What are the social norms guiding fertility choices? How do prices affect the use of assisted reproduction technologies? How do laws affect the parenthood happiness gap? How can we empirically test highly controversial claims about human reproduction and its normative challenges?
The University Research Priority Program (URPP) “Human Reproduction Reloaded | H2R” explores rapidly developing medical technologies in the field of human reproduction, the societal challenges they pose and their legal implications. This interdisciplinary positioned URPP is hosted by the Faculty of Law and brings together researchers from six faculties as well as from various disciplines from the humanities, social, medical and natural sciences. The URPP’s phase 2 (2025-2028) revolves around three main research foci: family, kinship and gender; declining fertility and non-reproduction; and CRISPR.
The PhD position will be attached to the Chair for Legal Tech, Law and Economics, and Public Law (Prof. Dr. Dr. Yoan Hermstrüwer). The chair provides a genuinely interdisciplinary and international work environment. Our team is committed to exploring a wide range of social, economic and political issues bearing on all areas of the law. Our research projects rest on experimental methods, econometric analysis, and methods from data science more generally.
Your responsibilities
You write a doctoral thesis in the field of law and human reproduction, ideally from an interdisciplinary perspective (e.g. empirical legal studies of human reproduction).
- You explore problems related to human reproduction, ideally using empirical methods (e.g. observational or experimental data) or methods from data science more broadly (e.g. machine learning, NLP).
- You participate in the URPP’s events and actively take advantage of the opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange and interfaculty networking.
- You are willing to learn about new methods to explore normative problems around human reproduction.
Your profile
You hold an excellent degree in law, social science (e.g. economics, psychology), computer science or in a related discipline. Applicants who do not hold a law degree need to demonstrate a keen interest in the law and interdisciplinary approaches to law.
- You are proficient in analyzing data (e.g. using Python, R, Stata), or you are willing to invest in developing your data analysis skills.
- You have excellent analytical skills and are willing to collaborate on research projects at the Chair.
- You are proficient in English and ideally another language (e.g. German, French, Italian), and are motivated to develop your skills in a genuinely interdisciplinary and international environment.
Information on your application
Please attach the following documents in a single pdf file to the application form:
- a detailed CV including – if applicable – relevant publications;
- a project proposal in the field of law and human reproduction;
- a short (!) letter of motivation;
- a substantial writing sample – if available;
- academic transcripts obtained during your studies.
The project proposal should be structured as follows:
- Problem statement: please explain the background of the proposal, the problem you intend to address in your research, and why it fits with the URPP H2R (max. 500 words);
- Research question: please describe the main research question you intend to explore (max. 300 words);
- Method: please specificy the research design, the methods and explain the link between the proposed research questions and the methodology (max. 1000 words);
- Contribution: please explain how your research will contribute to the existing body of knowledge and connect to the literature (max. 600 words);
- Feasibility: please provide an approximate time schedule, and briefly provide a feasibility assessment (e.g. some data you need may not easily be available).
Please submit your application, consisting of a motivation letter and a CV, in a single pdf file until December 23, 2024.