Postdoctoral position in international law and human rights - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Lund University is a full-scale and research-intensive university, and the only Swedish university to be part of the strong international networks League of European Research Universities (LERU) and Universitas 21 (U21). Lund University has partner universities in close to 70 countries and attracts more international students than any other higher education institution in Sweden.

The Faculty of Law is characterised by internationalisation, the intertwining of education and research, interdisciplinarity, as well as close and boundary-crossing collaboration with wider society. The Faculty’s research environment and PhD-education are markedly international and, alongside the professional law degree, the Faculty offers several international Master’s programmes. Lund University and the Faculty of Law offer an inclusive work environment that fosters development within the broader dynamic research and innovation area of the Öresund region.

Subject 

International law and human rights

Subject description

This postdoctoral position is connected to the interdisciplinary project ‘Refugee Finance: Histories, Frameworks and Practices (REF-FIN)’ funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant 2023. Refugee finance is the term used to refer to new financial instruments aimed at attracting private capital to fund humanitarian responses to refugee flows. Such financial instruments, which include refugee bonds, technical assistance funds and concessional loans, are promoted by international organizations, international financial institutions and states as innovative solutions to societal challenges raised by large-scale refugee flows. The project aims to examine, amongst other things, the socio-economic, legal and financial implications of this paradigmatic shift from aid funding to financing and the way in which it impacts on the conceptualization and implementation of the international protection of refugees in international law.

The postdoctoral project will be developed as part of REF-FIN and rely on field work to assess the impact of refugee finance on the rights of refugees to protection in line with international and human rights law, both in theory and in practice. It is expected that the research plan submitted with this application will employ socio-legal methods (such as interviews, focus groups, field observations, journaling and relevant encoding) and relevant qualitative research theory. A research plan on the protection of refugees in the context of social impact investing and/or development finance in Latin America is desirable. REF-FIN´s main case study will take place in Colombia. 

The Principal Investigator of REF-FIN is Associate Professor Daria Davitti. When engaging in various research -related activities connected to the project, the postdoctoral researcher will collaborate closely with the Principal Investigator, with the other researchers involved in the project team and with colleagues in the area of international and human rights law at the Faculty. 

Duties

Mainly research but work duties include teaching for up to a maximum of 20 percent of working hours and external engagement.

Teaching staff employed as a postdoc are offered the opportunity to undertake further training in teaching and learning in higher education of at least three weeks within the scope of their employment.

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.

Qualifications

A person shall be qualified for appointment as a postdoctoral fellow who has been awarded a doctor’s degree in legal science or a degree deemed equivalent to a doctor’s degree in legal science. Evidence substantiating that these qualifications requirements have been met must have been received at the latest three working days after application deadline’s expiration. An applicant who has completed a doctoral degree no more than three years before the application deadline’s expiration is primarily eligible. Where special grounds exist, the doctoral degree can have been completed earlier.

Special grounds include leave of absence due to illness, parental leave, positions as elected representative in trade union organizations, mandatory service in connection with total defence preparations, or comparable circumstances, and practical training or other services/tasks of relevance for the advertised position.

For a postdoctoral researcher at Lund University, the general qualification requirements concern being suitable for and having the ability in general that is needed to satisfactorily carry out the duties of the appointment in question.

Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for the current post are a good ability to develop and carry out high-quality research and teaching skills. The primary focus of the assessment shall be on research expertise.

Special emphasis will be paid to research expertise directly relevant to REF-FIN, for example experience with socio-legal research methods and fieldwork.

Emphasis will be paid to the submitted plan of the research project and its relevance to REF-FIN.

Emphasis will be paid to the applicant’s relevant subject knowledge of international law and human rights.

Emphasis will be paid to the applicant’s ability and willingness to carry out fieldwork in English- and Spanish-speaking countries. Therefore, a very good oral and written proficiency in English and Spanish is a requirement.

Application process

The application shall include:

• personal letter, in English or Swedish (or in another Nordic language)
• a brief curriculum vitae (CV), in English or Swedish (or in another Nordic language)
• copy of the doctoral degree certificate
• certificates from other experiences and competencies relevant for the employment position
• a plan of the research project (including plan of publications) the candidate wants to pursue as a postdoc (max. 5 pages),in English
• list of the PhD thesis and two other academic texts the candidate wishes to submit for assessment
• the PhD thesis and two other academic texts
• short description of teaching qualifications, in English or Swedish (or in another Nordic language)

Please note that documents submitted or drawn up as a result of this vacant employment position (such as applications, expert opinions and minutes) as a general rule are public. The documents may thus (with the exception of documents that are classified as confidential) be read upon request.

Duration

Fixed-term employment of three years.

Conditions

The position is based on a collective agreement between the social partners (trade unions and employer's organisation), dated 19 November 2021.