The Australian National University (ANU) Law School is pleased to advertise a three-year PhD scholarship for a highly qualified candidate to undertake research on the evolution of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a global judicial institution. The scholarship is available as part of a Discovery Project grant awarded by the Australian Research Council (ARC). Interested candidates are encouraged to read carefully the position description below.

Project

The PhD scholar’s project will examine the International Court of Justice (ICJ), focusing on its development and role as a ‘World Court’. The project will examine how the ICJ’s organisational practices, staffing, and engagement with external stakeholders have shaped its authority, influence, and contribution to international law.

This PhD research will form an integral part of the broader ARC Discovery Project entitled “Becoming a ‘World Court’? Globalisation and Judicialisation at the International Court of Justice.” The project adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining archival research, qualitative interviews, and social network analysis to generate new empirical insights into the internal dynamics and external influence of the Court.

The PhD scholar will contribute to one or more core components of the project. Possible areas of focus include:

• The organisational practices and institutional development of the ICJ and its predecessor, the Permanent Court of International Justice;
• The role of judges, legal staff, and other actors in shaping the Court’s work and authority;
• State strategies to influence the composition and functioning of the Court, including judicial elections;
• A historical case study based on archival material related to a case submitted to the Court;
• An analysis of how the ICJ is perceived by state stakeholders (drawing, for instance, on Australian diplomatic archives) or
• The broader sociolegal networks connected to the ICJ and their impact on international legal practice.

The successful candidate will benefit from access to unique project datasets, including archival materials and interviews with individuals involved in the Court’s work. They will also be invited to contribute to collaborative publications arising from the project.

The PhD will be supervised by Dr Esmé Shirlow (ANU) (primary supervisor) and Dr Florian Grisel (CNRS). The candidate will also benefit from engagement with an international network of academic and professional stakeholders, including researchers, practitioners, and policymakers involved in the work of the ICJ.

Scholarship

The ANU Law School will provide the successful candidate with a stipend of approximately $39,069 per annum for three years (subject to confirmation in line with ANU scholarship rates). 

The PhD scholar will also have opportunities to:

• Undertake paid research assistance as part of the project;
• Participate in international research activities, including archival visits and conferences; and
• Engage with the project’s Research Hub on the sociolegal study of international courts.

This position is open to both domestic and international applicants. Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to course fees in line with usual rates. Domestic students are eligible to access the Australian Government Research Training Program Fee Offset Scholarship: https://www.anu.edu.au/domestic-postgraduate-research-tuition-fees.

Candidate Profile

The successful candidate will have:

• Excellent academic credentials in law, international relations, sociology, or a related discipline such as history (a law degree and/or LLM is highly desirable);
• A demonstrated interest in international law, international courts, or sociolegal studies;
• An interest in empirical or interdisciplinary research methods (prior experience is an advantage but not essential); and
• Proven ability to conduct high-quality independent research.

Application and Timelines

Applications should be made by email to Esmé Shirlow (esme.shirlow@anu.edu.au) and Florian Grisel (florian.grisel@cnrs.fr) by 30 July 2026, and include:

• A motivation letter (maximum 2 pages);
• CV; and
• A proposal (maximum 3 pages) that (1) states the central research question that the proposed research project will seek to answer;  (2) outlines how that research question would be addressed as PhD project, including (where relevant) the use of empirical, sociolegal or interdisciplinary methods; and (3) explains the expected contribution of the project to the existing literature on international law and/or international courts.

Candidates are particularly encouraged to propose projects engaging with the International Court of Justice’s organisational practices, actors, and broader sociolegal networks, in line with the above suggestions (see “Project” above).

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview. 

Shortlisted candidates will then work with the supervisors to develop a full PhD proposal for submission by 31 August 2026 in line with ANU Law School HDR admissions requirements. The award of the scholarship is conditional on admission, and a successful candidate will be selected following the outcome of the central HDR admissions process.

For further information, please contact: Esmé Shirlow (esme.shirlow@anu.edu.au) and Florian Grisel (florian.grisel@cnrs.fr)