项目介绍

2025年9月27日

Your function

The project:Financial institutions are obliged to perform tasks related to financial economic crime (FEC) such as anti-money laundering, sanctions evasion and terrorism financing. These are crucially important yet challenging tasks. First, they require considerable resources (e.g., costs, employees, IT infrastructure, specialized training). Second, they may require the use of quantitative models, data analysis, and algorithms, but these applications must also safeguard the data privacy and non-discrimination rights of their clients. This topic will become even more relevant in the current age with the dawn of AI.

The central research question is whether non-discrimination requirements generate boundary conditions for the efficient and effective fulfillment of FEC prevention objectives. In other words, how do FEC prevention objectives and regulation align with non-discrimination objectives? 

Examining this possible tension can have fundamental implications not only for policy-design, regulation, and banking operations, but also for the general (public) view on the cost and benefit tradeoffs regarding FEC prevention, data privacy and the risk on discrimination. 

This PhD position will be funded by ING, but the research project is completely independent and entirely performed at the VU.

Your duties

• as a PhD candidate, you are expected to conduct thorough literature reviews, conduct statistical or simulation-based research, and understand analytical models
• depending on your background, you will take courses to reinforce the necessary skills
• all this should lead to the development of at least three manuscripts that can be published in very good academic journals
• to strengthen your skills and profile for a possible academic career, you will for a small amount of time participate in the Accounting department’s teaching program in the last 2 years of the contract, with the opportunity to obtain a basic qualification teaching certificate (known as BKO)

Your profile

• academic background including a Research Master or Master of Science title in the areas of econometrics, mathematics, data science, business analytics, economics, criminology, political science, social psychology, or other fields that allow you to:
  • understand and apply quantitative (statistical, econometrical, analytical) methods, 
  • understand regulation-related theory and practice;
• motivation to do high quality research with the aim of publishing articles in very good academic journals;
• communication and interpersonal skills required to discuss relevant topics with industry partners, researchers, and regulators;
• strong skills in academic writing and reading comprehension;
• high proficiency in the English language; proficiency in the Dutch language is a plus;
• experience with, or proven interest in regulation regarding financial economic crime and/or operational processes linked to these regulations is a plus

What do we offer?

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 € 3.059,00 and maximum € 3.881,00 gross per month in the fourth year, for a full-time employment
• an employment contract of initially 1 year. If there is sufficient perspective, this will be extended to a total of 4 years. Your dissertation at the end of the fourth year forms the end of your employment contract

We also offer you attractive fringe benefits and arrangements. 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
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

About us

The research group

The position will be held at the Accounting research group, which is part of the School of Business and Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Within the Accounting research group, one area of research relates to compliance and enforcement of regulations, and the group is responsible for the Executive Master of Compliance and Integrity Management and the course FEC Risk Expert. This position guarantees that you will be part of a diverse group of colleagues, who have extensive expertise and valuable contacts in both academia and practice.

School of Business and Economics
We at the School of Business and Economics (SBE) at VU Amsterdam bring together socially relevant teaching and research in the areas of business administration and economics. We focus on real-life issues that have a huge impact on society, economics and ecology: from robotics to big data, and from job market participation to change management.

Collaboration and cooperation, transparency and social responsibility are four keywords that embody our approach. Students, researchers and staff at SBE share real-world knowledge in order to devise solutions together to global economic and social challenges. In order to make a positive impact on the world, society and the lives of others.

Are you interested in joining SBE? You will work in a stimulating, dynamic and international environment with motivated colleagues dedicated to helping society make informed choices. SBE employs roughly 600 staff, with 7,250 students enrolled in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes and 1,700 executive students.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam stands for values-driven education and research. We are open-minded experts with the ability to think freely – a broader mind. Maintaining an entrepreneurial perspective and concentrating on diversity, significance and humanity, we work on sustainable solutions with social impact. By joining forces, across the boundaries of disciplines, we work towards a better world for people and planet. Together we create a safe and respectful working and study climate, and an inspiring environment for education and research. Learn more about our codes of conduct

We are located on one physical campus, in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district, with excellent location and accessibility.  Over 6,150 staff work at the VU and over 31,000 students attend academic education.

Diversity
Diversity is the driving force of VU Amsterdam. VU wants to be accessible and receptive to diversity in disciplines, cultures, ideas, nationalities, beliefs, preferences and worldviews. We believe that trust, respect, interest and differences lead to new insights and innovation, to sharpness and clarity, to excellence and a broader understanding.

We stand for an inclusive community and believe that diversity and internationalisation contribute to the quality of education, research and our services.

Therefore, we are always searching for people whose backgrounds and experience contribute to the diversity of the VU community.