项目介绍

2024年4月19日

Your function

EU policymakers and competition enforcers are showing a growing interest in digital ecosystems, thus moving away from the regulation of products, services, and technologies as stand-alone entities. Their interest in ecosystems can be seen in digital competition law, whether in recent enforcement actions, the new guidelines on market definition, etc., but also in the Digital Markets Act, the AI Act, and the Data Act. The emergence of Generative AI further pushes competition agencies to consider ecosystem dynamics, as the first investigations and market studies in this area already show.

In this context, Dr. Thibault Schrepel, and Prof. Gareth Davies are looking for a PhD candidate to conduct legal research on the concept of digital ecosystem. Under the guidance of the supervisors, the PhD student will deploy empirical legal methods to document the scope and meaning of the concept as used and defined by EU policymakers and competition agencies. The candidate will then develop a unifying, robust theory of digital ecosystems for competition law and digital market regulation. More specifically, the candidate will be asked to:

• Write four research papers to be published as peer-reviewed articles;
• Actively participate in the academic activities of the “Law & Technology” program as well as the Amsterdam Law & Technology Institute;
• Engage in limited teaching activities in law & technology and in the supervision of master students;
• Present research results at national and international conferences and workshops;
• Be an active member of a vibrant, diverse, and international research group;
• Acquire research skills to become a truly interdisciplinary and empirical researcher.​​​​ 

Your profile

• You have a strong interest in (digital) competition law (ideally, with a background in the field);
• You have a master’s degree in Law or a related discipline (or are in the process of obtaining one);
• You can demonstrate scientific research skills or willingness to acquire them;
• You have excellent oral and written command of English;
• You have an interest in learning about empirical legal research (such as network analysis and systematic content analysis);
• You have an interest in learning about complexity economics.

As part of the application process, you must submit a diploma, CV, motivation letter, and one piece of writing, such as a Master’s Thesis or journal article. In a later stage of the procedure, we might request the contact details of two referees.  

As a university, we strive for equal opportunities for all, recognizing that diversity takes many forms. We are always looking for talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences.