Early Stage Researchers (ESR)/PhD Researchers, ESRs 1-3-5-14

JOB DESCRIPTION:

We are looking for 4 Early Stage Researchers (ESR)/PhD Researchers. The positions are funded by the H2020-MSCA-ITN-2020 GA 956562 (LeADS) coordinated by Professor Giovanni Comandé (LIDER Lab Scientific Responsible and Full Professor at the Institute of Law, Politics and Development, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) with the contribution of colleagues from the Université du Luxembourg, Paul Sabatier Toulouse III, VriJE Universiteit Brussels, University of Piraeus Research Center, Uniwersytet Jagiellonski, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Data Protection Authorities and large, small and medium-sized AI enterprises (e.g. Intel, Indra, Byte,  Mmi and Innov-Acts Limited).. Their main task will be to collaborate to the Research and Training program LeADS and to eventually prepare their doctoral thesis in the same framework. The PhD thesis work will be undertaken at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (Pisa, Italy) in the national PhD program on Artificial Intelligence administered by the University of Pisa.
As doctoral students, the ESRs will be jointly-supervised under the direction of the LeADS consortium and will spend also secondment(s) at Consortium members.

POSITIONS:

• ESR 1 Project Title: Reciprocal interplay between competition law and privacy in the digital revolution
  Objectives: Data are more and more important resources in the so-called Digital Revolution: the impact on competition law is increasingly relevant and so are the implications of data protection law on competition law. The researcher will address these implications, analysing some relevant topics: the impact of data portability and the requirements in terms of interoperability in the new GDPR compared to the barriers to entry and to market dominance; how customer data can be “assessed” as an index of market dominance for the big information providers (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon); and how SMEs can benefit from data protection law and competition law in order to increase their volume in the market
• ESR 3 Project Title: Unchaining data portability potentials in a lawful digital economy
  Objectives: Empirically test the potentials of the right to data portability. The research in the framework of LeADS will relate data portability not only to data protection law, but also to competition law and unfair business practices (e.g., offer or price discrimination between groups of consumers through profiling operations), setting the scene for their regulatory interplay in line with current and forthcoming technologies. In doing so specific attention will be offered to the possible technical solutions to guarantee effective portability. Additionally, the technical, statistical, and privacy implications of the new right will be evaluated, such as the need for standard formats for personal data, and the exception in Article 20.2 of the GDPR, according to which the personal data, upon request by the data subject, should be transmitted from one controller to another “where technically feasible”.
• ESR 5 Project Title: Differential privacy and differential explainability in the data sphere: the use case of predictive jurisprudence
  Objectives: Human life and economy are exponentially data driven. The switch from residential to cloud based data storage is making increasingly difficult to reap the maximum from data while minimizing the chances of identifying individuals in datasets. Researcher will explore the interplay between differential privacy technologies and the data protection regulatory framework in search of effective mixes.
• ESR 14 Project Title: Neuromarketing and mental integrity between market and human rights
  Objectives: ESR’s research question is whether and how neuromarketing can affect human rights of individuals, considering in particular recent interpretations of rights contained in the European Convention of Human Rights and in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, in particular “mental privacy”, “cognitive freedom”, and “psychological continuity”. Indeed, advanced data analytics provide a very high level of understanding of users’ behaviour, sometimes even beyond the conscious self-understanding of the users themselves exploiting all user’s idiosyncrasies, including user’s vulnerabilities harming the exercise of free decision making

RESPONSIBILITIES:

All ESRs recruited will be expected to carry out the following roles:

• To manage and carry out their research project within 36 months
• To write a PhD dissertation within the theme and objectives proposed above
• To participate in research and training activities within the LeADS network
• To participate in meetings of the LeADS projects
• To disseminate their research to the non-scientific community, by outreach and public engagement
• To liaise with the other research staff and students working in broad areas of relevance to the research project and partner institutions
• To write progress reports and prepare results and articles for publication and dissemination via journals, presentations, videos and the web
• To attend progress and management meetings as required and network with the other research groups 

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies is a public university institute - with special autonomy - working in the field of applied sciences: Economics and Management, Law, Political Sciences, Agricultural Sciences and Plant Biotechnology, Medicine, and Industrial and Information Engineering.

The School promotes the internationalization of didactics and research with innovative paths in the fields of university education, scientific research and advanced training. 

A RESEARCH UNIVERSITY, A SCHOOL OF TALENT, FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE WORLD

The School’s mission is that of serving as a benchmark and quality public institution, attracting talents which are nurtured and educated, in order to take care of the world and to responsibly contribute to its cultural growth and sustainability. We are conscious that merit based on quality skills and commitment represents the true driver of development, the principal mechanism of social mobility, and the resource that we must implement in order to address the challenges of sustainability and justice that the world is currently facing. 

The Laboratorio Interdisciplinare Diritti e Regole (LIDER-Lab) at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA) has a long tradition of both theoretical and empirical legal research, training and consulting. It covers fields in private law and regulation at national, transnational and international level, read through the lens of comparative law and methodologies. Built upon a strong combination of academic and professional expertise, LIDER-Lab research activities also take advantage of the unique interdisciplinary milieu characterizing Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, which allows interactions that range from engineering to life sciences and economics. The laboratory is also strongly embedded into the research network of Tuscan universities in the domain of data science. Moreover, the frequent turnover of distinguished visiting professors and researchers provides a continuous exchange of fresh views and new insights to LIDER-Lab’s research commitments.

In its training and consulting activities, LIDER-Lab promotes a dialogue between academics, practitioners (both judges and lawyers) and experts through the organization of meetings, seminars and workshops. In the past 10 years, LIDER-Lab has focused its activities on a selected array of research areas, combined through a distinctive cross-field and policy-oriented approach. This makes LIDER-Lab of utmost interest both for policy and decision makers and for private actors and market players as well. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

• Master of Science (MSc) degree or equivalent
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Excellent communication and writing skills.
• In order to fulfill the eligibility criteria of the Marie Curie ITN at the date of recruitment, applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays are not considered. Italian candidates can apply if they have resided in another country for more than 2 years of the last 3 years.
• At the time of recruitment, the candidate cannot have already obtained a doctoral degree and must be in the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of his research career

OFFER:

• Fixed Term Contract 36 Month
• Work Hours: Full Time
• Location: Pisa
• Employee and Phd student status
• Travel opportunities for training and learning
• yearly gross salary: Living allowance of € 40.966,56, Mobility allowance up to € 7.200, Family allowance € 3.000 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Please apply ONLINE  and include:

• A detailed Curriculum Vitae et studiorum (in English)
• a motivation letter (Max 1,000 words in English)
• a copy of your official academic degree(s)
• proof of English proficiency (self-assessment)
• the names and contacts of two referees
• scan of a valid identification document (e.g., passport)
• a non-binding research plan of a maximum of 3500 words which must include (in English): 1. the title of the research; 2. the scientific premises and relevant bibliography; 3. the aim and expected results of the research project; The non-binding research plan need to be aligned to one of the research descriptions for the LEADS project. 

For Additional Questions

[email protected]

Website

https://www.legalityattentivedatascientists.eu/