PhD position Circular Economy, Additive Manufacturing and Law (4 years)

Erasmus School of Law, department Law & Markets, is looking for a fulltime PhD researcher in Circular Economy, Additive Manufacturing and Law (4 years).

PhD project Circular Economy, Additive Manufacturing and Law

Are you interested in how law and policy can accelerate the transition to a circular economy? Do you want to conduct critical and in-depth legal research at the intersection of sustainability, technology and regulation?

Then this PhD position at Erasmus School of Law is for you. Within the Law & Markets team, you will spend 4 years researching how European and Dutch regulatory frameworks can support the advancement of the circular economy through additive manufacturing (AM). How can legislation overcome obstacles such as consumer protection rules that prioritise “new” products over repair, intellectual property rights that restrict access to spare parts, or fragmented tax regimes? And how can binding, principle-based legal frameworks help turn circular economy goals into enforceable practice?

This PhD project will be part of a larger, NWO-funded project on Additive Manufacturing in repair and remanufacturing (called ADD-ReAM), which includes, in total, 15 PhD researchers who focus on other aspects such as technical design aspects, logistics, sustainability assessment, consumer behaviour, and more. This project will focus on the legal aspects of this challenge.

What will you research?

The circular economy is a cornerstone of the European Green Deal, yet current legal frameworks remain too focused on linear product lifespans. Existing initiatives like the Circular Economy Action Plan, Ecodesign regulation, Extended Producer Responsibility and the Right to Repair have laid important groundwork but fall short of enabling a systemic shift. At the same time, lobbying pressures, greenwashing risks and inconsistent regulatory incentives create barriers for innovative sectors such as additive manufacturing, which has the potential to radically change production and repair practices.

In this PhD research, you will legally analyse these regulatory barriers and explore how law and policy can create a clearer, more effective framework for circular practices. You will investigate both general legal challenges and selected case studies, combining desk research with stakeholder engagement through surveys, interviews and workshops. The aim is to develop actionable legal insights and recommendations that support the integration of circular economy principles into practice, with a specific focus on additive manufacturing.

There is plenty of room to develop your own research angle within this broad theme. We encourage a critical and independent perspective – your contribution matters.

Supervisor: Prof. dr. L. (Leonie) Reins, co-supervisor: Dr. A. (Alberto) Quintavalla

Requirements

We are looking for a candidate who:

• has completed or is about to complete a master's degree in law (LL.M);
• is interested in legal-scientific research and social impact;
• has demonstrable experience or interest in the topic of the legal aspects of the circular economy;
• is able to also communicate and engage with other disciplines;
• has excellent writing and communication skills in English, and preferably also in Dutch.

Are you planning to complete your master's the coming months? Even then we encourage you to apply. Your degree must be obtained no later than 3 weeks before the start of the contract.

Candidates who have already obtained a Dutch doctoral degree - or the degree 'Doctor of Philosophy' (PhD), or an equivalent - or are preparing to obtain such a degree elsewhere, in principle cannot be admitted to the doctoral programme at EUR.

Conditions of employment

What do we offer? A fully funded 4 year PhD-position (fulltime), start date between January-March 2026. Gross month salary with a minimum of €3059 and a maximum of €3881 (CAO-NU, P-scale). Every PhD candidate starts in step 0 of the P-scale. Guidance from an enthusiastic team of researchers and Erasmus Graduate School of Law and being part of the bigger ADD-reAM project. A professional work environment on Campus Woudestein in Rotterdam. A temporary contract of 18 months that will extended after a positive evaluation.

Next to that, we offer you: Everything you need for a good work-life balance: the option to work from home in consultation with your manager, 29 days of paid leave with a 38-hour contract, 8% holiday pay and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus, and a significant discount on a subscription for our on-campus sports centre! Sustainable, inclusive and diverse work environment with an open culture, where you can be yourself and we pay attention to each other and to the world around us. Make the most of our bicycle budget, or join networks such as Young@EUR, FAME, QuEUR, or Young Erasmus Academy. Time and space for your development in the broadest sense: development days and a personal career budget, foreign exchange opportunities with most costs paid by EUR, and free access to our university library. Good pension with ABP that EUR contributes 2/3rds towards, discounts on various collective insurances with Zilveren Kruis Achmea, Loyalis, and Allianz, and compensation for travel, working from home and home internet use. Are you currently combining your job with parenthood, or do you want to do so in the future? EUR offers partially paid parental leave and fully paid additional birth leave for partners, and our campus features a daycare.