PhD student, Sociology of law, projects: MOCCA and ADLAW

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top 100 universities. The University has around 46 000 students and more than 8 000 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

We are now looking for a doctoral student in Sociology of Law within the projects, “ADLAW: Administrative Law Reform and Legal Integration in Hybrid Political Regimes”, funded by the Swedish Research Council, and “MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia”, funded by the European Commission MSCA Staff Exchanges Programme

Duties

The PhD programme consists of 240 credits (equivalent to four years of full-time study) and ends with the public defence of the doctoral thesis. The PhD student is expected to work on her/his thesis project and to participate actively in the department’s research environment. In addition to devoting herself/himself to her/his research, the candidate appointed to a doctoral studentship may be required to undertake other tasks such as teaching, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance. These tasks will not exceed 20% of their working hours. Regulations concerning the appointment of full-time postgraduate students can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

The main language of the PhD program is English. However, non-Swedish speaking students are expected to acquire basic skills in Swedish during the period of employment. There are opportunities to participate in language courses taught at the University. 

The general syllabus and other information about the PhD program in sociology of law is available at: https://www.soclaw.lu.se/en/research/doctoral-studies/phd-handbook 

Qualifications

To be admitted, you must meet both the general and the specific entry requirements. The general entry requirement is a completed master’s degree or equivalent knowledge acquired in some other way.

Students with basic eligibility for third-cycle studies are those who- have completed a second-cycle degree- have completed courses of at least 240 credits, of which at least 60 credits are from second-cycle courses, or- have acquired largely equivalent knowledge in some other way, in Sweden or abroad.

Those who have completed course requirements of at least 30 credits in the subject area (or equivalent) or areas of relevance to the subject area, of which at least 15 credits consist of independent projects at second-cycle level, or equivalent knowledge acquired in Sweden or abroad, meet the specific admission requirements for the third-cycle programme in sociology of law.

Assessment criteria

The employment of doctoral students is regulated in the Higher education ordinance. Only those who are admitted to PhD studies may be appointed to doctoral studentships. The primary criteria for making an appointment to a doctoral studentship is the ability of the student to benefit from PhD studies and successfully complete the program. In addition to devoting themselves to their studies, those appointed to doctoral studentships may be required to work with educational tasks, research and administration, in accordance with specific regulations in the ordinance.

The doctoral student will conduct her/his research in the frame of two research projects focusing on Central Asia at the Department of Sociology of Law:

(1) ADLAW: Administrative Law Reform and Legal Integration in Hybrid Political Regimes, funded by the Swedish Research Council (https://portal.research.lu.se/en/projects/administrative-law-reform-and-legal-integration-in-hybrid-politic); and

(2): MOCCA: Multilevel Orders of Corruption in Central Asia, funded by the European Commission MSCA Staff Exchanges Programme (https://portal.research.lu.se/en/projects/multilevel-orders-of-corruption-in-central-asia);

The doctoral student will be assessed based on expertise and skills required to conduct socio-legal research, and the potential to study the interconnections between administrative law reform, governance, legal culture and informality in Central Asia. The doctoral student will furthermore be assessed based on proficiency in Central Asian languages and in the Russian language, as the position requires the doctoral student to undertake fieldwork in Central Asia and to conduct legal review and document analysis. Expertise and skills in the socio-legal study of Central Asia, demonstrated by relevant publications and previous fieldwork experience in Central Asia is also relevant for the assessment.  

The applicants’ research proposal, previous dissertations and published papers in sociology of law or related disciplines within social sciences or law, play an important role in assessing their suitability. Moreover, applicants must have a very good ability to express themselves in speech and writing.

As third cycle studies in sociology of law are very demanding, the applicant must be highly motivated and able to work independently under time constraints. Good collaboration and communication skills are also required, as is proficiency in both written and spoken English.

The application must contain:

1. A cover letter in English of max 1 000 words, which contains a brief presentation of yourself and your qualifications, as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in third cycle studies at the Department of Sociology of Law at Lund University.
2. Degree project corresponding to at least 15 credits on advanced level in sociology of law or other discipline deemed equivalent and other relevant publications. If the degree project or publication is written in a language other than Swedish, Danish, Norwegian or English, a summary of maximum 1000 words is attached, including method, theory, analysis and results.
3. A CV in English that demonstrated your qualifications for the third cycle program in sociology of law.
4. Degree and grade certificates in Swedish or English.
5. A research plan, formulated within the scope and goals of the aforesaid two projects, of a maximum of 13,000 characters with spaces, including references, in English. All plans must follow the instructions available here: https://www.soclaw.lu.se/en/sites/soclaw.lu.se.en/files/ras_phd_research_plan.pdf
6. Name and contact details of two reference persons.
7. Other documentation of relevance for the position.

Assessment of applicants is done on the above points and the top-ranking will be called for interview.

Conditions

Master’s degree is required to be completed no later than the last date for applications. Limit of tenure, four years according to HF 5 kap 7§. The doctoral studentship will commence on September 1, 2023 2023 or  as agreed.

More about us

The Faculty of Social Sciences at Lund University is one of the leading education and research institutions in Sweden and operates both in Lund and Helsingborg.

Sociology of law at Lund University is a subject within Social sciences focusing on the relationship between law and society, such as the tension between the formal legislation of the government and the informal emergence of norms in civil society, among other contexts. Research is conducted in fields such as gender and discrimination, AI and machine learning, children's rights, welfare, legal cultures, corruption, migration, financial security and crime. The department offers courses at all levels. The department also runs the bachelor's program in criminology in collaboration with the Department of Sociology. The Sociology of Law Department is keen to engage in cross-disciplinary collaboration and has good contacts with professionals and public authorities.

We kindly decline all sales and marketing contacts.

Type of employment Temporary position
First day of employment 2023-09-01
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100
City Lund
County Skåne län
Country Sweden
Reference number PA2023/649
Contact
Anna Melin, questions reg. recruitment process, anna.melin@sam.lu.se
Ida Nafstad, questions reg the position, ida.nafstad@soclaw.lu.se
Rustamjon Urinboyev, PI questions reg the position, rustamjon.urinboyev@soclaw.lu.se
Union representative
OFR/ST:Fackförbundet ST:s kansli, 046-2229362
SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, kansli@saco-s.lu.se
SEKO: Seko Civil, 046-2229366
Published 28.Feb.2023
Last application date 02.Apr.2023 11:59 PM CEST
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