Doctoral student in legal science for the Agenda 2030 Graduate School - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

About the graduate school

The 2030 Agenda is the framework for sustainable development that the world’s nations have signed to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, solve the climate crisis, promote peace and equity and much more. In order to achieve the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, research has several important roles: to identify challenges and conflicting objectives, contribute new solutions, generate dialogue and learning between different societal stakeholders and critically analyse the goals. Lund University aspires to be a part of the solution and has therefore started a graduate school focusing on societal challenges, sustainability issues and the 2030 Agenda.

We now welcome applicants from various disciplinary backgrounds who want to take an active role in 2030 Agenda research to apply for the new PhD student positions. The graduate school offers a unique opportunity to gain interdisciplinary perspectives on global challenges and contribute to current research while deepening your subject knowledge.

The graduate school has PhD students enrolled with all faculties of the university. You will be associated with a specific research studies programme, and simultaneously take part in two of the university-wide interdisciplinary research studies courses, developed on the basis of the issues defined by the Sustainable Development Goals. The courses provide great potential to develop new forms of collaboration and work for change across disciplinary boundaries. Besides the research courses, you will participate in several activities linked to the graduate school in order to take an active part in the global sustainability agenda and to advance the research front on issues concerning the 2030 Agenda, for example through seminars, conferences, study trips and collaborations with various societal stakeholders.

The application processes and general qualification requirements for the relevant doctoral studentship can differ depending on the faculty and department responsible for the position. A common requirement for all applicants is to present a research project with a clear connection to the 2030 Agenda. All project ideas are welcome, but applicants should take 2030 Agenda’s holistic approach as a starting point rather than focusing on individual Sustainable Development Goals.

More information on the Agenda 2030 Graduate School is available here.

The Faculty of Law is offering one doctoral student position for a Doctor of Laws Degree in legal science for the Agenda 2030 Graduate school.

Not only is Agenda 2030 the product of a UN General Assembly resolution, but it also relies on existing international agreements and institutions while indicating that for the Agenda to be realized, there is need for legal and institutional development on a range of levels and by a plethora of actors. All 17 goals relate to legal norms, institutions and structures and the law has been described as both a necessary tool for reaching the targets and a restraint, even obstacle, for the comprehensive changes that Agenda 2030 demand. This means that legal scholarship – international, transnational and nationally oriented – may make an important contribution to our understanding of the challenges faced in the context of Agenda 2030. Your project proposal is expected to formulate a specific project that relates to Agenda 2030 sustainable development. You are also expected to clearly articulate how you plan to address the relationship between law (and legal scholarship) and sustainable development in that project.

If you are appointed to a doctoral student position at the Faculty of Law within the Agenda 2030 Graduate School, you will conduct research within one of the following subjects: jurisprudence, labour law, banking law, private law, EU law, fiscal law, public international law, administrative law, international environmental law, private international law, comparative law, constitutional law, environmental law, human rights, public law, civil and criminal procedure, law and economics, legal history, social and welfare law, and criminal law.

Job assignments

Those appointed to doctoral studentships shall primarily devote themselves to their studies.

Those appointed to doctoral studentships may, however, work to a limited extent with educational tasks, research and administration. Before a doctorate has been awarded, however, duties of this kind may not comprise more than 20 per cent of a full-time post (Higher Education Ordinance, chapter 5, section 2).

The researchers and teachers at the Faculty are expected to contribute to a dynamic research environment as well as to other Faculty activities, and to perform work primarily in the workplace provided by the Faculty.

An increasingly important business law collaboration platform in Lund is the ACLU (Lund University Center for Business Law) and the researchers at the Faculty of Law, the Department of Business Law and the Department of Sociology of Law who are affiliated with it. The doctoral student is expected to participate in ACLU's activities and contribute to the development of the research environment within this collaborative platform.

Eligibility/Entry Requirements

Only those who are or have been admitted to third-cycle courses and study programmes at a higher education may be appointed to doctoral studentships. (Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5 section 3).

A person meets the general entry requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification,
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

(Higher Education Ordinance, chapter 7, section 39)

The special requirements are fulfilled by those who have completed a law programme and obtained the degree Master of Laws (juris kandidatexamen/juristexamen). The special requirements may also be fulfilled by those who can demonstrate other educational or particular professional experience where this is judged to provide the necessary qualification for doctoral studies comparable to that provided by the degree of Master of Laws (juris kandidatexamen/juristexamen regarding both the subject for doctoral study and general legal education of importance for that subject.

Applicants with Swedish juristexamen/juris kandidatexamen degrees must have attained a grade average of Ba in the compulsory courses of the undergraduate programme. Applicants holding other degrees must have attained in principle an equivalent grade average in comparable portions of the degree programme. Only where very special circumstances apply may the Faculty Board approve exemption from this rule.

The applicant must have obtained the degree of Master of Laws or the equivalent no later than 4 October 2021.

Basis of Assessment

For regulations concerning employment of Doctoral Students etc., see Higher Education Ordinance, chapter 5, sections 1-7.

For regulations concerning admission to third-cycle courses and study programmes, see Higher Education Ordinance, chapter 7, sections 34-41.

Admittance of a doctoral student is based on an assessment of the candidate’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies (Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, section 5 and chapter 7, sections 35, 41).

The applicant’s ability to benefit from third-cycle studies and research will be assessed with reference to the selection criteria stated in the general study plan for third-cycle studies at the Faculty of Law, which are given in no particular order of importance.

Applicant’s general competence:

• quality and content of the applicant’s previous written work, such as a master’s thesis
• ability to participate actively in the faculty’s research environment
• relevant educational background and grades/grade average
• relevant work experience

Scientific quality of the project description:

• ability to describe, question and discuss the current state of research
• sufficient clarity and logical coherence in the formulation of the aim and the research questions
• stringency of legal reasoning and analysis
• adequate selection of theory and methods
• capacity for creativity and innovation in the formulation of the research questions and approaches
• clear expression and sufficient detail

Appointment Procedure

Applications should be submitted through Lund University job application portal.

Applications should contain a curriculum vitae, grade transcripts, project description, a master thesis or similar degree project, one or two references (supervisor, tutor, manager etc.) and any other documents that you wish to submit.

The project description, enclosed in the electronic application, must not exceed 15 000 characters including spaces, footnotes, list of references and must be written in English, Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian (see Guidelines for project description).

The Committee on Doctoral Education will call a limited number of candidates to interviews to be held during week 46, either in person or by video conference/telephone. Those invited for an interview will be notified no later than 14 October 2021. The interview will be based on the project description and is intended to give the research committee an opportunity to assess each applicant’s capacity for research and ability to complete the project described.

Type of employment

Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§.