PhD Position: Effective Governance for Cybersecurity and Online Safety

1. Introduction

So-called ‘trusted flaggers’ play a significant role in the European legal framework for content moderation. However, the legal framework for trusted flaggers is still underexplored. This project provides a legal analysis of the role of trusted flaggers as one of the key content moderation mechanisms under EU legislation. It analyses existing norms and investigates how they should be interpreted, implemented and applied.

2. Job description

The PhD project is part of the interdisciplinary Effective Governance for cybersecurity and Online Safety (EGOS) project, which is funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). EGOS is a multidisciplinary research initiative focused on advancing notice-and-action mechanisms and the role of trusted flaggers to address harmful online content and strengthen cybersecurity, with a strong emphasis on compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Led by the Delft University of Technology and Radboud University, EGOS brings together academic excellence with practical expertise from a consortium of key Dutch partners, including the National Organisation for Internet Providers (NBIP), the Electronic Commerce Platform (ECP), and the Authority for the Prevention of Online Terrorist Content and Child Pornography (ATKM).

The internet has become an important space for the sharing of content. One of the long-standing issues is the way in which so-called hosting service providers, including online platforms, should moderate online content. The DSA contains many procedural novelties to ensure that content is moderated in an adequate and balanced manner. One of the key procedural innovations is the concept of trusted flaggers, organisations with a specific expertise that notify online platforms about illegal content in a diligent, objective and accurate way. Under the DSA, online platforms should give priority to notifications by trusted flaggers.

The legal framework for trusted flaggers raises various types of legal questions. These questions concern the interpretation of the provisions on trusted flaggers, the division of responsibility between trusted flaggers and online platforms, the role of trusted flaggers in situations where they are not mandated, and the potential role of AI.

Your research will culminate in a PhD in the form of either a monograph or a collection of previously published research papers. Your supervisors will be Pieter Wolters, Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius and Raphaël Gellert.

You will be part of the Department of Private Law of the Faculty of Law at Radboud University. The research will be part of the Radboud Business Law Institute. Furthermore, you will collaborate with researchers from various disciplines at iHub, Radboud’s interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society. Lastly, you will also collaborate with other researchers from EGOS.

For a full profile, see the attachment below the vacancy. This position has no teaching responsibilities.

Would you like to learn more about what it’s like to pursue a PhD at Radboud University? Visit the page about working as a PhD candidate. 

3. Profile

• You should hold a Master's degree in law, preferably with a specialisation within the field of ICT law. Specific knowledge in relation to content moderation and the DSA is preferable but not strictly required.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English. Given the Dutch context of the project, a working knowledge of the Dutch language would be beneficial.
• You have an interest and, ideally, experience in interdisciplinary research.
• You are able to work both independently and in collaboration with colleagues from various scientific backgrounds.

You are a team player with a preference for personal contact. For this reason, you prefer to work on campus at iHub. 

Researchers who do not meet all the above requirements are still encouraged to apply.

4. We are

You will be appointed at the Department of Civil Law of the Faculty of Law at Radboud University, and you will be a part of the Radboud Business Law Institute (Onderzoekcentrum Onderneming & Recht, OO&R). The Radboud Business Law Institute facilitates and conducts high-quality academic research in the field of business-oriented private law. The institute is a collaboration between Radboud University’s law faculty and a number of renowned national and international law firms, financial institutions and multinationals.

You will be based at iHub, Radboud University’s interdisciplinary research centre for digitalisation and society. It was set up in early 2019, with a mix of funding from the university board, research funding bodies and external projects. Research at iHub is cross-interdisciplinary, with researchers from across the humanities, social sciences, engineering, and natural sciences, focusing on urgent questions raised by the increased digitalisation and datafication of science and society. 

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €3,378 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,897 in the fourth year (salary scale 10).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus. 
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Pieter Wolters. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Tuesday 16 September. Any second interview will take place on Monday 29 September. You will preferably start your employment on 1 November or 1 December 2025.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.