PhD fellowship in Medical Science and Technology Studies/Medical Anthropology at the Department of Public Health

The Centre for Medical Science and Technology Studies at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, invites applications for a fully funded three-year PhD fellowship in Medical Science and Technology Studies/Medical Anthropology. The position is available from June 15, 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter. We seek a highly motivated candidate with a strong interest in ethnographic research on emerging healthcare technologies. The PhD project will focus on the use of Artificial Intelligence and predictive analytics in healthcare, employing ethnographic methods to explore their implications in contemporary medical practice. The fellowship is available via the Independent Research Fund Denmark Inge Lehmann-funded project “Personal Prognosis: Foretelling Death with Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Contemporary Healthcare (PROGNOSIS).”

Project description
We invite highly qualified, thorough, and motivated applicants to apply for this position. The PhD will employ ethnographic methods to examine the social, ethical, and organizational implications of novel digital and data-intensive medical technologies. Specifically, the PhD will investigate and theorize how the use of AI to predict the risk of death in patients with acute ischemic heart disease shapes professional practices, conceptions of patient- and personhood, and the organization of healthcare delivery. Methodologically, the project involves participant observation in clinical settings at hospitals, qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals, patients, and biomedical/bioinformatics scientists, as well as document analysis of policy papers and clinical guidelines related to AI in healthcare.

Our group and research
The PhD candidate will be based at the Centre for Medical Science and Technology Studies (MeST) at the Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen. MeST is a vibrant, internationally recognized, and highly interdisciplinary research environment with scholars from public health, anthropology, sociology, history, psychology, medicine, and philosophy. United by a shared interest in how medical technologies shape and interact with humans and healthcare systems, MeST researchers explore a wide range of topics, with particular—though not exclusive—focus on precision medicine and digital health. The center provides a stimulating intellectual setting, offering opportunities for collaboration, academic exchange, and methodological innovation.

Principal supervisor is Associate Professor Iben Mundbjerg Gjødsbøl, e-mail: [email protected], direct phone: 35337318. Co-supervisor is Professor Mette Nordahl Svendsen.
Start: June 15, 2025
Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:
• Carrying through an independent research project under supervision.
• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
• Participating in active research environments, including a stay with an international research team.
• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teaching and disseminating your knowledge
• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project, e.g. anthropology, ethnology, public health, sociology. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).
The successful applicant will have experience or training in ethnographic methods, i.e. participant observation and qualitative interviews. The applicant should be interested and skilled in theoretical development within the social studies of medical science and technology/medical anthropology. Also, the applicant should be interested in learning to communicate research findings in teaching, conference presentations, and by writing scientific papers for high-ranking international journals. The PhD will engage in interdisciplinary research collaborations, and we therefore highly value human qualities and collaboration skills.
It is a prerequisite that the applicant can be and is not already enrolled as a PhD student at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Other important criteria are:
• The grade points achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Other professional activities
• A curious mind-set with an interest in the social studies of medical science and technology
• Language skills in written and oral English
• Language skills in written and oral Danish for fieldwork

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, international research environment.

Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.
The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years. The start date is June 15, 2025 or after agreement.
The employment is conditioned upon the applicant’s success¬ful enrolment 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 programme (2013) and the Faculty’s rules on achieving the degree.

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agree¬ment 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 30,800 DKK/Roughly 4,100 EUR (April 2025 level) plus pension.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact associate professor Iben M. Gjødsbøl.
General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/

Application procedure
Your application including all attachment must be in English and submitted electronically no later than March 12, 2025, by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:
1. Cover letter explaining your qualifications and research focus (max. one page)
2. Motivation letter explaining your reasons for applying for this particular PhD position. The motivation letter should include a short suggested project outline, including a motivation for the study, research questions, and methodology (max two pages).
3. CV including education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
4. Original diplomas (Bachelor and Master degree or equivalent) and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted. As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship 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 might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science
5. Publication list (if possible)
6. A writing sample (e.g., master’s thesis or other relevant material)
7. Names and email addresses of two references (reference letters are not required)

Application deadline: March 11, 2025, 23.59pm CET

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring 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 with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.

Once the assessment work has been completed each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

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

The applicants will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.