Opportunities
CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
Master of Laws (LLM) By Research | PhD Study | Job Opportunities
We would like to invite you to become part of a friendly and supportive group of disaster law post-graduate and staff researchers at LEAD as well as other disaster related disciplines across UC. Please see below for current opportunities to join our team.
Master of Laws (LLM) By Research
If you are interested in studying for a Masters/LLM we are happy to supervise in all areas of disaster law. We regularly have opportunities, particularly, but not exclusively, in the field of seismic resilience and bio-security.
LEAD offers supervision in all aspects of law and disaster studies under the Faculty of Law’s LLM programme. An LLM by thesis requires that a student compete a research project of 35,000-50,000 words. Full details are available here. If you are interested in studying for a Masters/LLM please contact LEAD or the Faculty of Law in the first instance to discuss supervision options.
LEAD also regularly has scholarship opportunities, particularly, but not exclusively, in topics related to seismic resilience and bio-security. Students with an interest in disaster law research are thus encouraged to get in touch as funding may be available.
Current Scholarships:
Earthquake Resilience:
Two Masters scholarships, funded by QuakeCoRE (the New Zealand Centre for Earthquake Resilience Te Hiranga Rū), are available for start (flexible start date) in 2023:
QC1. Post-Earthquake Dispute Resolution
Ten years have now passed since the Canterbury earthquake sequence and yet the disputes that arose due to the earthquakes are still being resolved. This project aims to understand better the types of disputes that arose, the process(es) used to resolve them and how they can be handled better in the future.
This research will inform a larger research project that is looking to provide a best practice model for post-disaster dispute resolution in Aotearoa New Zealand.
QC2. Regulating for Resilience in Aotearoa New Zealand
Although it is common for lay people to describe disasters as “natural”, in fact they are anything but. They occur when populations have vulnerabilities to particular hazards. These vulnerabilities are not natural. They occur when communities and individuals make choices that make them vulnerable or fail to address such vulnerabilities. In a modern complex society such as New Zealand we rely upon the state to manage the threats that particular hazards pose, through legislation, regulation and policy.
Preliminary research suggests that the current legal framework around reslience in Aotearoa New Zealand is limited and lacks coherence. This research will look to test this hypothesis by assessing the coherence and effectiveness of legal requirements exist for key sectors of the economy in reducing vulnerabilities and preparing for seismic hazards. This forms part of a larger project examining the current legal framework for disaster risk reduction and how it might be better developed to protect the Aotearoa New Zealand from future disasters.
In addition to becoming part of a friendly and supportive group of disaster law post-graduate and staff researchers at LEAD as well as other disaster related disciplines across UC, students on these QuakeCoRE scholarships will have the opportunity to work with researchers and practitioners from across Aotearoa New Zealand through participation in the QuakeCoRE research centre.
Start date: 2023 (flexible within 2023)
Scholarship: $28,000 + fees (for one year) - domestic students only
Supervisors: Dr John Hopkins and Dr Toni Collins
Application process: please submit a CV, academic transcript (or equivalent) and a covering letter using the "Please email us" button at the bottom of this page.
PhD Study
LEAD offers supervision in many aspects of law and disaster studies under UC’s PhD programme (via the Faculty of Law). Details and application information can be found here. If you are interested in studying for a PhD please contact LEAD or the Faculty of Law in the first instance to discuss supervision options.
LEAD also regularly has PhD scholarship opportunities. Recent PhD scholarship opportunities have been in the fields of bio-security, seismic and volcanic resilience. Students with an interest in disaster law research are thus encouraged to get in touch as funding may be available.
Job Opportunities
Our members often have occasional short term opportunities for students (particularly summer student projects) and suitably qualified external candidates. If you would like to be considered for future research projects, please send a CV including any research experience and grade averages. Any specific positions will be listed below.