PhD Position in Law

Reference: ERC Consolidator Grant 101228709

Your Function

Every EU competition agency, and most agencies worldwide, now relies on AI and other computational tools to enforce competition law. The legal framework has not kept pace. ATLANTIS, a five-year project funded by an ERC Consolidator Grant (grant agreement 101228709), builds that framework.

I am Thibault Schrepel, Associate Professor of Law at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and I am hiring three PhD candidates to join the ATLANTIS team. Two positions are legal-track. One is a cross-project computational position. The positions begin on 1 December 2026, last four years, and are based at the VU Amsterdam Faculty of Law. All three candidates will obtain a doctorate.

The Three PhD Positions

Together, we will build the legal regime for computational antitrust.

The team has one legal-track PhD candidate dedicated to Project A, one legal-track PhD candidate dedicated to Project B, and one (more) computational-track PhD candidate working across both projects. The computational-track candidate will provide the empirical and technical scaffolding needed by the two legal-track candidates. The legal-track candidates will provide the competition law expertise that keeps the technical work tied to live antitrust problems. All three candidates will obtain a doctorate.

A postdoctoral researcher with expertise in institutional economics will join the team about a year after the PhDs start.

Project A: Making Computational Antitrust Accurate (One PhD Position)

This legal-track PhD will work on the legal framework for data access by competition agencies. The core question is whether Regulation 1/2003 and Directive (EU) 2019/1 need to be updated so that the European Commission and national competition agencies can collect the data their computational tools require while preserving fundamental rights. The project will address data protection, business secrecy, the right to remain silent, and proportionality.

Project B: Making Computational Antitrust Fair (One PhD Position)

This legal-track PhD will work on the legal regime governing the use of AI by competition agencies. The core question is how to mitigate bias and ensure procedural fairness when agencies rely on AI tools. The project will address transparency, explainability, AI-generated evidence, and standards of proof.

Cross-Project Computational Position (One PhD Position)

This PhD will work across Projects A and B and provide the technical backbone of the team. On Project A, the focus will be on data: documenting what data agencies collect, through which channels, in which formats, and where computational bottlenecks arise. On Project B, the focus will be on AI methods: auditing bias in publicly documented agency AI systems and prototyping explainability techniques on representative cases. Although more computational in nature, this position will lead to publications in law venues.

What You Will Be Doing

ATLANTIS will be run as a tight team, not as three PhDs working in parallel silos. We will work together daily (being on campus several days a week will be expected). Drafts circulate inside the team before they go to the international advisory board. Papers are co-authored. You will publish from year one.

Your time will be divided between writing peer-reviewed articles, conducting empirical work with competition agencies, co-organizing ATLANTIS events, and presenting your work to the international advisory board and conferences. Each PhD co-authors several articles with me over four years. At the end of the project, the team co-edits a volume that consolidates the research. You will end up with publications, a book chapter or more, policy briefs, and a body of empirical work you helped build.

You will have direct access to the network of the Stanford Computational Antitrust project, which gathers over 80 antitrust agencies and 50 academics worldwide. It means real interviews, real data-sharing arrangements, real introductions, and the option of visiting agencies that have committed to the project. The agencies involved span multiple jurisdictions including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, the UK, and the United States.

You will spend research stays at the institutions of the co-supervisors and the international advisory board. These include leading scholars from Oxford, MIT, Stanford, Harvard, and other top institutions.

You will help organize three annual workshops and an international conference at the end of the project. You will not be a passive attendee. You will shape the programs, invite speakers, present your own work.

You will also teach a small share of your time, capped at 20% over four years under the CAO of Dutch universities. Teaching is supervised and matched to your interests. It will focus on competition law or law & tech issues.

Your Profile

We are hiring for two profiles. In your cover letter, state which one you are applying for. Legal-track applicants may indicate a preference between Project A and Project B, but this is optional. If your background fits both profiles (i.e., legal and more computational), you are welcome to apply to both.

Legal-track profile (two PhD positions, one on Project A and one on Project B)

A master’s degree in law with excellent marks, and demonstrated expertise in competition law that is as broad and as deep as possible. This is the central requirement: we are looking for candidates whose academic record (and potentially prior work) show both strong grades and a serious, proven command of competition law.

Required legal knowledge includes:

• Regulation 1/2003
• Directive (EU) 2019/1
• GDPR
• Case law of the Court of Justice on requests for information, dawn raids, rights of defense
• AI Act (for Project B)
• Case law on duty to give reasons and procedural fairness

Comfort with empirical work and computational tools is welcome but will be taught.

Computational-track profile (one PhD position)

Master’s degree in computer science, data science, computational science, AI, or related field with excellent grades.

Required:

• Machine learning experience
• Bias/fairness in AI systems or explainable AI
• Empirical data work
• Technical writing for non-technical audiences

Law degree not required but engagement with legal materials is necessary.

What Do We Offer?

• Full-time PhD position (38 hours/week, 1.0 FTE) for 4 years
• First year probationary, then extension upon positive evaluation
• Salary: €3,059 – €3,881 gross/month (CAO-NU scale PhD)
• Start date: 1 December 2026
• Location: De Boelelaan 1105, Amsterdam, Faculty of Law

Fringe Benefits

• 232 hours annual leave (full-time) + additional leave if 40-hour week
• 8% holiday allowance + 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• ABP pension scheme
• Commuting support and home-working allowance
• Paid parental leave
• Access to VU sports facilities
• Optional benefits customization model

About the Project (ATLANTIS)

ATLANTIS (“computAtionaL ANTItruSt”) studies how AI and computational methods are transforming antitrust enforcement. Competition agencies across the world already rely on these tools, but the legal framework has not kept up.

The project develops a legal framework addressing:

• Accuracy (Project A)
• Fairness (Project B)
• Sustainability (Project C – postdoc)

The goal is to enable computational tools in enforcement while preserving fundamental rights.

The project is hosted within the Amsterdam Law & Technology Institute (ALTI). It includes international advisory board members from top universities and funding from an ERC Consolidator Grant.

Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law at VU Amsterdam focuses on legal education with strong societal relevance and interdisciplinary research. It has 400+ staff and 4,500 students.

About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

VU Amsterdam is a values-driven university focused on diversity, sustainability, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The campus is located in Amsterdam’s Zuidas district.

Diversity

VU Amsterdam emphasizes inclusion, diversity, and internationalization as core values contributing to academic excellence and innovation.

Application

Applications must include:

• CV
• Cover letter (max 2 pages, stating track preference)
• Academic transcripts
• Writing sample
• Two referees’ contact details

Selection Process

• Deadline: 15 September 2026
• Shortlisted candidates invited to interviews in October
• Possible second interview round
• Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prepare a short document (1–2 pages)
• Selection committee chaired by Thibault Schrepel

Contact

Thibault Schrepel
Associate Professor of Law
[email protected]