PhD Candidate in Law with a Focus on Intellectual Property and AI Collaborations in Healthcare

The Department of Law is one of the larger departments at Stockholm University.

The department has around 150 employees and 5,500 students. More than 70 teachers are fully engaged in teaching and conducting the research that the education is based on. About thirty professors with various legal science specializations are present at the department. PhD candidates at Juridicum become an important part of a dynamic environment with top-class research and a strong international character. More information about us can be found at: Department of Law.

Research Training Subject

Legal Science

Focus

The position is aimed at intellectual property law, focusing on intellectual property and contract law frameworks for AI collaborations in healthcare.

The doctoral education is primarily funded by Region Stockholm and will be conducted within the framework of the research project “From Data to Shared Value – Legal Frameworks and Contract Models for AI Partnerships in Healthcare” (SU–Region Stockholm 2026). The project deals with the distribution of the value created when clinical health data is used in AI research and commercialization.

A project description will form the basis for the selection among applicants. The project description is expected to relate to the overarching goals of the research project to identify, analyze, and further develop legal frameworks, contract models, and governance forms that enable controlled and predictable distribution of the value created through the use of clinical health data in AI research and commercialization.

For further information about the research project, please contact its leader, Professor Frantzeska Papadopoulou Skarp, see contact information below.

Eligibility Requirements

To be admitted to doctoral education, the applicant must have basic and specific eligibility. The eligibility must be fulfilled no later than the last application date.

You have basic eligibility if you have completed a degree at an advanced level, or completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits (hp), of which at least 60 hp at an advanced level, or otherwise acquired substantially equivalent knowledge within or outside the country.

You have specific eligibility if you have completed a Bachelor of Laws degree, a Juris Doctor degree, or equivalent. Specific eligibility also applies to those who can invoke other completed education or specific professional experience if these merits are assessed to provide a competence for education at the doctoral level that is equivalent to a Bachelor of Laws degree or Juris Doctor degree in terms of both scientific skills and legal general knowledge relevant to the subject area of the education.

For eligibility, very good knowledge of Swedish and good knowledge of English is required. Very good knowledge of English also grants eligibility.

Selection

Selection among applicants is made with regard to the ability to benefit from education at the doctoral level. The assessment criteria of the Faculty of Law when evaluating the applicant's ability to benefit from the education consist of:

• The applicant's general competence and
• the originality of the doctoral project,
• the theoretical framework and research questions in relation to previous research,
• the clarity and relevance of the method in relation to the research questions, and
• the contribution of new knowledge and its relevance, and
• the feasibility of the project.

Criteria used to assess the applicant's general competence include: the applicant's documented subject knowledge relevant to the research area, ability to express oneself orally and in writing in Swedish and/or English, ability for analytical thinking, creativity, initiative, and independence as well as collaboration ability. Previous studies and grades, quality of the independent work, references, relevant experience, interviews, and the applicant's written motivation for the application will be used as the basis for the assessment. In assessing the applicant's general competence, essays and other writings that demonstrate the ability for clear presentation and critical analysis, as well as professional activities and similar activities that are significant for the education may be considered.

Interdisciplinary education or experience, for example in medicine, public health, nursing science, social sciences, data and information systems, and ethics, is meritorious. Experience in: i) using empirical methods in legal research, ii) qualitative methods (e.g., semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and case studies), iii) practical work in the field (e.g., with data sharing, healthcare law, digitization, AI, or innovation and intellectual property law), and iv) collaboration with EU institutions, regions, hospitals, or innovation offices is also meritorious.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Education at Stockholm University.

Special instructions for the Department of Law can be found on our website about doctoral education.

About the Position

We offer a fixed-term position as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The duration of the employment may not exceed what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you will primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the position may also include work with education, research, and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20%).

A new position as a doctoral student is valid for a maximum of one year, and the employment is renewed thereafter for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University is committed to being a workplace that is free from discrimination and provides equal rights and opportunities for all.

Contact

Information about doctoral education is provided by the Director of Doctoral Education Agnes Hellner, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

Inquiries about the application process are provided by Daniel Larsson, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

Inquiries about the research project are provided by Professor Frantzeska Papadopoulou Skarp, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

Application

You apply for the doctoral position via Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the documents requested in the application form. You as the applicant are responsible for ensuring that the application is complete in accordance with the advertisement and that it reaches the university no later than the last application date.

Instructions for applicants can be found on the webpage: to apply for a position (https://www.su.se/att-soka-en-anstallning).

Stockholm University contributes to the development of a sustainable democratic society through knowledge, enlightenment, and the pursuit of truth.