PhD Researcher in Innovative Technologies for Environmental Compliance in the EU

Tilburg Law School is seeking a PhD researcher to examine how innovative technologies—such as data mining, remote sensing, and citizen science—are transforming governance processes, improving policy implementation, and enhancing compliance with environmental laws. This project will explore the current and foreseeable future impacts of these technologies on environmental compliance, particularly in the context of environmental litigation and enforcement mechanisms. The position is to be supervised by Dr. Giulia Bazzan and Dr. Floor Fleurke in the Department of Public Law and Governance (PLG). PLG is a large, diverse and interdisciplinary department, home to nearly 100 academic staff and a range of legal and social science disciplines. The successful candidate will engage in both research and teaching, working within a dynamic team of scholars committed to advancing knowledge in law and governance.

Your position 

The urgency of improving environmental law enforcement is clear: climate change and biodiversity loss are among the most pressing global challenges of our time. The EU’s GALILEO Earth Observation Program and other remote sensing technologies are dramatically reshaping environmental governance, providing critical data to monitor environmental trends and detect violations. The UN’s Environmental Rule of Law initiative actively promotes these technologies to enhance transparency and accountability in environmental compliance.    

Innovative technologies therefore offer prospects of finally narrowing implementation- and compliance gaps and to transform governance processes. Environmental litigation often hinges on the availability and reliability of data, which these technologies can improve. Yet, significant gaps remain in how these technologies are used in legal proceedings and governance processes. Hence, the integration of these technologies into compliance mechanisms raises important legal and governance questions, particularly concerning procedural fairness, evidentiary standards, and institutional capacity. 

This PhD project investigates how these technologies shape and transform environmental compliance, encompassing centralized EU enforcement (infringement procedures) and decentralized national court proceedings (private enforcement). The research will roughly focus on the following themes:

1. Use of Satellite Data as Evidence in Environmental Cases in the Infringement Procedure
2. Use of Data Mining as Evidence in Environmental Cases in the Infringement Procedure
3. Use of Satellite Data as Evidence in Environmental Cases in national courts 
4. Use of Citizens-Science as Evidence in Environmental Cases in national courts

The research will employ a multi-method approach, combining doctrinal legal analysis with empirical investigation:

a. Doctrinal legal research (e.g. law of evidence under the EU Court’s  Rules of procedure, legal standards pertaining to the quality of  (citizens) ‘science’ derived from past case-law, interim-measures, infringement procedure, preliminary ruling procedure, legislation on the use of Galileo data by the public)

b. Empirical research (e.g. interviews and/or questionnaires opening the black-box of the European Commission’s and other public authorities changed working practices, as well as those of NGOs )

c. To be selected case-study (e.g. focus on secondary law that explicitly reserves a role for remote sensing technologies or a specific field that would benefit most from the use of compliance technologies)

Candidates for this vacancy should be interested in conducting a PhD dissertation project within the general ambit of the above description. They should have a graduate law degree, or alternatively, a graduate degree with a specialization in qualitative socio-legal studies (e.g. public administration or political science). Regardless, they should be willing and prepared to conduct both desk-based legal research and qualitative empirical research on the topic.

The chosen candidate will be contributing to the research community at Tilburg Law School devoted to Global Law and Governance, and more specifically to the research team Law and Governance in the Anthropocene.  

This position consists predominantly of research (0,8 fte), with limited opportunities for education (0,2 fte) in the the Global Law LLB, Public Governance LLB, International Law and EU law LLM & Public Governance and Strategy LLM 

 

Key responsibilities:

• Writing a PhD thesis (monograph and/or a collection of articles) within 4 years
• Submitting research results for publication in peer-reviewed academic journals
• Presenting papers at conferences, in the Netherlands and/or internationally
• Actively participating in the Global Law and Governance research community
• Some teaching may be required (0,2 fte), preferably in International and/or EU (Environmental) Law or Public Governance

Requirements:

• LLM degree in Law, Public Administration/Governance or a comparable degree; 
• High proficiency in English, allowing for effective communication and documentation 
• You have a demonstrable interest in (socio-)legal research, preferably with experience working on the editorial team of a law journal, or experience in a research master program, or experience as a research assistant; 
• You have scientific integrity and will contribute to an open and diversified culture of excellence;
• You are interested in teaching courses in Law or in Public Governance;
• You are interested in working with a broader research team oriented on questions about law, governance & compliance, law & technology, climate change & biodiversity, and the Anthropocene;
• You are willing and able to relocate to the Netherlands to take up this employment position.  

International PhD’s with scholarships below the IND income standard (€1,564) are unfortunately not eligible for this vacancy. 

Salary Benefits:

Tilburg University offers excellent benefits in a pleasant working environment: 

• A position based on 0,8-1,0 fte (32-40 hours per week). 
• A salary of €2.901 gross per month for full-time employment, based on UFO profile Promovendus and salary scale P. Tilburg University uses a neutral remuneration system based on relevant work experience. 
• This is a vacancy for a PhD in accordance with Article 2.3 paragraph 8 sub b CLA DU. You will initially be given a temporary contract for the duration of 18 months.
• Vacation pay of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. 
• Over 8 weeks of vacation leave. 
• The opportunity to work partly on campus and partly from home with a home office allowance of €2 per day.
• Reimbursement for sustainable commuting: walking, cycling, and public transport. 
• A monthly internet allowance of €25.
• An options model in which you exchange benefits for things such as additional leave, more pension, a bicycle or personal training at our Sports Center. 
• A moving allowance (subject to conditions). 
• Employees from abroad may be eligible for a tax-free allowance for extraterritorial expenses equal to 30% of taxable salary. 
• A pension with ABP; the largest Dutch pension fund.
• Training in personal development, career development, leadership, education, and research. Or a language course at our Language Center. 
• A work culture in which we embrace differences, everyone is welcome and given equal opportunities. 
• A vibrant campus in green surroundings that is easily accessible by public transport. 

For more information, see our website and the CLA Dutch Universities. 

32 - 40 hours per week

Warandelaan 2