3 PhD Students in Faculty of Law at University of Groningen

University of Groningen is looking for three enthusiastic PhD students who want to do research within one of the following topics:

Project 1: AI and evidence in criminal investigations, see: https://www.rug.nl/research/gradschool-law/phd/phd-vacancy-1
Law enforcement increasingly faces large, complex datasets for evidence discovery, requiring AI tools for efficient triage, filtering, and review while ensuring privacy, data protection, and fair trial compliance. AI holds promise in analyzing data and detecting patterns, but its use raises legal and ethical questions. The Netherlands Forensic Institute’s Hansken platform provides digital forensic tools with safeguards for chain of custody and defense access. This PhD research examines the legal implications of AI for evidence triage, its human rights impacts, and compliance with EU and Council of Europe AI regulations, developing guidelines for reliable, accountable, and legally compliant implementation.

Project 2: Social Media Evidence in the Construction of Arguments Before the International Court of Justice, see https://www.rug.nl/research/gradschool-law/phd/phd-vacancy-2
This PhD project investigates the growing use of social media evidence in arguments before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Parties increasingly rely on social media content—photos, videos, statements—to support their positions, raising questions about evidentiary standards and litigation strategies. The research explores how litigants construct arguments using social media evidence, focusing on strategy (e.g., establishing facts, interpreting rules, or broader goals) and authority (e.g., why courts accept or reject such evidence). Employing doctrinal, qualitative, and potentially interdisciplinary methodologies, the project may compare the ICJ with other international courts to analyze trends and implications of this novel evidentiary practice.

Project 3: Nexus Netween External and Internal Security Threats or Informality in EU Migration and Foreign Relations Law, see https://www.rug.nl/research/gradschool-law/phd/phd-vacancy-3
For this project the candidate can chose between two topics. This first deals with the intersection of external and internal security concerns in the EU, focusing on case studies such as the instrumentalization of migration or the spread of terrorism. It could explore how the division line between external and internal threats is increasingly blurred, and how the EU and its Member States respond to this phenomenon. This project may equally look at external factors such as those which configure both as an external and internal security threat in the EU.