Ph.D. and postdoc positions in Data Science for epidemic preparedness at the NERDS research group

The NERDS (NEtwoRks, Data, and Society) team at the IT University of Copenhagen welcomes applications from aspiring PhD students and postdocs in the areas of Data Science, Mathematical Modeling, and Network Science with applications to inference, forecasting, and mitigation in future epidemics. Starting date 1 September 2025 or soon thereafter.



Project

The project “InForM: Inference, Forecasting, and Mitigation of Future Epidemics” (InForM) is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Its goal is to develop and apply data science tool to enhance epidemic preparedness. To reach this goal, the project seeks to hire proficient PhD students and postdocs to pursue one or multiple of the following goals,

• Studying the detailed spread of COVID-19 in the Danish population during the pandemic through large-scale sequenced COVID-19 genomes and the extensive Danish collections of registers,
• Improving statistical methods used for epidemic forecasting (e.g. methods to sample and summarize ensembles of simulated epidemic trajectories),
• Simulating epidemic mitigation strategies in networked populations and studying their effectiveness and efficiency theoretically with tools including network theory, branching processes, and generating functions.

In your application, please indicate which goal(s) you are particularly interested in pursuing, and what experience and qualifications you hold that will empower your work.

The PhD(s) will be supervised by PI Jonas L Juul, Assistant Professor in Data Science at the IT University of Copenhagen (see https://jonassjuul.github.io), and Vedran Sekara, Associate Professor in Data Science at the IT University of Copenhagen.

The postdoc(s) will join Jonas L Juul’s group and will be employed for up to 3 years. We have funding to support the postdoc’s work, travel, and conference participation.



Main responsibilities

For all the mentioned goals, responsibilities include

• Contribute to the advancement of groundbreaking research with crucial societal implications, in a highly dynamic and interdisciplinary environment,
• Coauthor scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals, participate in international conferences, and participate in advanced university classes to learn new skills,
• Work as a teaching assistant at the IT University of Copenhagen (PhDs only),
• Do a research stay in a high-quality research environment abroad (PhDs only).
• Collaborate with great collaborators with backgrounds in the computational sciences and/or health.

Qualifications

To meet expectations, you should have the following required skills

• You have a master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Data Science, Economics, Epidemiology, Physics, Statistics, or a related field.
• You are an experienced programmer, e.g. in Python,
• You have previous experience with data visualization,
• In addition, postdocs must have a Ph.D. in a relevant field at the time the postdoc position starts.

Depending on which goal you would like to pursue, experience with the following concepts will be positively evaluated: large-scale data analysis, the Danish collection of registers, causal inference, applied statistics including deep knowledge of sampling and confidence intervals, simulating disease transmission in networks, theoretical frameworks for studying contagion in populations.



About the team

The Networks, Data and Society (NERDS) research group conducts quantitative research at the intersection of Data Science and Network Science and was recognized as the Research Environment of the Year in 2022 by the Danish Young Academy under the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. The group has PhD students, postdocs, and faculty of many nationalities, a large network of collaborators in Denmark and abroad, and research experience from major universities in Europe and in the US. The group is a down-to-earth and fun place to work, and the IT University of Copenhagen offers a rewarding and stimulating international environment. The salary and workplace conditions are quite favorable. In Denmark, parental leave is generous, and child-care is exceptional. Find more at: https://nerds.itu.dk.



General information

The IT University of Copenhagen (ITU) is a teaching and research-based tertiary institution focused on information technology (IT) and the opportunities it offers. The IT University has more than 160 full-time Faculty members. Research and teaching in information technology span all academic activities which involve computers including computer science, information and media sciences, humanities and social sciences, business impact and the commercialization of IT.



Working at the IT University

Located in modern architecture, a 6-minute metro ride from the center of Copenhagen, the IT University offers an informal working environment, a varied everyday life, and a highly motivated, ambitious, competent, and diverse international faculty, with PhD degrees from 17 different countries. The IT University is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself in actively and successfully pursuing an improved gender balance among students and among faculty.



Working in Copenhagen

Copenhagen has a solid educational system, a rich cultural life, universal healthcare, good childcare, and well-functioning infrastructure. Copenhagen is among the world’s most livable cities according to the Economist Global Liveability Index. Living and working in Copenhagen will be a good experience for you and your family.



Salary and terms of employment

Appointment and salary will be in accordance with the Ministry of Taxation’s agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and job structure for academic staff at universities.



Application

The application and all other documents ought to be in English and must include:

• A cover letter explaining your motivation, interest for the position, and how your profile fits (1 page)
• A full CV, including name, address, phone number, e-mail, previous and present employment and academic background (2 pages max)
• Documentation of academic degrees (copy of degree certificates etc.)
• An explicit indication of the main area of interest/expertise among the goals listed at the top of this call.
• An explicit indication of whether you apply for a Ph.D. position or a postdoc position.
• For candidates applying for a PhD position: a statement of purpose, which provides evidence of independent thinking, novelty and originality, of the targeted research field matching the project description
• For candidates applying for a PhD position: relevant scientific publication or/and master thesis written by the applicant
• For candidates applying for a PhD position: documentation of English proficiency
• For candidates applying for a Postdoc position: relevant scientific publication or/and PhD thesis written by the applicant
• For candidates applying for a Postdoc position: documentation of pedagogical experience and teaching record within one or more of the teaching areas listed for the position

Applications without the above-mentioned required documents will not be assessed.

The applicant will be accessed according to the Appointment Order from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of 13 March 2012.

The IT University may use shortlisting in connection to the recruitment process. In case of shortlisting, the Chair of the hiring committee selects applicants for assessment in consultation with the hiring committee after the application deadline. All applicants are notified whether their application has been passed for assessment. The shortlisting of candidates for assessment is based on the criteria in the job posting.



Further information

Questions about the positions can be directed to Assistant Professor, Jonas L. Juul name, IT University of Copenhagen, [email protected]. Early contact with our faculty staff is encouraged.

Questions related to the application procedure may be directed to HR, [email protected].



Application procedure

You can only apply for this position through our e-recruitment system. Apply by pressing the button "Apply for position" in the job announcement on our website: http://en.itu.dk/About-ITU/Vacancies

For the PhD position, please read the guidelines for applicants carefully before filling in the application form. You can see the guidelines through this link: https://en.itu.dk/Research/PhD-Programme/PhD-Admission-Requirements

The IT University might upon request in the interview process contact 1-2 references.

Please note that all application materials will be destroyed after the assessment.

Application deadline: 1 May 2025 at 23:59 CEST.

Applications/enclosures received at ITU after the application deadline will not be taken into consideration. If you submit an application, it is your responsibility to ensure that it arrives before the deadline so please allow sufficient time for upload of publications and other documents.

At The IT University of Copenhagen we have an international environment and view diversity as a valuable resource. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive working environment for all our employees and encourage all qualified applicants, regardless of age, gender, religious affiliation, or ethnic background to apply for the position.