PhD scholarship for research project on disability reform in Applied Economics

The Department of Economics at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites applications for a fully-funded 3-year PhD position within the Danish Research Council (Sapere Aude) project Long-term Social Change through Normalization Reforms Targeting People with Disabilities and Their Peers (NormalisedSociety). The project is supervised by Associate Professor Volha Lazuka. The position is based at SDU’s campus in Odense.

The starting date is flexible, with a preferred start of September 1, 2025. The PhD position is for a duration of three years and includes a research stay abroad, typically lasting 6 months, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The position offers a competitive full-time salary.

Job description

The NormalisedSociety project aims to assess the causal impacts of public reforms in Denmark and Sweden from the 1980s to the 2000s on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the surrounding society. These reforms dismantled institutions for people with disabilities and replaced them with public housing in local communities. We will apply modern econometric methods to register individual data, including difference-in-differences and spatial econometric models.

The successful candidate is expected to align their research project with the overarching theme of the NormalisedSociety project. In addition, the candidate will be involved in teaching and supervision within economics at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

The PhD student will be based in the Econometrics and Data Science Group at the Department of Economics. This group focuses on producing high-quality research and teaching in Econometrics, Statistics, Causal Inference, Machine Learning, and Big Data Analytics. The group is recognized as a leading research group, attracting substantial grants and media coverage, as well as publishing books and journal articles in top outlets. We are an international department, and the working language is English. The group and department are currently hiring a number of young researchers for various projects creating a vibrant research environment.

Applicants’ profile

Applicants should have completed a relevant master’s degree in Economics, Mathematics and Economics, or related disciplines. Furthermore, we expect applicants to:

• Have strong English skills, both spoken and written. Proficiency in Danish and/or Swedish would be an asset.
• Be dedicated, capable of working independently and in cooperation with a PhD supervisor
• Have good interpersonal skills, be interested in engaging with national and international researchers (The successful candidate will have access to collaborating partners at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, and the University of California, Los Angeles).
• Have solid knowledge of econometric methods and experience with software such as R, Stata, or similar tools; be eager to learn new econometric methods.

Further information about the position can be obtained from Head of Administration Astrid Holm Nielsen, e-mail: [email protected]. Information about the PhD programme at the Faculty of Social Sciences and at the Department of Economics is available here. For general questions regarding relocation, housing, taxes etc., contact the SDU’s International Staff Office.  

How to apply for this position

Employment as a paid PhD fellow takes place in accordance with the circular of 20 December 2021 on the collective agreement for academics in the state – appendix 5, protocol on PhD fellowships. For more information on the department guidelines for qualification and recruitment please visit our webpage. 

An application must include (all attachments must be in Adobe PDF format): 

• Application form, available on our web page.
• A motivational letter describing why the applicant is a good match for the NormalisedSociety project.
• Detailed CV. The education and work history must be month and year specific.
• A certified copy of your master’s degree certificate including all examination results. Alternatively, the expected date to finish the master’s degree.
• A translation of grades according to the European ECTS system obtained in BA and MSc programs. 
• A description of the proposed PhD project (max 5 pages of 2400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography etc.). Find the guidelines for preparing your project proposal here.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English. The application, CV, and project proposal must be written in English. Use of large language models or related AI tools in any form must be disclosed in accordance with best academic practices.

Applications will be assessed by a committee. When the evaluation committee has submitted its report, the candidates will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns them. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the candidates to provide the necessary material. 

The deadline for application is: April 1, 2025, 23.59 CET.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" through our website.

Applications that are incomplete regarding the above requirements may be rejected without any substantive evaluation.

Shortlisting and tests may be used in the assessment process.

As part of the overall assessment of the applicant’s qualifications, an interview may be applied.

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

The application and CV must not exceed 10 MB.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.