Doctoral scholarship holder

University of Antwerp is advertising a PhD / doctoral scholarship in the broad field of human rights law and global justice within the Law and Development Research Group.

The project is supervised by Professor Wouter Vandenhole and is especially open to research on universities as human rights duty-bearers, new human rights duty-bearers, children’s rights, and equality and non-discrimination. A socio-legal methodology, an interdisciplinary approach, and a critical approach to law are strongly encouraged. The role includes doctoral research, publication of scientific articles, teaching support, legal skills training, and research/service duties within the Faculty of Law and the research group.

Eligibility: applicants should hold a law degree or a master’s degree in law or social sciences, with demonstrated knowledge of and interest in human rights law. A concise 2-page research proposal in English is required, including a problem statement, central research question, methodology, and core bibliography. The proposal should engage with global justice and Global South dimensions and be feasible for completion within 4 years. Strong academic results in human rights law are expected, and candidates must have adequate English or Dutch for teaching support; Dutch is preferred and should be acquired to at least basic user level if not already mastered.

Funding: the scholarship is offered for 2 years initially and may be renewed once for another 2 years after positive evaluation. The scholarship follows the University of Antwerp BAP doctoral scholarship scales and includes additional benefits such as ecocheques, internet allowance, and commuting support.

Deadline: apply by 25 June 2026 (CET). The planned start date is 15 September 2026 or soon after. Applications must be submitted via the university’s online platform with a motivation letter, research proposal, study grades overview, and CV.