PhD fellowship in social work with special focus on inclusion of children with autism

PhD fellowship in social work with special focus on inclusion of children with autism

At The Department of Sociology and Social Work at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities a PhD fellowship in Social Work with special focus on inclusion of children with autism is available. The position is available from Juli 1 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The PhD fellowship has a duration of three years.

Jobbeskrivelse
The PhD position is part of the project“Disabling Exclusion. Negotiated Practices of Social Welfare Targeting Families with Children with Disabilities” funded by The Independent Research Fund Denmark.
The project investigates the types of knowledge and discursive meanings surrounding disability that unfold and are negotiated during encounters between families with a child experiencing interrupted school attendance, school refusal, and autism—or who are under observation for autism—and the Danish welfare system, and how this shape the help given and the families’ well-being and opportunities for social participation.
The aim of the project is to produce in-depth knowledge on how discourses on disability unfold and vary in the practice of frontline professionals, how they are negotiated between the frontline professional and families and how this affects the help given to these families. The project uses children with autism spectrum disorders as a paradigmatic case in combination with a mixed method approach.
The PhD project must focus on how disability and especially autism is constructed among frontline practitioners(schoolteachers and social workers) and investigate how frontline workers define and understand disability. The emphasis in this part of the project is on how discourses of disability are formed in the frontline and how they are unfolded and challenged during encounters with families. This work package is based on quantitative analysis of surveys with schoolteachers and social workers and qualitive interviews with frontline professionals. The PhD fellow will be responsible for this part of the work package and associate professor Iben Nørup will serve as the main supervisor. A candidate with experience working with quantitative analysis or mixed methods is preferred.

Applicant must be able to understand and read Danish due to the data collection which will be conducted in Danish.
The full research proposal may be requested by contacting Iben Nørup(see contact info below).

Qualification requirements
Applicants to the PhD fellowship must hold a degree equivalent to a Danish Master's degree. Applicants enrolled at a Danish Master programme who expect to graduate before the date of appointment must forward statement from thesis supervisor, verified transcripts, a copy of thesis contract and documentation for the date of their final exam. Proficiency in Danish and English is required.

See more requirements at ourwebsite.

Qualification requirements
Applicants to the PhD fellowship must hold a degree equivalent to a Danish Master's degree. Applicants enrolled at a Danish Master programme who expect to graduate before the date of appointment must forward statement from thesis supervisor, verified transcripts, a copy of thesis contract and documentation for the date of their final exam. Proficiency in Danish and English is required.

The completion of the fellowship will be in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities No 1039 of 27 August 2013(the PhD Order), and it is a prerequisite for allocation of a scholarship that enrolment as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences takes place. According to the PhD Order, the PhD study comprises among other requirements: Participation in active research environments, including stays at other, mainly foreign, research institutions, private research enterprises etc.

Please visit the website of the doctoral school for further information on the PhD programme, application procedure, and admission requirements.

As part of the scholarship the candidate is expected to undertake some teaching and supervision obligations.

The application must contain the following and be written in English or Danish

• letter of motivation
• Application for enrollment
• project proposal(approx. 5 pages) containing the research project title, an outline of the course of study and a description of the overall problem areas. The project proposal must be in English
• curriculum vitae
• diplomas confirming academic degrees(Master degree), including academic transcripts
• Co-author statement. If publications that have been written in cooperation with others are submitted, a declaration from each of the authors must be enclosed. The declaration must state the extent of the applicant's contribution to the total work and be signed by the authors.
• Application for credit transfer if relevant.

Assessment
The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.
When the hiring process is completed, a final rejection will be sent to the applicants who are not considered for the position.

The complete application including attachments shall be sent electronically by selecting the"apply online" function on AAU's job-portalhttps://www.stillinger.aau.dk/(not other online job portals that may have reposted the position).
Please note that zipped files are not supported by the recruitment system, please upload only Word or PDF files.

Contact
Any enquiries about the position may be addressed to the PI Iben Nørup, 599408169, ibenn@socsci.aau.dk, Pia Ringø, 4599408106, ringoe@socsci.aau.dk or Head of Department, Jakob Skjøtt-Larsen: 99407297

For general information about the application process etc., please contact Lene Møller on e-mail: lml@adm.aau.dk

AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.
AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.

Løn og ansættelsesvilkår
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities(the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state(AC collective agreement)(only in Danish).

Ansøgningsfrist
29-04-2025

Ref. nummer
13-25035

Afdeling
Sociology and Social Work