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Vacancy for a full-time PhD Researcher in Law (UCLouvain) and Political Science (ULB) in Inter-Disciplinary Research on Migration

The research project “EU Migration Diplomacy as Law-Making”, funded by the FNRS, is seeking to fill a fully funded full-time PhD doctoral position in Law and Political Science in joint supervision (cotutelle de thèse) between UCLouvain (Law) and ULB (Political Science), in Belgium.

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About the project

EU Migration Diplomacy as Law-Making is an interdisciplinary study focused on the European Union’s (EU) cooperation with non-EU countries on migration (see Annex 1 for a summary of the research project). It examines how and why the EU uses soft law instruments to promote international and EU legal norms for migration management in non-EU countries and regions and whether these instruments impact the domestic legal systems of partner countries. By exploring the concept of migration diplomacy within the 'Rabat process,' the project aims to understand soft law formation and its legal eSects. It highlights that non-EU countries maintain autonomy while cooperating with the EU, benefiting from diverse forms of soft law. The project aims to uncover how migration norms are shaped by interactions within the Rabat process and how soft law can act as regulation, influencing non-EU countries’ legal orders. A robust research design, focusing on intermediary actors and employing qualitative methods, will seek to provide a comprehensive understanding of the EU’s Migration Diplomacy as a law-making practice.

About the doctoral position

how different actors are involved in migration diplomacy and for what reasons. The aim is to understand how prescriptions about migration management are formed through the interactions between the actors of the Rabat process, which will be taken as a site of investigation into (soft) law formation, as well as the background knowledge that shapes their practices in that respect. The doctoral candidate will conduct empirical work, mainly through semi-structured élite interviews and document interpretation.

As a PhD researcher…

• You will develop your research proposal within the project's framework and conduct research (please refer to the summary in Annex 1), including fieldwork and study stays in Morocco and Tunisia.
• You will join the EDEM research team (UCLouvain) and the REPI center (ULB). You will benefit from a vibrant research environment and regularly engage with peers, senior researchers, and international guests.
• You will receive appropriate training (exposure to relevant academic materials, reading group sessions, etc.) in interpretive research methodologies and methods to foster your interdisciplinary skills.
• You will present your research at international conferences and engage in research networks and other ad hoc teaching activities.
• You can follow the Odysseus Network’s one-year Certificate in EU migration and asylum Law and/or the Odysseus Summer School that takes place every year in Brussels in July.

Your profile

• You hold a Master’s degree in Political Science, Law and/or International Relations.¹ A mixed training in Law and Political Science is an asset.
• You have a demonstrated excellent track record of academic achievement.
• You can demonstrate an interest in addressing migration research across law and international relations, combining subjects and disciplines from both areas. Prior experience in conducting research is an asset.
• You are interested in empirical research methods or motivated to receive training in this area.
• You are fluent in English, the project's primary working language. Proficiency in French and/or other languages is an asset.

What we offer

• A fully funded full-time Scholarship for 12 months starting on 01/10/2025 (with a foreseen extension of 36 months for a combined total of 48 months, conditioned upon the positive evaluation of your research work at the end of the initial 12-month period).²
• A unique interdisciplinary training in Law and Political Science. Supervision will be ensured by Professor Sylvie Sarolea (UCLouvain) and Professor Julien Jeandesboz (ULB). As a doctoral researcher, you will cooperate closely with the post-doctoral researcher working on the project.
• Access to diverse, dynamic, cross-border research networks (EDEM and REPI) and equal time spent at both universities. You will spend two years at UCLouvain and two years at ULB.
• A solid work environment, surrounded by experts in subjects closely related to the project and/or involved in interdisciplinary research.
• A path to obtain a double doctoral degree in Law and Political Science.

Application process

The deadline for the application is 15 July 2025 at the latest. Your application must be sent to sylvie.sarolea@uclouvain.be and include the following documents in PDF format:

• A one-page motivation letter.
• Your CV, together with an overview of your study results.
• A diploma transcript (if already in your possession), including your grades. If you hold a non- Belgian diploma in a language other than French, English, Dutch or German, please add a translation of your diploma in one of the mentioned languages.
• A 2,000-word (excluding references and footnotes) research proposal outlining your understanding and interpretation of the research to be conducted in the framework of the project. The proposal should include a short review of literature relevant to the project (800 words), a methodological section on implementing the project’s research design (800 words) and a research plan over four years (400 words).

Short-listed candidates will be informed by early August 2025, and interviews with short-listed candidates are expected to take place in the first week of September. The successful candidate will start as of 1 October 2025. For more information about this vacancy, please contact Eleonora.frasca@uclouvain.be.

¹ To be acquired before 15 September 2025 at the latest. ² The doctoral scholarship is subject to the condition of your enrolment as a doctoral student at UCLouvain and, upon admission to the doctoral programme at UCLouvain, to the condition of successful enrolment at ULB and the stipulation of a convention (cotutelle de thèse).