The fourth edition of the Doctoral Research Forum, organised by the Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research (NNHRR) will be held in partnership with Maastricht University Law School. The Forum will bring together a group of PhD members who engage in research in the field of human rights. The objective is for participants to present their work in a collaborative setting and facilitate peer-to-peer exchange as well as interaction and mentorship between junior and senior members. Each presenter will receive individual feedback from senior members of the NNHRR, who will act as discussants, as well as benefit from a group Q&A session.

The NNHRR accepts submissions from PhD members at any stage of their doctoral project and particularly encourage applications from those who are currently in the first and second years of their PhD programme. Abstracts (max. 500 words) can outline the candidate’s overall research project, a chapter of their thesis, or an article in progress. Final presentations are expected to be 10 minutes and will be followed by a feedback and discussion round. Selected presenters have the opportunity to publish a post on the Network’s Human Rights Here blog subject to editorial decision and review.  Only NNHRR members who are PhD candidates at the time of the Forum are eligible to participate. The deadline for the submission of abstracts is the 1st of November 2025.