FAIROmics – PhD fellowship in law, “Legal Aspects of Open Science: FAIROmics as a Case Study”.

About the Project

Plant-based dairy and meat alternatives have grown in popularity in recent years for various reasons, including sustainability and health benefits, as well as lifestyle trends and dietary restrictions. However, plant-based food products can be nutritionally unbalanced, and their flavour profiles may limit their acceptance by consumers. Microorganisms have been used in making food products for millennia. However, the diversity of microbial communities driving plant-based fermentations, as well as their key genetic and phenotypic traits and potential synergies among community members, remain poorly characterised. Many data exist, but they are spread into different literature (scientific and grey) or, in the best case, in different databases.

The FAIROmics initiative, an interdisciplinary research programme, will gather universities, research centres and private companies to enable the FAIRification of omics data and databases interoperability and develop knowledge graphs for data-driven decision-making to rationally design microbial communities for imparting desirable characteristics to plant-based fermented foods in the context of open science and its regulations. The FAIROmics training programme aims to develop doctoral candidates’ skills at the interface between artificial intelligence, life sciences, humanities, and social sciences.

Application deadline: 15/05/2024 23:59 – Europe/Brussels.

Envisaged job starting date: October 2024.

Hosting organisation: Free University of Brussels (ULB), Belgium.

Planned secondment: One in University of Strasbourg, France for a duration of 12 months.

Please note that this PhD position will lead to the award of a double diploma after the completion of a stay in each of these organisations: Free University of Brussels (ULB), Belgium and the University of Strasbourg (UNISTRA), France.

Offer description:

We are looking for one Doctoral Candidate to join our project at multiple sites in the EU with a master’s degree in law (with a preference for a focus on European Intellectual Property and Data Laws) interested in identifying and contributing to the definition of the Open Science legal framework in the European Union.

The research project aims at identifying and contributing to the definition of the Open Science legal framework. According to this project, an appropriate legal environment for Open Science shall ensure that the principle ‘as open as possible, as closed necessary’ (see, e.g. recital 8, Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe) applies at every stage of the research process.

The research project will be divided into two parts (legal theory and case studies) :

The first part will study the legal aspects (mainly Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets; Personal and Non-Personal Data; Contract Law) related to:

• Data Access, with a focus on the most recent EU legal instruments, including but not limited to: Regulation (EU) 2016/679 on the protection of personal data (GDPR); Regulation (EU) 2018/1807 on the free flow of non-personal data; Directive (EU) 2019/1024 on open data; Regulation (EU) 2021/695 establishing Horizon Europe; Regulation (EU) 2022/868 on European Data Governance; Regulation Proposal on harmonised rules on fair access to and use of data (COM(2022) 68 final) ;
• Data Analysis, with a focus on the recent Text & Data Mining Exceptions: Art. 3 and 4 Directive (EU) 2019/790 on Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Single Market;
• Research Results Exploitation, with a focus on open licensing practices.

The second part will study the practical implementation of this legal framework (completed with relevant national law provisions) in relation to case studies selected amongst the Individual Research Projects carried out in the frame of the FAIROmics Doctoral Network. The case studies will be selected according to their contribution to each stage of the research (as identified above) in different disciplines.

The expected result is the Ph.D. thesis on the Legal Aspects of Open Science. The thesis will be made accessible in Open Access. Ancillary results will comprise scientific papers on selected topics in relation to the main topics, scientific communication in relation to the topic, dissemination of knowledge as to the main topic within the network, contribution to the setting up of teaching modules in relation to the topic, to be used in the network.

Required skills/qualifications:

• Master’s degree in law (with a preference for a focus on European Intellectual Property and Data Laws).
• Legal Expertise in European Intellectual Property and Data Laws.
• In-depth knowledge of key EU data-related regulations.

We offer:

• A comprehensive, interactive and international training programme covering the broader aspects and interface between life science, data science, artificial intelligence and humanities and social sciences, as well as transferable skills.
• An enthusiastic team of professionals to co-operate with.
• Personal Career Development Plan (PDCP) to prepare young researchers for their future careers.
• Each DC will undergo individual training at individual institutes according to the PCDP description.
• An attractive compensation package in accordance with the MSCA-DN programme regulations for doctoral candidates. The exact salary will be confirmed and will be based on a living allowance of 3400€/month (correction factor to be applied per country) + mobility allowance of 600€/month. Additionally, researchers may also qualify for a family allowance of 660€/month, depending on the family situation. Taxation and social (including pension) contribution deductions based on national and company regulations will apply.

Eligibility criteria:

• Any nationality
• Doctoral Candidate (DC): The applicant must not have been awarded a doctoral degree.
• Mobility rule: The DC must not have resided or carried out main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the three years immediately prior to the date of selection in the same appointing international organisation.
• Language: Applicants must demonstrate fluent reading, writing and speaking abilities in English (B2).

Recruitment process:

1. Candidates apply for a position using the online application form (ACCESSIBLE HERE).
2. The Project Manager provides a first screen of the written applications to check the eligibility of the candidate.
3. The DC supervisors will select the best candidates based on CV, academic records, recommendation and motivation letters and adequate skill set.
4. The selected applicants will be interviewed through an online meeting by the Selection Committee.
5. The best candidates will be chosen by the main supervisors.

For more information about the offer, the project and the recruitment process, please visit our website.