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News archive PhD Scholarship at NUI Galway on Surrogacy and Assisted Reproduction: Law and Ethics

PhD Scholarship at NUI Galway on Surrogacy and Assisted Reproduction: Law and Ethics

Jul 08 2021 Posted: 13:50 IST

One funded PhD position is available to work on a doctoral thesis in the area of surrogacy and assisted reproduction. The successful applicant will work under the supervision of Dr Brian Tobin, School of Law, NUI Galway.

It is open to the candidate to define the precise scope of their proposed PhD, but it should fit, broadly, within the following parameters:

Irish policy makers are currently struggling with the question of how best to regulate surrogacy arrangements and various complex methods of assisted human reproduction, and there is currently no international consensus regarding the appropriate regulation of these assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs).

This PhD research will be law reform-oriented in that it will critically engage with surrogacy/ART law reform processes taking place in Ireland, the EU and internationally, but it will also critically analyse the legal and ethical concerns oft-associated with these methods of assisted human reproduction and explore how domestic/international legal regulation that assuages these concerns yet achieves an equitable balance between the legal position of intended parents, surrogates, donors and the surrogate-born or donor-conceived child might best be achieved.

Entry criteria

Essential:

A minimum 2:1 Honours (or equivalent grade) UG and/or PG Degree in law or law and another discipline.

Desirable:

A 1st Class Honours (or equivalent grade) UG and/or PG Degree in law or law and another discipline.

Candidates will ideally have completed Family Law/ Child and Family Law/ an equivalent course as part of their UG/PG Degree.

Funding:

The scholarship is funded for a maximum of 4 years. It will cover full fees for the successful candidate, in addition to a stipend of €18,500 per annum. Nevertheless, the successful candidate will be expected to apply for Irish Research Council (IRC) and NUI Galway scholarships in the first year of their degree.

Application

Interested candidates should complete this Proposal Form: Surrogacy and Assisted Reproduction Proposal Form, and submit it, along with a CV and an academic writing sample (e.g. article, course essay, dissertation) by 5pm, 13th August 2021 to brian.tobin@nuigalway.ie with 'Child and Family Law PhD Scholarship' in the email's subject line.

Informal inquiries can be sent to the same address. Candidates may be invited to interview. Expected start date: September 2021 (but this is negotiable).

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