These positions represent an excellent opportunity for young judges and scholars,  to apply for the calls for a visiting fellowship at the University of Bologna, within the project team: 

Visiting Fellowships: click here

Call for Applications: 2 Postdoctoral Positions 

We are pleased to invite applications for two postdoctoral research positions within the framework of the ERC StG project: Gatekeepers to International Refugee Law? – The Role of Courts in Shaping Access to Asylum (ACCESS) at the University of Bologna, running from November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2028. 

1. Postdoctoral Position: The Role of Courts in Shaping Access to Asylum in Latin America 

Duration: 3+3 years 

Position details: link 

2. Postdoctoral Position: The Role of Courts in Shaping Access to Asylum in the African Region 

Duration: 2+2 years 

Position details: link  

Responsibilities: 

Successful candidates will contribute to the research project, focusing on specific regions and proposing jurisdictions for research, in addition to the corresponding regional supranational human rights courts (IACtHR and AfCHPR). These are full-time research positions with no teaching obligations. Each postdoc will have a dedicated research fund for conference participation and open-access publication. 

Research Project Overview: 

The ACCESS project aims to develop an empirically driven theoretical model exploring how domestic and supranational courts interpret State-developed barriers to asylum access in line with the Refugee Convention and international human rights instruments. The project seeks to uncover patterns in court rulings and socio-legal factors influencing adjudication. Additionally, ACCESS investigates how courts shape international refugee law, providing crucial insights into the future of refugees' rights. 

Research Team: 

Successful candidates will join the research team, comprising the Principal Investigator (Madalina Moraru, Assoc. Prof. UNIBO and EUI), 1 PhD student, 4 Post-Docs, and 6 Country Experts. The team is an integral part of the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the University of Bologna. 

Application Procedure: 

Interested candidates should submit their application, including a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a sample of relevant scholarly publications merged into one PDF file. Optional letters of reference can also be attached. The deadline for submissions is 12.01.2024. Apply here or here 

Contact: 

For scientific-related questions, please contact   

Qualifications: 

We seek candidates with expertise in one or more of the following research topics: international refugee law; international human rights; comparative judicial systems; international adjudication; sociology of migration; sociology of court adjudication; asylum and immigration procedures. Proficiency in qualitative and/or quantitative methods or an interdisciplinary background in legal, political, or social studies is desirable. Proficiency in spoken and written English is required, and while knowledge of Italian is not mandatory, language skills in any of the covered countries' languages are desirable due to national stakeholder interviews

_____________________________________

Dr. Madalina Moraru 
Associate Professor, University of Bologna and
Centre for Judicial Cooperation/RSCAS
https://cjc.eui.eu/  
European University Institute 

Via dei Roccettini 9, San Domenico di Fiesole (FI), Italy 
eui.eu 

Recently published: 

• 'The European Court of Justice shaping the right to be heard for asylum seekers, returnees, and visa applicants : an exercise in judicial diplomacy',European Journal of Legal Studies, 2022, Vol. 14, Special Issue, pp. 21-61  
• 'The growing but uneven role of European courts in (im)migration governance : a comparative perspective', European Journal of Legal Studies, 2022, Vol. 14, Special Issue, pp. 1-20 (with Veronica Federico and Paola Pannia)  
• Judicial Interactions on the European Return Directive: Shifting Borders and the Constitutionalisation of Irregular Migration Governance, European Papers, Vol. 7, 2022, No 1, pp. 127-149 (with Galina Cornelisse)
  
• "The First Episode in the Romanian Rule of Law Saga: Joined Cases C-83/19, C-127/19, C-195/19, C-291/19, C-355/19 and C-397/19, Asociaţia 'Forumul Judecătorilor Din România, and Their Follow-up at the National Level" [2022] European Constitutional Law Review 1 (with Raluca Bercea)  
• The Practice of Judicial Interaction in the Field of Fundamental Rights - The Added Value of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU (Edward Elgar 2022) with Federica Casarosa  
• The future architecture of the EU's return system following the Pact on Asylum and Migration: added value and shortcomings', in D. Thym and Odysseus Academic Network (eds.), Reforming the Common European Asylum System. Opportunities, Pitfalls, and Downsides of the Commission Proposals for a New 'Pact' on Migration and Asylum (Nomos, 2022) 187-208