Postdoctoral position in political psychology on representation in climate change politics
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Postdoctoral position in political psychology on representation in climate change politics
The Queen Mary Center and the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for a full-time postdoctoral position in political representation and interest groups from 1 February 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The position is for 30 months.
Introduction
The project is housed at the Queen Mary Center (QMC) at the University of Copenhagen. The QMC specializes in creating new formats and effective formats for collaboration between university researchers and practitioners and decisionmakers from the public sector, industry and civil society, thereby strengthening the societal impact of academic research. The project is closely tied to the ClimAct data observatory on public opinion and media debates around climate change policy at the QMC, and the project participants will be included in the research-praxis community of ClimAct.
The project is also affiliated with the Department of Psychology, and the appointed person will benefit from this research environment also. The Department of Psychology is one of the leading psychology departments in Northern Europe and covers a broad range of psychological approaches and disciplines in research and teaching. The Department has over 100 members of staff, and over 50 PhD students. The research of the department is organized in three broad sections with associated post-graduate (PhD) students and postdocs. The sections are “Clinical, Health, and Humanistic Psychology”, “Cognition and Neuropsychology”, and “Social, Cultural, Organisational, Personality and Educational (SCOPE) Psychology”. The current position is affiliated with the SCOPE section.
See the following pages for more information on the Queen Mary Center the Department of Psychology.
Job Description
The postdoc will be employed as part of the project “Politician Perception Gap in Danish Climate Politics” led by Thomas Morton, Professor of Social Psychology, and funded by the VELUX foundation. The project aims to explore the democratic relationship between citizens and their elected officials in climate governance by focusing on how perceptions of social mandate and political responsiveness are formed and acted upon. The postdoc will specifically conduct research on the relationship between citizens’ concerns and ambitions for climate action and politicians’ perceptions of citizen concerns.
The project uses quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate:
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must hold (or be close to completing) a PhD degree in Psychology, Political Science, Sociology or related fields. Other key qualifications include:
The Department of Psychology and the Queen Mary Center is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:
Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science – University of Copenhagen.
Terms of Employment
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.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity, etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, 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: www.ism.ku.dk.
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk , please refer to ID number: 211-2379/25-2I #2.
Additional information about the project and its requirements, contact the PI Thomas Morton: Thomas.morton@psy.ku.dk .
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 English and include the following documents:
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.
The position is for 30 months.
Introduction
The project is housed at the Queen Mary Center (QMC) at the University of Copenhagen. The QMC specializes in creating new formats and effective formats for collaboration between university researchers and practitioners and decisionmakers from the public sector, industry and civil society, thereby strengthening the societal impact of academic research. The project is closely tied to the ClimAct data observatory on public opinion and media debates around climate change policy at the QMC, and the project participants will be included in the research-praxis community of ClimAct.
The project is also affiliated with the Department of Psychology, and the appointed person will benefit from this research environment also. The Department of Psychology is one of the leading psychology departments in Northern Europe and covers a broad range of psychological approaches and disciplines in research and teaching. The Department has over 100 members of staff, and over 50 PhD students. The research of the department is organized in three broad sections with associated post-graduate (PhD) students and postdocs. The sections are “Clinical, Health, and Humanistic Psychology”, “Cognition and Neuropsychology”, and “Social, Cultural, Organisational, Personality and Educational (SCOPE) Psychology”. The current position is affiliated with the SCOPE section.
See the following pages for more information on the Queen Mary Center the Department of Psychology.
Job Description
The postdoc will be employed as part of the project “Politician Perception Gap in Danish Climate Politics” led by Thomas Morton, Professor of Social Psychology, and funded by the VELUX foundation. The project aims to explore the democratic relationship between citizens and their elected officials in climate governance by focusing on how perceptions of social mandate and political responsiveness are formed and acted upon. The postdoc will specifically conduct research on the relationship between citizens’ concerns and ambitions for climate action and politicians’ perceptions of citizen concerns.
The project uses quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate:
- the existence and extent of a potential perception gap between the levels public support from climate policies which politicians expect from citizens and citizens stated levels of support through qualitative surveys of local and national politicians;
- how politicians’ perceptions of social mandate are formed, justified and acted on through interviews with politicians, and;
- how different groups of citizens experience political responsiveness and representation using qualitative interviews of citizens.
- Development of research design
- Organizing and carrying out data collection using survey and interview methods
- Quantitative and qualitative data analysis
- Collaborative authoring of scientific papers and research reports
- Scientific dissemination, including conference participation and presentations
- Planning and delivering a final project conference
- Developing and disseminating actionable communication products for external stakeholders based on the research
- Assistance to the PI with project administration
Your Competencies and Opportunities
The candidate must hold (or be close to completing) a PhD degree in Psychology, Political Science, Sociology or related fields. Other key qualifications include:
- A good grasp of relevant academic literature (e.g. public opinion on climate policy, democratic responsiveness and legitimacy, political trust)
- Strong academic writing skills.
- Experience with developing and applying qualitative and quantitative research designs to explore attitudes
- Experience with coding and data management in common statistical programming languages (e.g., R, Python, or SPSS)
- Experience and a keen interest in collaborating closely with stakeholders and developing engaging communication products is advantageous
- Experience with project management and leadership for research assistants and/or student assistants is advantageous
- Being part of an excellent research environment in the Department of Psychology at the University of Copenhagen and ambitious and impact-oriented research team through affiliation with ClimAct
- Forming important stakeholder relations with key actors in the Danish green transition
- Insights into methods for strengthening the societal impact of psychology research through the Queen Mary Center. This involved great resources for assistance with outreach strategy, stakeholder engagement and event development
The Department of Psychology and the Queen Mary Center is part of the Faculty of Social Sciences. The faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:
- Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning, and social change.
- Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge, and the competences to change society for the better.
- Energizing global, European, and Danish communities of knowledge by producing research findings with impact.
Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science – University of Copenhagen.
Terms of Employment
- Further information on qualification requirements as postdoc can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2025 here: Bekendtgørelse om stillingsstruktur for videnskabeligt personale ved universiteter (in Danish only).
- Terms of appointment and salary are in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
- The salary range starts at DKK 39,237.44 per month + a 18.07 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
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.
An Equal Opportunity Workplace
The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity, etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, 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: www.ism.ku.dk.
Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk , please refer to ID number: 211-2379/25-2I #2.
Additional information about the project and its requirements, contact the PI Thomas Morton: Thomas.morton@psy.ku.dk .
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 English and include the following documents:
- Cover letter motivating your application
- Curriculum vitae, including a publication list and names of two references who could write a letter for you
- Up to three publications or working papers
- Diplomas (PhD, Master, and Bachelor)
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.