PhD Scholarship in Health and intergenerational educational mobility at the Department of Public Health

We offer a PhD scholarship in Public Health and Epidemiology, focusing on the impact of health on intergenerational educational mobility, starting on May 1st, 2024, or as soon as possible thereafter.

Project Description
Intergenerational educational mobility is a key measure of equality of opportunity and efficient allocation of skills and talent in society, which is not captured by simply measuring the individuals’ level of education. To target potential barriers in the educational system, knowledge about the impact of individual and family health on intergenerational educational mobility is important. The overall aim of the project is to systematically examine how individual and family health impact intergenerational educational mobility. These research questions will be investigated through statistical analyses of data from multiple nationwide data sources for individuals born 1977-88 (approx. n ~ 1.8 mil.).

The PhD student will be part of an inclusive and stimulating academic environment with strong research competencies in social inequality in health and social epidemiology in the Social Epidemiology research group at the Department of Social Medicine.

The project is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark.

Main Supervisor
Terese Sara Høj Jørgensen, Associate professor, Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, Center for Health and Society, Gothersgade 160, 2, 1123 Copenhagen K DIR +45 35 33 58 86 Email: [email protected]

Co-supervisors
Else Foverskov, PhD, Assistant professor, Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, Center for Health and Society, Univeristy of Copenhagen

Oleguer Plana-Ripoll, Associate professor, Department of Clinical Medicine - Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University

Merete Osler, MD, Clinical professor, Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Frederiksberg Hospital

Start Date: 01.05.2025, or as soon as possible thereafter Duration: 3 years

Job Description
Your key tasks as a PhD student are:

• Conducting an independent research project under supervision.
• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS credits.
• Participating in active research environments, including stays with another research group.
• Teaching and disseminating your knowledge.
• Processing and analyzing register data.
• Writing scientific articles.
• Presenting your research project, e.g., at national and international conferences, to the research group, etc.
• Writing your PhD thesis.

Key Criteria for Assessment of Applicants
Applicants must have qualifications equivalent to a master's degree related to the project's subject area, e.g., public health, sociology, economic, psychology, statistics, medicine, or similar. Applicants may submit their application before completing their master's degree, but the degree must be obtained before the start date.

Particular emphasis is placed on:

• Qualifications in epidemiological and statistical methods.
• Knowledge about educational mobility or social inequality in health
• Previous scientific publications and research.
• Written and oral English skills.

Place of Employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in a dynamic and international research environment.

The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences has approximately 7,500 students, around 1,500 PhD students, and employs about 3,200 staff. The faculty creates new knowledge and dissemination through its core activities: research, teaching, knowledge sharing, and communication. With basic research areas ranging from molecular studies to societal studies, the faculty contributes to a healthy future through its graduates, research results, and inventions for the benefit of patients and society.

The Department of Public Health fulfills its mission to provide the scientific basis for efforts to improve public health, both nationally and globally, and to create a better understanding of the relationship between health, individuals, and society, as well as the ethical, equity, and political implications. This is achieved through research, education, and engagement with stakeholders and the public at large, with a far-reaching interdisciplinary research agenda covering most aspects of public health at a high international level.

Terms of Employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week. The position is a fixed-term position for 3 years. The start date is 01.05.2024 or by agreement. Employment is conditional upon the applicant's successful enrollment as a PhD student at the Graduate School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant. The PhD study must be completed in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the PhD Program (2013) and the faculty's rules on achieving the degree. Salary, pension, and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately DKK 30,710 / EUR 4,100 (April 2024 level) plus pension.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD scholarship, please contact the main supervisor. General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences can be found on the PhD school's website: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/

Application Procedure
Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking on 'Apply now' below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:

• Motivated application letter (max. one page)
• CV including education, experience, language skills, and other competencies relevant to the position
• Certified copy of the original master's diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If the master's degree is not yet completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted. As a condition for a PhD scholarship employment, your master's degree must be equivalent to a Danish master's degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database. Please note that we may ask you to have an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
• Publication list (if possible)

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline and not to consider applications that do not meet the above requirements.

The Further Process
After the application deadline, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment based on the advice of the appointment committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience concerning the above research area, techniques, skills, and other requirements listed in the advertisement.

When the assessment work is completed, each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to themselves.

You can find information about the recruitment process at: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

Applicants will be assessed according to Executive Order no. 242 of March 13, 2012, on the appointment of academic staff at universities.

Interviews are expected to be held in weeks 11-12.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Kontakt
Terese Sara Høj Jørgensen
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 19-02-2025

Ansættelsesdato: 01-05-2025

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Public Health