Lecturer-researcher on non-discrimination law and sexual justice

Lecturer-researcher on non-discrimination law, sexual justice and online dating platforms
We are looking for a lecturer-researcher (docent-onderzoeker). This position consists of 50% research and 50% teaching for a period of eight years. The research part consists of PhD research addressing fundamental legal questions that emerge when we apply non-discrimination principles to online dating apps and intimate digital platforms. As for the teaching, you will teach courses in our master's and bachelor's degree programs, in the field of non-discrimination law, human rights law, EU law and Law and Technology. You will be employed by the EU Law section, part of the Transnational Legal Studies department of the VU Faculty of Law.

Our Faculty has a relatively high proportion of first-generation students, often students with a migration background. The diversity among students is not reflected in the composition of our staff and for this reason, candidates with a non-Western migration background are expressly invited to apply.

The research project:

The research part consists of carrying out PhD research within the subject: “Non-Discrimination Law, Sexual Justice and Online Dating Platforms.” The choice of a romantic, sexually intimate partner is one of the most personal of decisions. At the same time, recent research has highlighted the occurrence of sexual racism and other forms of discrimination in online dating applications. The use of technology by these apps may result in a feedback loop through which unconscious bias by users when making personal decisions results in a commercial service that structurally disadvantages certain groups over others. The increasing use of online dating apps thus threatens to entrench unconscious prejudices and strengthen existing racial and sexual divisions. What the law can and should do about this raises fundamental questions about the delimitation between the public and the private sphere, the consequences of intimacy and love becoming a site of financial profit, and the role played by technology in this. In this PhD project you will take online dating platforms as a starting point to explore these legal and theoretical questions, culminating in a PhD written under the supervision of Prof. dr. Galina Cornelisse and Prof. dr. Gareth Davies.

The teaching pathway

You will be gradually involved in teaching across courses dedicated to non-discrimination law, EU law human rights law and law and technology for bachelor and master students in law. By the end of the PhD, you will have contributed to the continuous development of several courses and demonstrated excellence in learning and teaching in higher education, also by training for the certification as a teacher in Dutch Higher Education (BKO).

Requirements:

• You hold a law degree (Master’s or comparable)
• You enjoy working in a team and are eager to engage with students from a diverse background
• You have demonstrable knowledge and interest in EU Law, Non-Discrimination Law, Law and Technology and Human Rights Law
• You can demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills
• You have an advanced command of English
• You speak Dutch or are willing to learn Dutch
• You are strongly motivated to conduct a long-term research in the theme of the project and to become an experienced and impactful teacher in higher education

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognising that diversity takes many forms. We believe that diversity in all its complexity is invaluable for the quality of our teaching, research and service. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences. This also means that we are committed to creating an inclusive community so that we can use diversity as an asset.

We realise that each individual brings a unique set of skills, expertise and mindset. Therefore we are happy to invite anyone who recognises themselves in the profile to apply, even if you do not meet all the requirements.

Salary Benefits:

A challenging position in a socially engaged organisation. At VU Amsterdam, you contribute to education, research and service for a better world. And that is valuable. So in return for your efforts, we offer you:

• a salary of minimum € 3.226,00 (Scale 10) and maximum € 5.090,00 (Scale 10) gross per month, on a full-time basis. This is based on UFO profile Teacher 1, Teacher 2, Teacher 3, Teacher 4. The exact salary depends on your education and experience.
• a position for at least 0.8 FTE. Your employment contract will initially last 8 year.

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and regulations. Some examples:

• A full-time 38-hour working week comes with a holiday leave entitlement of 232 hours per year. If you choose to work 40 hours, you have 96 extra holiday leave hours on an annual basis. For part-timers, this is calculated pro rata.
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• contribution to commuting expenses
• child daycare facilities available on campus
• good paid parental leave scheme

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