Postdoctoral Fellows (Centre for International Law)

National University of Singapore, Singapore

Updated: 10 days ago

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Job Title:  Postdoctoral Fellows (Centre for International Law)
Posting Start Date:  15/03/2025
Job Description: 
Job Description

The Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore is a university-level research centre, with the mission of producing cutting edge research on international law. It is also at the forefront of capacity-building initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region through workshops, conferences, trainings and academic programmes reaching a diverse audience of government and private sector professionals as well as academics. 

CIL is soliciting applications for several Post-Doctoral Fellowship positions commencing in August / September 2025. Initial appointments will be for one year (with the possibility of extension to a second year based on the progress accomplished during the first year).

Applications are open to prospective fellows with research projects in all areas of International Law as well as other areas of public law wih direct links to international law. Of particular interest are applicants who are interested in the Asia-Pacific region; technology and digital economy; sustainable development; cybersecurity; international economic law; and international dispute resolution.

We encourage interdisciplinary approaches, such as (1) human rights and technology/ artificial intelligence/ global health/ international humanitarian law/ environment; (2) trade and climate change/ technology; (3) sustainable development and economic law; and (4) cybersecurity/ IHL/ international criminal law.

Preference will be given to prospective fellows whose ambition is to pursue an academic career - the program is tailored to facilitate such careers. In addition to mentoring in the specific areas of specialization, the CIL Postdoctoral Fellowship program engages in workshops which involve all aspects of academic life: research design, writing, teaching and examining, publication strategies, supervising, as well as upgrading Fellows’ methodological skillsets.

There are different models of Postdoctoral programs. CIL follows the Academic Community model, whereby fellows are part of an academic community learning and advancing not only from their more senior mentors but from each other in a continuous cross-fertilization across international law subjects and different approaches to legal scholarship.

The program will be directed by Dr. Nilufer Oral, Director of CIL and member of the International Law Commission, as well as Professor Joseph Weiler who holds a regular visiting appointment position at NUS.


Qualifications

The selection committee will consider the following criteria in making appointments:

  • The applicant must have obtained a doctoral degree in a field of international law within the past 3 years. For applicants still pursuing their doctoral degree, the dissertation must be defended and approved no later than 15 August 2025. 
  • The principal selection criterion will be the applicant's potential for exellence in research and the quality and orignality of his /her proposed project of research. The quality of the doctoral dissertation as well as any other publications will be the primary evidence of such potential. A PDF file of the PhD dissertation must be appended to the application as well as one or two samples of published work. Applicants still pursuing their doctoral degree must append a detailed description of the doctoral project as well as any completed chapters.
  • Three letters of reference are required, one of which, ideally, would be from the PhD Supervisor and/or a member of the Examining Committee. The reference letters should be sent confidentially to Ms Huong Tam (huong.tam@nus.edu.sg) by the deadline for applications and must in particular address to the scholarly contribution of the dissertation and an appraisal of the proposed post-doctoral research project as well as the potential of the applicant to realize high quality research.

    • Benefits
  • The Fellow will be appointed to the full-time position of Post-Doctoral Fellow at CIL on a one-year renewable contract.
  • The Fellow will receive a competitive salary package. Travel assistance and housing benefit will be provided, if eligible.
  • The Fellow will be allocated a minimum budget of S$5,000 to support attendance at regional and international conferences, with additional amounts subject to CIL Director’s approval.
  • The Fellow will be allocated shared office space within CIL.

    • Programme Requirements
  • The Fellow will develop and carry out the research project as outlined in the application. He or she will be expected to be in residence at CIL and during the period of the Fellowship and take an active part in the post-doctoral academic community: workshops, presentations, commenting on colleagues work and the like.
  • The expectation is that the Fellowship will lead to one or two publications in well-recognised peer-reviewed outlets. Frequently the first year of a post doc is dedicated to preparing a doctoral dissertation for publication as a book.
  • The Fellow will be encouraged to present his or her research and give papers at academic conferences at NUS and elsewhere.
  • Subject to the standard NUS terms of annual leave, the Fellow will be expected to be in residence throughout the term of their appointment. In addition to annual leave, the Fellow may apply for leave to undertake research and fieldwork overseas, subject to the approval of the CIL Director.

    • Application Procedure

    Application should be submitted online with the following documents via the NUS career portal by 15 April 2025:

  • A copy of the doctoral dissertation as well as Doctoral certification
  • Personal Statement (500-600 words): to outline the reasons for seeking the Fellowship, the career goals of the applicant and any other relevant data which the applicant thinks may be relevant in considering the application.
  • Full Curriculum Vitae containing complete and detailed information on academic institutions, honours, awards, publications and professional experience (current and previous, including dates of employment and job descriptions).
  • A detailed Research Proposal (3000 words max.) outlining, inter alia, the research question(s), the projected methodology of answering such, and the projected contribution to the field and the expected deliverables (e.g. book, articles).The title of the proposal should clearly indicate the nature of the research project and the proposal should include an executive summary of the proposal of no more than 600 words. 
  • Letters of Recommendation: The application must be supported by three written references from academic referees. Referees should be requested to send their confidential reference directly to Ms Huong Tam no later than 15 April 2025. 

    • Shortlisted applicants will be notified within two months from the application closing date.



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