, contact Prof. dr. Thomas Margoni or Mr. Kasper Drazewski by email.
