PhD 'The Latin and Atlantic Bond ? Bourbon Law of Nations in Europe and America, 1712-1763'

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike. 

 

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculty of Law and Criminology, Department Metajuridica, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

 

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

You will conduct research under the supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI) of the ERC Consolidator Grant TREATYLAB (“The Labyrinth of Treaties: International Law Behind the Scenes of Early Enlightenment Diplomacy, 1712–1763”).

 

The task assignment involves the joint digitization of a substantial corpus of handwritten memoranda preserved at the Archives diplomatiques (Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères, La Courneuve, France), as well as the preparation of a doctoral dissertation.

 

Within this framework, you will focus on the Franco-Spanish relationship as addressed by Le Dran in his memoranda. With the accession of a Bourbon king to the Spanish throne in the early eighteenth century, the Atlantic and Mediterranean dimensions of the Franco-Spanish relationship were reconfigured. Particular attention will be paid to the legal frameworks governing trade and empire, as well as to the “special” relationships within the House of Bourbon and its three branches (France, Spain, and Parma/Piacenza/Naples-Sicily), which constitute the principal axes of analysis.

 

The argumentarium for the PhD dissertation within WP3 of the project can be found on the project's website: https://treatylab.blogspot.com.

 

The position includes the publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals, the preparation of a doctoral dissertation (monograph), and active participation in the collective work of the research team, which consists of the PI, a postdoc and three PhD students, occasionally assisted by student workers and experts from the external digitisation partner.

 

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

 

• You hold a Master of Law or a Master of Arts in History.

 

• You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

 

• As a (non-)EEA national, meet the conditions for obtaining a valid permit for VUB and comply with the VUB residence requirements. More info here.

 

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

 

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 01/10/2026. 

 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

 

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

 

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

 

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

 

Then apply, at the latest on 08/07/2026, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
• your motivation letter;
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).

 

Our application process is as follows (subject to change):

• step 1: an initial selection based on your application file; 
• step 2: a job interview.

 

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Frederik Dhondt at frederik.dhondt@vub.be or on +3226291883.

 

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues.

 

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.