PhD programme director

Catherine (Kiki) Brölmann is director of the PhD programme in law. She is responsible for the educational component of the doctoral programme and supervises its organization. She also supervises the organization and quality control of the doctoral programme as a whole. Other responsibilities include the implementation of those elements of the UvA education policy that are relevant for the PhD programme. She is supported by the academic coordinator of the PhD education programme.

PhD Academic coordinator

Nataša Nedeski is academic coordinator of the PhD education programme. She is responsible for all organizational aspects with regard to the various courses, and the first point of contact for PhD researchers with questions about the educational component of their PhD trajectory.

PhD secretariat

Kim Bierhoff is responsible for the PhD secretariat. She is the first point of contact for current and aspiring PhD candidates. It is her responsibility to ensure that all PhD candidates meet their formal and administrative obligations in time. By way of an example, Kim helps obtain approval for PhD candidates from the Doctorate Board and reminds PhD candidates and supervisors of assessment interviews and annual consultations. She also assists PhD candidates in the period between the completion of their thesis and the thesis defence.

PhD representation within the Graduate Studies Committee 

The Faculty's  Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) advises and provides support to the dean, the PhD programme director and the research director regarding all aspects of the PhD programme as such, and all matters involving the organisation, teaching and requirements of the PhD education programme. With regard to the latter the GSC's remit is similar to that of the Board of Studies for Bachelor's and Master's programmes, i.e. monitoring and improving the quality of teaching.

At its meetings, the GSC thus may discuss for example the PhD education courses and the cohesiveness of the education programme, but also the PhD candidates’ working conditions and environment, issues of social safety, and the way in which they are assessed by their supervisors. We aim to take on board the views of everyone involved in the PhD programme and to improve the variety and quality of educational opportunities for PhD candidates at Amsterdam Law School. In previous instances, the GSC, for example, successfully persuaded the faculty board to implement a compulsory course on PhD supervision for all faculty members engaged in supervising PhD candidates. 

Composition

The GSC is composed of the Graduate School director, the research director, the PhD programme director, the doctoral counsellor and at least three PhD candidates. Of these PhD candidates, at least one must be taking the PhD study programme at the moment of their appointment and at least one must be a member of the Central PhD Council. In principle, the PhD candidate members of the GSC are appointed for a period of two years.

The GSC members are:

• Merle Kooijman (Criminal Law)
• Caitlin Walker-Cerqua (Law & Economics)
• Yevai Gerber (Private Law)
• Miriam Heipertz (Public International Law)