Research assistant in economics at UCPH

The Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for a research assistant as soon as possible.

We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated individual to work as a full-time research professional on the research project “Public Sector leadership Research Program” until the end of 2025 or until the end of June 2026 if the project is extended. Our project is broadly within applied microeconomics and topical real-world issues, including:

• Governance and Corporate Finance with a focus on owner management and family firms.
• Sustainability governance focusing on corporate carbon emission and waste management in Danish firms.
• Leadership and talent allocation in private and public sectors. Is there a talent allocation crisis in the Danish public sector?

You will work closely together with and be supervised and mentored by University of Copenhagen Professor Morten Bennedsen, Columbia Business School Professor Daniel Wolfenzon and Washington University Professor Margarita Tsoutsoura. The position is based at the University of Copenhagen. Extended stays at other institutions are possible but salary is received, and income tax is paid in Denmark.

A background in economics is a plus, but not necessary – we welcome candidates with strong technical backgrounds who are looking for more exposure to economics and finance.

Principal duties & responsibilities

• Support ongoing research project, compile, manipulate, and analyze data primarily at the dedicated research server at Statistic Denmark.
• Proofreads and edits citations of funded research reports, working papers, and publications.
• Contribute research communication to a broader audience and to stakeholders.

Knowledge, skills & abilities (not all are required)

• Master’s degree required. Relevant research experience preferred but not necessary.
• Familiarity with statistics software such as Stata and programming languages such as Python and R.
• Course(s) in econometrics and statistics.
• Analytical skills.
• Excellent and professional verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work well independently, as well as with others, and to meet deadlines under pressure.
• Ability to seek out, coordinate, and appropriately disseminate information.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Economics is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the Faculty strategy, see SAMF strategy.

Terms of Employment

• Further information on qualification requirements as research assistant can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.
• Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• The salary range starts at DKK 32,998.16 (EUR approx. 4,423) per month + a 17.1 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: recruitment process.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see eu charter for researchers.

International applicant?
The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: ism.ku.dk.

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR: [email protected] - please refer to ID number: 211-0328/25-2O #1.

Additional information about the position can be obtained from the Professor Morten Bennedsen, e-mail: [email protected], phone +45-35334278.

How to Apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum vitae
• Diploma (master and bachelor)
• Other relevant material

The closing date for applications is 2 March 2025 23:59 CET.

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.