Call for application for Fellowship position

  • The Fellowship position and its purpose

The “Information Society Law Center” (ISLC) is a multidisciplinary Research Center, founded in 2017 inside the “Cesare Beccaria” Department of Legal Sciences. The Center is devoted to the study of  “Digital Transformation Law”, ranging from legal, technological, political, and social aspects of the Information Society.

The aim of the Center is to conduct research on issues related to the relationship between law and the digital society, with particular attention to present and future challenges deeply affecting our society.

The Center brings together different skills and scholars from the following disciplines: legal informatics, philosophy of law, sociology of law, ecclesiastical law, criminal law, criminal procedure, philosophy of politics, general theory of law, bioethics, data science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, smart contracts.

The staff dialogues with scholars of other Departments of the University, with particular attention to international law, constitutional law, private law, labor law and administrative law.

In the forthcoming years, the Center will carry out several activities, with particular attention to:

  1. creating a network with other Research Centers studying similar subjects;
  2. searching for funds necessary to carry out innovative and far-reaching national and international research projects;
  3. organizing an annual Conference, at the end of the year, to draw a summary of past year’s research activities and establish research lines for the upcoming year (Digital Transformation Law Conference – DTLC);
  4. publication editing (books and articles) on relevant topics for the Center in Italian and English;
  5. organizing events to bring together legal and technical scholars and experts of the University of Milan, in order to carry forward the most challenging and interesting research lines.

The main research areas concern:

  1. Information Warfare, cybersecurity, cyberwars, security of smart cities and smart governments;
  2. Hate Speech, Cyberbullying, Stalking, Grooming Online, Terrorism, Discrimination, Violence on Digital Platforms;
  3. Cyberbullying and cyberstalking between young adults;
  4. Data protection and data governance.

Therefore, the Center invites high profile candidates to submit a formal request for a Fellowship position (“Fellow”) of the Research Center. We are particularly looking for candidates whose significant professional and/or academic experience revolves around the field of Information Technology Law.

The principal aim of the call for applications for a Fellowship position is to foster the advancement in the abovementioned research areas.

Applications are open to Milan resident and non-resident candidates. Due to pandemic and Covid, remote research activities are also highly appreciated.

Selected Fellows will be involved in seminar activities of the Center, as well as in one of the research areas mentioned above.

In particular, the Fellow will enjoy the following benefits:

  1. Constant coordination and dialogue with the entire research team of the Center of the University of Milan to ensure a scientific update on the investigated topics;
  2. Participation in internal events and seminars that are only reserved to the research teams of the Center;
  3. Publishing articles or studies through the channels made available by the Center, both online and in print, or other multimedia content (podcasts, videos);
  4. Being timely updated on the research lines that will be initiated by the researchers of the Center.

The Fellow position will have a duration of 1 (one) year. The position is NOT remunerated in any way. Professors Ziccardi and Perri will certify the position for curricular purposes.

  • Admission requirements

For an application to be considered, applicants must submit a 2-pages curriculum vitae proving meaningful professional and/or academic activities in the Information Technology sector.

Candidates must have a fluent level in English language, to be proved.  

  • Application procedure and deadlines; required documentation

Potential applicants should send their applications via email to ALL the following email addresses: giovanni.ziccardi@unimi.it, pierluigi.perri@unimi.it and simone.bonavita@unimi.it.

To complete their online application, applicants should attach a two-page curriculum vitae summarizing all relevant academic and/or professional experience in the field of Information Technology and any other documents, publications, or statements they are pleased to submit to the Center’s researchers. PDF format is especially appreciated.

Applications must be completed and submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. GTM on March 31, 2022.

At the discretion of the Center’s researchers, applicants will also be interviewed, via remote video call and/or in-person depending on personal needs.

  • Announcement of selected Fellows

Candidates will be selected by a Committee composed by Prof. Giovanni Ziccardi, Pierluigi Perri and Simone Bonavita.

The Committee will review the documents submitted by the candidates according to following criteria listed under point 3.

The results will be published by 15 April 2022 and posted on ISLC’s website.

First-year Fellows’ activities will begin on May 1, 2022 and end on July 30, 2023.

  • Assignment criteria

For the purposes of awarding the Fellowship position, the following criteria will be considered to generate a ranking list:

  1. Curriculum vitae (max. points awarded 10)
  2. English language proficiency (max. points awarded 8);
  3. Candidate motivations (max. points awarded 12).

Candidates earning at least 18 points will be declared eligible for a position.

Applicants who score at least 18 points will be declared eligible for one position. Given the many activities of the Center, FOURTY positions are planned for the first year.

  • Compliance required after the Fellowship position is awarded

The Fellowship will not be remunerated. Therefore, Fellows shall only be committed to contribute, on a regular basis and in the manner deemed appropriate, to the advancement of research activities in our fields. Any activity of the Fellow must first pass the scrutiny of the Professors of the Center. Any activity of the Fellow shall not harm, in any way, the image of the Center, the University or the scientific rigor requested.

In particular, the Fellow is expected to take part in the following activities:

  1. Participation in 1 (one) monthly (online) meeting held by the Area Director, at which exchanges will be activated regarding the most important updates on the relevant discipline, in particular on community, regional and local issues;
  2. Publication of a scientific article or content each quarter in venues that will be agreed upon with the research referees;
  3. Participation in state-of-the-art research and publication activities, such as white papers, etc.

Selected Fellows will also be strongly encouraged to participate in the following activities:

Every 3 (three) months, the appropriate Area Director will conduct an individual evaluation to ascertain whether the above compliance criteria are still met by the selected Fellow.

  1. Networking activities with other research centers dedicated to the same problems and topics;
  2. Organization of conferences and/or seminars and/or events and/or workshops.
  • Relinquishing or revoking a Fellowship position

If a Fellowship winner, after being awarded, is unable to participate in his or her program due to any personal problems, he or she should simply communicate his or her relinquishment of the title of Fellow to the following email address simone.bonavita@unimi.it.

The title of Fellow will be revoked at the absolute discretion of the Professors for the following reasons: i) inactivity; ii) behaving in violation of the Center’s research lines, required scientific rigor, or the University’s or the Center’s reputation or image.

  • Contacts

For any enquiries, please contact:

Prof. Giovanni Ziccardi, giovanni.ziccardi@unimi.it

Prof. Pierluigi Perri, pierluigi.perri@unimi.it

Prof. Simone Bonavita, simone.bonavita@unimi.it

  • PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING

Pursuant to EU Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”) and Legislative Decree no. 196/2003 (as amended) regarding personal data protection, the Institution pledges to safeguard the confidentiality of all information submitted by the applicant. Any data supplied shall be processed in strict accordance with the purposes for which they were collected, as needed for the applicants’ participation. Information on implementation of these personal-data protection rules is available on the University’s website, http://www.unimi.it/ateneo/73613.htm – path: www.unimi.it > University > Privacy.