→ Apply before 30/04/2024 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
→ Faculty of Law and Criminology
→ Department: RE22 - Europees, Publiek- en Internationaal Recht
→ Occupancy rate: 100%
→ Number of positions: 1
→ Type of employment: Contract of limited duration
→ Term of assignment: 18 months
→ Wage scale: PD1 to PD4 (doctoral degree)
→ Required diploma: PhD
JOB DESCRIPTION
We are seeking a researcher for a fully-funded postdoctoral fellowship as part of the iBOF project “Future-proofing human rights. Developing thicker forms of accountability”.
We are looking for a mature postdoctoral researcher, with a PhD in human rights or other relevant fields who has a proven track record of doing research and organizing academic meetings on related topics.
The selected candidate will have an interdisciplinary profile, covering at least social & legal studies related to human rights and accountability, various relevant research methods, and will have good working knowledge of the various topics studied as part of this research project (see below).
The postdoc will be based at the Human Rights Centre at the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Ghent University, but will (remotely) collaborate with colleagues at other Flemish Universities.
The selected candidate will be offered a contract of limited duration. Minimum duration is 18 months based on full-time employment, with a possible extension of up to 6 months. Employment percentage is open to negotiation. A longer duration can be accommodated in case the applicant prefers part-time employment.
We encourage candidates who self-identify as belonging to a minority group to apply and have a recruitment process aimed at ensuring inclusion and diversity.
Description of the broader research project
The position is created as part of a broader research project on accountability for human rights.
The overall research project is a multi-disciplinary and multi-method study that seeks to identify a variety of avenues for achieving better human rights protection that can provide the basis for a thicker conceptualization of the notion of (human rights) accountability.
It seeks to strengthen human rights law by identifying means or mechanisms that ensure a thicker form of accountability. This project proposes to further develop the concept of accountability so that it can face up to current social challenges, such as COVID-19, corporate abuse or surveillance dilemmas. Our particular concern is with the disconnect between the formal legal system and the lived experiences of those who suffer harms that could logically be – but are not yet – understood as a human rights violation.
Our overarching research question is: How can thicker accountability for human rights violations be achieved, so as to ensure better human rights protection in line with the everyday experience of rights holders? This question breaks down into three sub-questions:
Description of your specific research
The work of the postdoc forms the capstone of the iBOF project and contributes to our aim of strengthening the human rights framework by reconstructing the concept of accountability so that it can face up to current social challenges.
As such, there is a set research agenda and pre-established research focus and deliverables for this postdoctoral position.
The candidate will engage in a conceptual analysis of the notion of human rights accountability based on a wide range of previously collected empirical materials produced as part of the broader iBOF project. This conceptual analysis should adopt a user perspective as an analytical lens to integrate these insights and to formulate an overarching answer the project’s main research question: How can thicker accountability for human rights violations be achieved, so as to ensure better human rights protection?
In terms of academic and scientific focus, the postdoc will open up the black box of accountability and revisit the notion by integrating state of the art insights as they have been developed in various disciplines and subprojects of the iBOF project, to offer a thicker, more encompassing, and more actor-oriented understanding of accountability that facilitates better human rights protection for those most in need. This entails a substantive recasting of the discussion, across disciplinary confines, and requires the integration of legal and extra-legal perspectives. This includes a focus on methodological innovation, as well as academic and professional/societal valorization, including the coordination of a joint publication that integrates findings, and outreach to policy-makers and practitioners.
The selected candidate will be primarily supervised by prof. dr. Tine Destrooper, but will work in close collaboration with all PI’s and researchers to make both the academic objectives of the project, as well as its valorization goals materialize.
For more information, see this document.
In order to ensure a fair balance between individual research activities and project-related activities we foresee the following approximate time investment
PROFILE OF THE CANDIDATE
In order to be eligible, applicants must
Furthermore, applicants who meet multiple of the following conditions will be ranked higher during the assessment procedure
In addition to these project specific elements, we expect candidates to
HOW TO APPLY
Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the application deadline (see above). We cannot accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.
Your application must include the following documents:
Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.
As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.
The deadline for submission is April 30, 2024, 23:59 CET.
The foreseen starting date is November 1, 2024.
For inquiries, please contact prof. Destrooper at tine.destrooper@ugent.be.
EVALUATION PROCEDURE
A longlist of applicants selected on the basis of the submitted dossier will be invited for a home-based written assignment.
Longlisted candidates will be informed by May 17. The written assignment will take place between May 17 and May 26, 2024. Candidates who need special facilities can indicate this, and we will try to accommodate their request.
On the basis of this assignment, shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview in Ghent or through video conference. Shortlisted candidates will be invited by June 4, for an interview which will most likely take place on June 11. Video conferencing will be available for international applicants or those who prefer to use this option. During this interview, we will assess the relevance of your experience for this project, and gauge whether the candidate meets all the requirements.
The evaluation will be carried out by the principal investigator, in collaboration with the project’s steering group and/or senior researchers. If a suitable candidate is identified, we aim to extend an offer in the last week of June 2024 for an envisioned start in November 2024 (negotiable).
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
INSTITUTIONAL EMBEDDING
Ghent University
Ghent University is a top 100 university and one of the major universities in Belgium. Our 11 faculties offer a wide range of courses and conduct in-depth research within a wide range of scientific domains. Ghent University occupies a specific position among the Flemish universities. We are a socially committed and pluralistic university that is open to all students, regardless of their ideological, political, cultural or social background.
In its mission statement, Ghent University identifies itself as a socially committed university. This implies that the institution reflects about the positive impact that its activities can have upon society, and that it attempts to optimize that impact. It also implies the reflection about the potential negative impact of activities upon society, and the attempt of minimizing such impact.
Over the course of its 200 year history Ghent University has built up a strong scientific reputation. Ghent University invests both in fundamental, high risk science as in applied research. The university is known for its scientific expertise in life sciences and medicine, materials and agricultural science, veterinary medicine, psychology and history, and many more.
Faculty of Law and Criminology
The Faculty provides academic teaching and services based on innovative scientific research. The education within these programmes is supported by the innovative scientific research performed within the 3 faculty departments encompassing all possible disciplines within the fields of law and criminological sciences.
Human Rights Center
The Human Rights Centre at the Faculty of Law and Criminology at Ghent University is an academic center specialized in human rights law. We are proud of our dynamic international team, counting many young researchers and of our broad research and teaching expertise, covering international, regional, national and comparative law of human rights. Human Rights Centre members work on a range of thematic issues, including legal pluralism, freedom of expression, gender, indigenous peoples’ rights, and the European Court of Human Rights. Members also actively engage with human rights practice by supervising clinical projects and submitting third-party interventions to the European Court of Human Rights.
Diversity
We ensure equal opportunities, equal treatment and equal access to the vacancies for all who apply. We ensure an objective and non-biased assessment procedure. Origin, ethnicity, gender, age, employment disability, sexual orientation and other identity factors will not be a factor in assessing the competences. Candidates who self-identify as belonging to vulnerable or minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about the project, please click here.
For more information about the position, please write prof. dr. Tine Destrooper
important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.
Do you have a question regarding the online application process? Please read our FAQ or contact helpdesk (dpo@ugent.be - tel. 09/264 98 98).
Ghent University is one of the top 100 universities in the Dutch language area, with more than 44,000 students and 15,000 staff members.
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