The Opportunity
The School of Law at University College Cork invites applications for a PhD position, as part of the UCC -Matheson Innovation Partnership.
Applications must be received by 5pm on 20th June 2025, with the candidate expected to commence in the September 2025 intake, although there may be some flexibility with a start date.
The scholarship covers fees (fully funded) and a stipend of €25,000 per year for up to four years.
The candidate will be supervised by Dr. Nessa Lynch, Matheson Lecturer in Law, Innovation and Technology with co-supervision from the Department of Business Information Systems within Cork University Business School.
Applications are welcome in relation to topics on the broad intersection between law, technology, and innovation (including private and public law aspects), but the following topic areas are of particular interest:
- Legal aspects of the digital economy,
- Children, law and emerging technologies,
- Legal and regulatory aspects of cybersecurity,
- Artificial intelligence and corporate governance,
- ‘Legaltech’ and artificial intelligence in legal practice and judicial settings.
Applicants must show evidence of reflection on a proposed topic, but the topic will be developed further with the successful candidate.
Applications from international candidates are welcomed, but it is expected that the research topic will be of direct relevance to Irish and/or European Union law.
The successful candidate will also be allocated a mentor from Matheson, who will meet with the candidate periodically throughout their candidature.
Candidate Requirements:
Essential:
- A minimum of a high second-class honours undergraduate degree (or equivalent), and:
- A master’s degree or equivalent, or extensive and relevant research, professional or practitioner experience.
- Applications from non-law graduates are welcome, but the candidate must be able to demonstrate the capacity to undertake advanced legal research and writing.
- The candidate must meet UCC’s entry requirements including English language standard and verification of qualifications.
Desirable:
- Experience of university teaching, a record of publication or other research-related
Other requirements:
The scholarship is available to full-time research students only. The scholarship holder will normally be expected to reside in the Munster region and may have opportunities to teach or tutor while undertaking their PhD (which would be remunerated separately). It is not possible to combine this opportunity with full-time work elsewhere.
We particularly welcome applications from groups that are underrepresented in doctoral study and/or the field of law and technology. You are very welcome to contact Dr. Lynch to discuss the requirements, particularly how your professional experience in the field might supplement your academic record, or any accessibility or other needs you might have.
Application process
You must apply for admission to the doctoral programme through the UCC Apply process: UCC's application system
In parallel, please provide the following documents (ideally in a single PDF file) directly to Nessa.lynch@ucc.ie
Please click the following link for full details on the application process and the application form: PhD and Research Programmes | University College Cork
€25,000 per annum - please see advert
