The Cognition, Intention, and Action (CoInAct) Research Group and Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Science, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Denmark, invite applications for a PhD position in experimental cognitive psychology to be filled by 1 September 2026 or after agreement.
Information about CoInAct can be found at
https://psychology.ku.dk/coinact/ Job content The PhD student will be part of a project entitled
Selection in Cognition funded by the Carlsberg Foundation and headed by Professor Søren Kyllingsbæk and Professor Thor Grünbaum. The larger project develops and tests a new theory of basic cognitive selection mechanisms by combining methods and perspectives from experimental psychology, cognitive neuroscience, mathematical modelling, and philosophy (Grünbaum, Oren, & Kyllingsbæk, 2021; Oren, Kyllingsbæk, Dupont, & Grünbaum, 2024). Applicants are asked to situate and develop their research plan within the framework of the
Selection in Cognition project. For more information about the project, please contact Professor Søren Kyllingsbæk,
sk@psy.ku.dk.
The successful candidate will have a strong background within experimental cognitive psychology and preferable have experience with running experiments and analysing data. The PhD student will be working in close collaboration with cognitive psychologists, philosophers, and other cognitive scientists, and should be interested in the development of new computational models, experimental paradigms, and theories. It is expected that the successful candidate will be present, part of the team, and partake in the activities at CoInAct on a daily basis. The PhD student will be physically located at the Cognition and Neuropsychology research cluster
https://psychology.ku.dk/research/research_clusters/cognition-and-clinical-neuropsychology/, at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen.
Information Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Søren Kyllingsbæk,
sk@psy.ku.dk, for more information about the
Selection in Cognition project.
Introduction PhD studies consist of research programmes that qualify students for independent and wide-ranging research, development and teaching at international level. 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 points, corresponding to three years of full-time study.
A PhD opens up 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 general public.
Qualification requirements Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master’s level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. psychology. 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. If deemed necessary, the department may request that applicants document their English skills.
Application All applications must be submitted online, in PDF or Microsoft Word format, via the link “
Apply now” at the bottom of the page.
The application must include: 1. Project abstract (max.1,200 characters with spaces)
2. Personal statement (max. one page)
In their personal statements, applicants are encouraged to:
- outline how the PhD project relates to other research activities at the department
- describe as clearly as possible their competencies and personal qualifications relevant to the PhD programme.
3. CV Applications must be accompanied by a CV (max.one page) and a list of publications, where relevant.
4. Documentation (diplomas and transcripts) Applicants must upload the following:
- A copy of their Master’s degree diploma or similar (if this is not available by the application deadline, applicants must document pre-approval of their Master’s thesis)
- A copy of their Master’s degree transcript
- A copy of their Bachelor’s degree diploma
- A copy of their Bachelor’s degree transcript.
Applicants with a degree from a university where the working language is not English or one of the Scandinavian languages must submit a translation of their Master’s diploma and/or diploma transcripts approved by the Danish embassy or consulate in the country where the original document was issued. These documents must be translated into English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish. An official description of the grading scale (and a diploma supplement where relevant) must also be attached.
5. Project description Applications must include a detailed project description covering the problem formulation, overall objectives, methodology, design and timetable (max. five pages/12,000 characters, incl. spaces, excl. bibliography). This description should address issues in experimental psychology mentioned above. The PhD project description should be clearly situated within the larger project.
Guidelines and good advice on project descriptions are available
here.
Please do not upload or submit recommendations, publications, theses, etc.
Assessment criteria The following criteria are applied when assessing PhD applications:
- The quality, originality and feasibility of the PhD project
- Research qualifications, as reflected in the attached CV and project description
- Competencies and knowledge of relevant fields of academic research
- Level (grades obtained) of Bachelor and Master’s 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 or not they have been shortlisted. After this, the Head of Department sets up an expert Assessment Committee to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Individual applicants will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.
Enrolment It is a prerequisite for employment that successful applicants enrol at the PhD School of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Copenhagen.
For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to:
https://phd.ku.dk/english/ Remuneration and terms of employment Appointment as a PhD Fellow is subject to the collective bargaining agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).
We seek to reflect the breadth and diversity of society and encourage applications irrespective of personal background.
The deadline for applications is 12 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.
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 our services at:
For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).
The recruitment process Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:
https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/ Contact information We kindly encourage you to consult our website, where most questions regarding the recruitment process as well as the academic content and structure of the PhD programme are answered:
Structure of the PhD programme – University of Copenhagen.
Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen.
If you do not find the information you are looking for, you can contact HR South at
hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk. Please remember to include the ID number 211-2405/26-2H #2.
If you have any questions about the academic content of the PhD programme, please e-mail the PhD coordinator at the Department of Psychology, Xuan Li,
xuan.li@psy.ku.dk.