PhD position on video-feedback consultation in daycare
fuldtid
PhD position on video-feedback consultation in daycare
PhD position on video-feedback consultation in daycare
Centre of Excellence in Early Intervention and Family Studies (CIF) at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, and National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, invites candidates for a fully funded 3-year PhD position starting on 1 December 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.
The project and the position
Daycare providers have an important role in supporting young children’s well-being, development, and learning in daycare settings. However, children present themselves with different needs which may not always be easy to interpret and meet in an adequate way. In Denmark, pedagogical psychological counselling (PPC) professionals offer consultation to daycare providers to support them in understanding child behaviour and needs, strengthening their interactional competencies, and adapting daycare settings to children´s specific needs expecting a spill-over effect on child development. However, there is a need for an evidence-based tool that is tailored to Danish daycare settings and the resources and practices of PPC professionals. The goal of the project is to create and test a video-feedback consultation program that is feasible for use by PPC professionals.
The successful candidate will work on a research project adapting and evaluating a video-feedback method for consultation with childcare professionals working with children aged 0-5 years. The method is based on a Dutch observation and consultation tool - the Caregiving Interactive Profile (CIP). CIP is a valid and reliable tool for observing and promoting child-care providers’ interactive skills (Helmerhorst et al., 2014) and a previous RCT has demonstrated the effectiveness of the CIP training in promoting sensitive and developmentally stimulating behaviours in child-care providers (Helmerhorst et al., 2017).
The candidate will be working on adapting and evaluating the CIP for Danish settings, include a focus on child behaviour, and developing a train-the-trainer-model, where PPC professionals working in the primary sector will be trained in using the CIP method during consultations.
Duties and Responsibilities
The successful applicant will be expected to work independently and to take a leading role in adapting the intervention in collaboration with PPC-professionals, carrying out CIP-trainings, and conducting a feasibility study of the adapted intervention. The candidate will be working with both existing and new quantitative and qualitative data, synthesizing existing evidence, collecting data, project management, teaching PPC professionals and psychology students, and writing scientific papers under supervision of associate professor Katrine Røhder and assistant professor Ida Egmose Pedersen.
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must have obtained a degree in psychology, pedagogy, sociology, anthropology, or a related field. Experience within the field of early childhood mental health, early childhood interventions or a related subject is an advantage, as well as experience from pedagogical psychological counselling offices or the like.
Knowledge of or previous experience in working with the CIP scales is not required but an advantage. If not, you will be trained in coding videos and training childcare professionals using the CIP method. Collaborative skills and team spirit are in high regard. For the right candidate, there will be ample possibilities to influence the work and develop the project within the overall aim of the study.
About CIF
CIF is led by Professor Mette S. Væver, and the staff at CIF consists of approximately 35 full-time employees (scientific assistants, PhD students, postdocs, one assistant professor, and two associate professors) mostly with a background in psychology, as well as a corresponding number of student assistants.
The research at CIF focuses on the mental health of 0-5-year-old children and their parents and is organized around four programs: the child in the family, the child in the daycare system, the child in PPC, and psychometrics and statistics. The PhD position is within the child in the PPC program. The center's research is conducted in close collaboration with municipalities and professionals working with children and families. As an employee at CIF, you get to work within a very important field and engage in interdisciplinary collaborations with a focus on promoting mental health in children and parents.
As a workplace, CIF is a tolerant and inspiring environment where we collaborate across projects and share knowledge and ideas with each other. All employees at CIF are deeply concerned about working towards improving early childhood mental health and supporting families and professionals working with young children, creating an engaged and passionate working environment with forums for both formal and informal knowledge sharing. Furthermore, the CIF leadership aims at supporting different social activities, strengthening the relations between the employees, such as a running club, yearly CIF parties, and a Thursday bar, while at the same time also trying to create a family-friendly workplace focusing on maintaining a satisfactory work-life balance among the employees.
You can read more about CIF here: Center for Early Intervention and Family Studies – Institut for Psykologi - Københavns Universitet (ku.dk)
The PhD programme
The PhD programme provides PhD students with strong research training which opens up a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The programme includes the drafting of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. The PhD programme can be undertaken as a three-year full-time study within the framework of the 5+3 study programme.
Further information about the PhD study programme is available on the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences:
PhD at the Faculty of Social Sciences – University of Copenhagen
Under "Legal basis" on the website you will find information about the rules and guidelines for the PhD programme and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD programme at the Universities.
Information about the PhD study programme is also available on the PhD website of the Department of Psychology:
Department of Psychology – Department of Psychology - University of Copenhagen
Terms of Employment
The position is full-time (37 hours a week), and you will be employed by the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen. Working from remote is not an option, since we expect you to be physically present at the department for a minimum of four days a week. Further information on the qualification requirements for PhD students can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: Bekendtgørelse om stillingsstruktur for videnskabeligt personale ved universiteter (in Danish only).
Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
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: www.ism.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
For information about the project and the position, please contact associate professor Katrine Røhder, katrine.rohder@psy.ku.dk.
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk. Please refer to ID number: 211-2181/25-2H #2
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 Danish or English and include the following documents:
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.
Centre of Excellence in Early Intervention and Family Studies (CIF) at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, and National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, invites candidates for a fully funded 3-year PhD position starting on 1 December 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter.
The project and the position
Daycare providers have an important role in supporting young children’s well-being, development, and learning in daycare settings. However, children present themselves with different needs which may not always be easy to interpret and meet in an adequate way. In Denmark, pedagogical psychological counselling (PPC) professionals offer consultation to daycare providers to support them in understanding child behaviour and needs, strengthening their interactional competencies, and adapting daycare settings to children´s specific needs expecting a spill-over effect on child development. However, there is a need for an evidence-based tool that is tailored to Danish daycare settings and the resources and practices of PPC professionals. The goal of the project is to create and test a video-feedback consultation program that is feasible for use by PPC professionals.
The successful candidate will work on a research project adapting and evaluating a video-feedback method for consultation with childcare professionals working with children aged 0-5 years. The method is based on a Dutch observation and consultation tool - the Caregiving Interactive Profile (CIP). CIP is a valid and reliable tool for observing and promoting child-care providers’ interactive skills (Helmerhorst et al., 2014) and a previous RCT has demonstrated the effectiveness of the CIP training in promoting sensitive and developmentally stimulating behaviours in child-care providers (Helmerhorst et al., 2017).
The candidate will be working on adapting and evaluating the CIP for Danish settings, include a focus on child behaviour, and developing a train-the-trainer-model, where PPC professionals working in the primary sector will be trained in using the CIP method during consultations.
Duties and Responsibilities
The successful applicant will be expected to work independently and to take a leading role in adapting the intervention in collaboration with PPC-professionals, carrying out CIP-trainings, and conducting a feasibility study of the adapted intervention. The candidate will be working with both existing and new quantitative and qualitative data, synthesizing existing evidence, collecting data, project management, teaching PPC professionals and psychology students, and writing scientific papers under supervision of associate professor Katrine Røhder and assistant professor Ida Egmose Pedersen.
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must have obtained a degree in psychology, pedagogy, sociology, anthropology, or a related field. Experience within the field of early childhood mental health, early childhood interventions or a related subject is an advantage, as well as experience from pedagogical psychological counselling offices or the like.
Knowledge of or previous experience in working with the CIP scales is not required but an advantage. If not, you will be trained in coding videos and training childcare professionals using the CIP method. Collaborative skills and team spirit are in high regard. For the right candidate, there will be ample possibilities to influence the work and develop the project within the overall aim of the study.
About CIF
CIF is led by Professor Mette S. Væver, and the staff at CIF consists of approximately 35 full-time employees (scientific assistants, PhD students, postdocs, one assistant professor, and two associate professors) mostly with a background in psychology, as well as a corresponding number of student assistants.
The research at CIF focuses on the mental health of 0-5-year-old children and their parents and is organized around four programs: the child in the family, the child in the daycare system, the child in PPC, and psychometrics and statistics. The PhD position is within the child in the PPC program. The center's research is conducted in close collaboration with municipalities and professionals working with children and families. As an employee at CIF, you get to work within a very important field and engage in interdisciplinary collaborations with a focus on promoting mental health in children and parents.
As a workplace, CIF is a tolerant and inspiring environment where we collaborate across projects and share knowledge and ideas with each other. All employees at CIF are deeply concerned about working towards improving early childhood mental health and supporting families and professionals working with young children, creating an engaged and passionate working environment with forums for both formal and informal knowledge sharing. Furthermore, the CIF leadership aims at supporting different social activities, strengthening the relations between the employees, such as a running club, yearly CIF parties, and a Thursday bar, while at the same time also trying to create a family-friendly workplace focusing on maintaining a satisfactory work-life balance among the employees.
You can read more about CIF here: Center for Early Intervention and Family Studies – Institut for Psykologi - Københavns Universitet (ku.dk)
The PhD programme
The PhD programme provides PhD students with strong research training which opens up a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The programme includes the drafting of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. The PhD programme can be undertaken as a three-year full-time study within the framework of the 5+3 study programme.
Further information about the PhD study programme is available on the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences:
PhD at the Faculty of Social Sciences – University of Copenhagen
Under "Legal basis" on the website you will find information about the rules and guidelines for the PhD programme and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD programme at the Universities.
Information about the PhD study programme is also available on the PhD website of the Department of Psychology:
Department of Psychology – Department of Psychology - University of Copenhagen
Terms of Employment
The position is full-time (37 hours a week), and you will be employed by the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen. Working from remote is not an option, since we expect you to be physically present at the department for a minimum of four days a week. Further information on the qualification requirements for PhD students can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2019 here: Bekendtgørelse om stillingsstruktur for videnskabeligt personale ved universiteter (in Danish only).
Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
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: www.ism.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
For information about the project and the position, please contact associate professor Katrine Røhder, katrine.rohder@psy.ku.dk.
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk. Please refer to ID number: 211-2181/25-2H #2
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 Danish or English and include the following documents:
- Motivated application
- Curriculum vitae
- Diploma (bachelor and master)
- Publication list
- Other relevant material
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.