We are offering a PhD fellowship in climate change adaptation in conflict settings starting March 1st 2025 or as soon as possible hereafter.
Our group and research
This position will be based at the Global Health section at the Department of Public Health with the disaster research group and will be part of the Copenhagen Centre for Disaster Research. The section is interdisciplinary, collaborative and brings together decades of Global South experience working with various topics of global health and disasters.
Our group works with various questions of climate change and disasters such as health and hygiene, resettlement and displacement, urban disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, vulnerability and power.
The University is situated in Copenhagen, which is consistently rated among the world’s top 10 most livable and sustainable cities. Life for families is made easier via a publicly supported daycare and healthcare system, dual-career opportunities, maternity/parental leave, and six weeks of annual vacation. International candidates may find useful information on living and working in Denmark. Useful information is also available at the university’s International Staff Mobility (ISM) office, which offers a variety of services to international researchers coming to and working at the University of Copenhagen.
The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
Project description
The PhD project will be part of a co-funded project by Novo Nordisk Foundation and ADRA Denmark on Community-Led Climate Change Adaptation and Food Security in Yemen. This research project aims to explore and understand the complex intersection between climate change and food (in)security in the context of conflict and fragility. By exploring the coping mechanisms and adaptation strategies employed by local agricultural communities, the research seeks to identify approaches for community-led climate adaptation in conflict-affected settings.
The PhD student will conduct fieldwork in Yemen and possibly a scoping study in Ethiopia in collaboration with ADRA Yemen and other local research institutes. Further, the PhD student is also expected to spend substantial time at ADRA Denmark contributing to ongoing discussions on climate change adaptation. The PhD project will be co-supervised by Asst. Prof Rodrigo Mena based at the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) in the Hague, The Netherlands. The PhD candidate will also be invited to spend time for a study abroad at the ISS.
Principal supervisor is Assoc. Prof Emmanuel Raju. Dept. of Public Health, Email: [email protected]
Start: March 1st 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, including a course on Safety and Security for Fieldwork Research offered at The ISS.
- Participating in active research environments including a stay at another research team
- Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
- Teaching and disseminating your knowledge in the Master of Disaster Management and M.Sc Global Health
- Contribute to ongoing discussions and organisational learning on climate change adaptation at ADRA Denmark and the global ADRA network
- 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. disaster risk management, peace and conflict studies, climate change studies, global health, anthropology, political science, sociology, or related programs. Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).
Other important criteria are:
- The grade point average achieved
- Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project: fieldwork or practical experience of working in fragile and conflict-affected areas is a major advantage. OR must be willing to undertake research in complex environments
- Knowledge of the humanitarian sector is a must
- Previous publication are an advantage
- Relevant work experience in the humanitarian sector or research in climate change, disasters, and development issues in conflict settings, and/or complex emergencies
- A curious mindset with a strong interest in climate change and fragility, theory and methodological development.
- Strong communication skills in English and knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.
Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Global Health Section, Dept. of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and 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 1 March 2025
The employment is conditioned upon the applicant’s successful 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 agreement 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 30,700 DKK/Roughly 4,100 EUR (April 2024 level) plus pension.
Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor at [email protected]
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 must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:
1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
2. CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant to the position
3. Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma 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
4. A research plan for the PhD project indicating possible research questions, possible methodologies, and a brief state of the art (max 3 pages)
5. Publication list (if applicable)
Application deadline: 16 December 2024, 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: https://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.
Interviews are expected to be held in week 4