PhD position at the VUB - application opening

The Fundamental Rights and Constitutionalism (FRC) Research Group, part of the Department of Metajuridica of the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, is offering 3 years PhD funding to a doctoral student to examine the challenges traditional and newest mutual legal assistance instruments face in the context of cyber criminality and digital and electronic evidence. Do we still need Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) when local law enforcement authorities find unilateral shortcuts (see for instance the Yahoo case, or the Microsoft case) to obtain the evidence they seek? Can ongoing developments towards unilateralism be reversed through the adoption of intelligent MLA instruments, such as the European Investigation Order? The PhD Student is expected to develop an original PhD thesis on these subjects. In addition to this the PhD is also expected to contribute in the first two years in an EU project on the implementation the European Investigation Order. Applicants are expected to submit to paul.de.hert@vub.ac.be and j.muraszkiewicz@gmail.com : - A cover letter explaining their motivation to pursue academic research and highlighting their research skills (max 1 page) - Their CV - A research proposal including a possible research question, which is suitable for a 3 years project, and a possible methodology indicating various steps in the research (e.g. various sub-research questions) as well as the selected approach to investigate the research question (max 2 pages). The deadline for application is Monday 31th of August. The successful candidate will be notified beginning of September and the position will start on the 1st of October. Start date might be negotiable.