Applications are invited for two PhD scholarships at the Saxo Institute, associated with the Centre for Sustainable Futures. The position will be part of the Carlsberg Foundation funded Semper Ardens Accomplish project: Tolerating Urban Animals. Techno-moral perspectives on killing and caring for other species. The chosen candidates will be employed at the Saxo Institute and enrolled at the PhD School of the Faculty of Humanities.
The scholarship is for 3 years starting on 1 September 2026 or after agreement.
The Tolerating Urban Animals project explores the use of technologies for managing undomesticated and feral urban animals. Through ethnographic fieldwork and archival studies in Denmark, Sweden and Norway, we follow the technological development and legislation on animal rights in the EU since the 1970s, to explore technologies and everyday practices of deterring, killing, or caring for animals. The project asks: Why, where and by whom, are certain technologies seen as adequate and morally appropriate in human-animal relations? How and why do technologies and moral conditions for managing urban animals shift or persist?
The two PhD projects will explore:
1) Technologies for caring examines how municipalities, residents, and NGOs have deployed technologies to attract and sustain animal presence, and how these practices are embedded in local knowledges, moral justifications, and cultural categories. Cases could include (but are not limited to) bee highways, hedgehog habitats, and bat-friendly street lighting. To contribute to main questions, it asks: What technologies are used in everyday life to attract what animals, and how do care efforts intersect with or challenge legal frameworks and environmental policies?
2) Technologies for making killable explores extermination technologies for pests and “problem animals,” focusing on everyday entanglements between interventions, animal biology, and shifting perceptions of an “intolerable nuisance”. Cases could include (but are not limited to) rats, Iberian snails, foxes, rooks, etc. To contribute to main questions, it asks: What discursive and technological means are used to make animals “killable”, and how are changing environmental conditions affecting the strategies and technologies employed?
Working within either of these two frames, applicants are encouraged to propose a concrete project with up to 8 months ethnographic fieldwork, specifying which Scandinavian contexts, time period, central actors, field sites etc. they envision. Applicants may attach proposals for both projects, if relevant (each max 4800 characters). The ideal candidate has a background in ethnology, anthropology, recent history, science and technology studies, or has extensive knowledge of more-than-human studies. Fluency in a Scandinavian language and ethnographic fieldwork experience are prerequisites. Experiences with archival fieldwork and/or public dissemination (e.g. podcast) is an advantage.
Applicants, who wish further information about the position and the research project, should contact Principal Investigator prof. Mikkel Bille, mbille@hum.ku.dk, phone +45 35329480
Link to the department’s website: https://saxoinstitute.ku.dk
Introduction
PhD studies consist of research programmes at the highest international level that qualify students for independent research, knowledge dissemination and teaching. The main emphasis is on PhD students organising and conducting their own research project (under supervision). The programme culminates in the submission of a PhD thesis, which the student must defend in public. The programme is prescribed to 180 ECTS credits, corresponding to three years of full-time study.
A PhD degree opens a range of career opportunities in academia and elsewhere. As well as writing a thesis, PhD students work in active research environments in Denmark and abroad. They contribute to the academic environment, take research training courses, and convey the results of their research in teaching, at academic conferences and to the public.
Qualification requirements
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master’s level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. ethnology. If you have completed your education in Denmark, you must have a master’s degree covered by the collective agreement for academics in the state sector.
If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, you must either have a master’s degree equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years) or as minimum a bachelor’s degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor’s degree (three years) and be assessed as having professional qualifications at master's level.
If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, we will obtain an assessment of your education from the Danish Research Agency.
Applicants must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level. Fluency in Danish, Swedish or Norwegian language is required for conducting fieldwork and analysis of data. If deemed necessary, the department may request that applicants document their language skills.
For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: https://phd.ku.dk/english/.
For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: https://phd.humanities.ku.dk/phd-programme/structure/.
Application
All applications must be submitted online via the link “Apply now” at the bottom of this page. The application must be written in English, and include the following enclosures in Adobe PDF or Word format:
Cover letter (max. one page detailing your motivation and background for applying with the specific PhD project).
CV
Project description (Maximum 4800 characters for each proposal, not including bibliography).
Diploma and transcripts of records (bachelor’s and master’s degree)
Other information for consideration, e.g. list of publications, documentation of English language qualifications (if relevant).
On the website of the PhD School you can find information about the enclosures to include with your electronic application: https://phd.humanities.ku.dk/how-to-obtain-a-phd-scholarship/admission-requirements/.
Applicants with a degree from a university where documents are not issued in English, or a Scandinavian language must provide a translation of their diploma and transcript of records verified by the issuing university. The documents must be translated into English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish. In addition, you must enclose an official description of the grading scale in question (for instance diploma supplement).
Assessment criteria
The following criteria are applied when assessing PhD applications:
Research qualifications as reflected in the project description.
Quality and feasibility of the project.
Qualifications and knowledge in ethnology, anthropology, history, Science and Technology Studies, or related disciplines.
Performance (grades obtained) in graduate and post-graduate studies.
The recruitment process
After the deadline for applications, the Head of Department considers advice from the appointment committee and then selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. After this, an expert assessment committee is set up to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Each shortlisted applicant will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.
For further information about the recruitment process, please refer to the University of Copenhagen website: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Enrolment
It is a prerequisite for employment that successful applicants enrol at the PhD School of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen.
For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: https://phd.humanities.ku.dk/phd-programme/structure/.
For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: https://phd.ku.dk/english/.
Salary and terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at DKK 31,000 (EUR 4100) + a 18.07 % contribution to the pension scheme.
According to the agreement, the PhD Fellow is required to carry out tasks at the relevant department to an extent corresponding to 840 working hours (6 months) without additional pay. The work obligation can include teaching, for instance.
An equal opportunity workplace
University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society, and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their personal backgrounds. For more information on the diverse working place environment at the university and the university’s participation in the HRS4R, please see: https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/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: https://ism.ku.dk/.
Contact information
For further information about the structure and rules of the PhD programme, please contact the PhD Administration at South and City Campuses, email: phd@hrsc.ku.dk.
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR South and City Campuses, email: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk and refer to case number: 211-2392/26-2H.
If you have any questions about the academic content of the PhD programme, please contact PhD Coordinator Daniel Steinbach mail steinbach@hum.ku.dk.
The deadline for applications is 8 April 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered. However, changes may be made to the submitted application right up until the deadline.