Postdoctoral position in early intervention focusing on childhood emotion regulation/mental health (0-5 years)
fuldtid
Postdoctoral position in early intervention focusing on childhood emotion regulation/mental health (0-5 years)
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 4-year postdoctoral position starting on 1 January 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter.
We invite everyone who holds a relevant PhD degree or expects to finish it soon, to apply.
The position and the project
The successful candidate will work on a research project developing and evaluating a new transdiagnostic, modular-based intervention targeting parents to children 0-5 years of age, who experience difficulties with emotion regulation. The deliverers of the intervention are thought to be psychologists working in the primary sector (e.g., the Danish pedagogical psychological counselling offices, PPC).
Duties and Responsibilities
The successful applicant will be expected to work both independently and in close collaboration with colleagues. The main responsibility will be to contribute to the development of an intervention manual, to conduct a feasibility study of the intervention, and to prepare a full RCT, if preliminary results support this. The candidate will be working with both quantitative and qualitative data, synthesizing existing evidence on early interventions, project management, and contributing to writing scientific papers.
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must have obtained a PhD degree in psychology, public health, 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 counseling offices or the like. Collaborative skills and team spirit are in high regard and being able to speak and understand Danish as well as strong scientific writing skills are necessary. For the right candidate, there will be ample possibilities to influence the work and develop new project ideas that fit within the overall aim of the Centre of Excellence in Early Intervention and Family Studies.
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 0-6-year-old children and their parents and is organized around four programs: the child in the family, the child in the daycare, the child in PPC, and psychometrics and statistics. The postdoc 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 fora 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 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)
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 postdocs can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2025 here: https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/375 (In Danish only).
Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
Please note that employment is conditional upon the successful retrieval of a clean child certificate. This requirement applies for the entire duration of the employment. You will be asked via e-Boks to provide your consent for the certificate to be obtained.
The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/
As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.
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 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: 211-2330/25-2I #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.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding society, and invites all qualified applicants, regardless of personal background, to apply for the positions.
We invite everyone who holds a relevant PhD degree or expects to finish it soon, to apply.
The position and the project
The successful candidate will work on a research project developing and evaluating a new transdiagnostic, modular-based intervention targeting parents to children 0-5 years of age, who experience difficulties with emotion regulation. The deliverers of the intervention are thought to be psychologists working in the primary sector (e.g., the Danish pedagogical psychological counselling offices, PPC).
Duties and Responsibilities
The successful applicant will be expected to work both independently and in close collaboration with colleagues. The main responsibility will be to contribute to the development of an intervention manual, to conduct a feasibility study of the intervention, and to prepare a full RCT, if preliminary results support this. The candidate will be working with both quantitative and qualitative data, synthesizing existing evidence on early interventions, project management, and contributing to writing scientific papers.
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must have obtained a PhD degree in psychology, public health, 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 counseling offices or the like. Collaborative skills and team spirit are in high regard and being able to speak and understand Danish as well as strong scientific writing skills are necessary. For the right candidate, there will be ample possibilities to influence the work and develop new project ideas that fit within the overall aim of the Centre of Excellence in Early Intervention and Family Studies.
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 0-6-year-old children and their parents and is organized around four programs: the child in the family, the child in the daycare, the child in PPC, and psychometrics and statistics. The postdoc 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 fora 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 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)
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 postdocs can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2025 here: https://www.retsinformation.dk/eli/lta/2025/375 (In Danish only).
Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
Please note that employment is conditional upon the successful retrieval of a clean child certificate. This requirement applies for the entire duration of the employment. You will be asked via e-Boks to provide your consent for the certificate to be obtained.
The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/
As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.
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 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: 211-2330/25-2I #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
- Diplomas (master and PhD)
- Publication list
- Other relevant material
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding society, and invites all qualified applicants, regardless of personal background, to apply for the positions.