Join MCEL

Depending on your experience there are several different ways in which you can join our team. This page contains information on how you can:

Student traineeships

The Maastricht Centre for European Law offers a limited number of traineeships for selected masters and third year bachelors students enrolled at the Faculty of Law. The traineeship is intended for excellent candidates who demonstrate a keen interest in European law. It offers the opportunity to gain working experience and valuable insights into current issues of European law, and become acquainted with the academic community and research culture in this Faculty.

Trainees will be expected to participate actively in the monthly research seminars and other events organised by the Centre. Traineeships will last on average 10 to 12 months. At the end of the traineeship, the trainees will be given a written evaluation. A call for new trainees is issued at the end of each academic year for the next academic year. We also welcome voluntary applications on a rolling basis. 

Students who are interested in doing a traineeship at the Centre are recommended to send their CV and motivation letter to mcel@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

Student traineeships include
the following activities: 

  • support the Centre’s scholars in their research activities 
  • assist with the organisation of seminars/conferences/
    meetings/workshops 
  • promote research events organised by the Centre 
  • update the Centre’s website and feed social networks
  • prepare the Centre’s newsletter

PhD research

The Maastricht Centre for European Law welcomes PhD-researchers to write their doctoral thesis under the supervision of one of the experts of the Maastricht University Faculty of Law, within the Maastricht Graduate School of Law. The Faculty of Law has a limited number of paid PhD positions which include also some teaching obligations in addition to the carrying out of the PhD research. Any vacancies for such positions will be placed on this website and the central website of Maastricht University (Academic Transfer).

Persons who would like to conduct PhD studies for example alongside their professional career or who are connected to one of our partner universities in India or China, with independent funding might consider an externally funded PhD position. Persons that are accepted for this position will have the benefits of accessing the Maastricht Centre for European Law’s research community, international network and facilities while completing their PhD research. Persons interested in writing a PhD in one of the areas of research in which the Maastricht Centre is active, can receive more information by contacting one of the directors of the Maastricht Centre for European Law or by sending an email

  Please note that we also welcome applications for the part-time PhD programme on Comparative, European and International Law at the Brussels campus of Maastricht University.

Postdoctoral research

The Centre encourages applications for postdoctoral research by researchers who have recently completed, or are on the verge of completing, a doctoral dissertation in the field of European Union law. Whereas the Centre does not have its own dedicated postdoctoral programme, it currently hosts several postdoctoral researchers funded by European and Dutch research programmes. It will welcome self-funding postdoctoral researchers, as well as candidates
who seek to obtain European or national funding with the centre acting as their host institution. 

For illustrations of current projects including Postdoctoral Research at the Centre, please visit MCEL's projects page.

Visiting scholars and doctoral researchers

Our Centre welcomes visiting scholars and visiting doctoral researchers. If interested, please use the following application form.