PhD position in adult clinical psychology/psychotherapy research: Treatments for Complex PTSD

The Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites applications for a fully funded 3-year PhD-position from 1 May 2027 or after agreement.  

The position and the project
The successful candidate will work on the project Treatments for Complex PTSD (RECONNECT-trial), a randomized controlled trial conducted in the Mental Health Services. The project has a strong focus on patient involvement and investigating mechanisms of change within the three intervention arms (Prolonged Exposure, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing and Enhanced Emotional and Interpersonal Skills Training). The project is conducted in collaboration between researchers in psychology and psychiatry.

Duties and responsibilities
The PhD student will be central in the research project, being involved in and responsible for large parts of the data collection. Most importantly, the PhD-student will be responsible for conceptualizing and conducting a subset of studies. As such, data management and data analyses, as well as manuscript preparation and communication of research results to the scientific community as well as to relevant stakeholders will be central.

The PhD-student will be responsible for the assessment of the participants with the International Trauma Interview in Danish, overseeing recruitment progress, and conducting quantitative and qualitative research based on survey and interview data. Experience with quantitative and qualitative data analysis is a must. The candidate must have strong clinical skills and preferably with trauma populations. The candidate must be able to work independently under supervision. Collaborative skills and team spirit are in high regard. For the right candidate, there will be ample possibilities to influence the project and develop new project ideas within the project frame.

Supervision and research group
The PhD-student will be part of a research group at the Department of Psychology conducting psychological and psychiatric research on psychotherapy and trauma.

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 may obtain an assessment of your education from the Danish Research Agency.

Place of employment
The Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (https://psychology.ku.dk/) is a vibrant, inclusive workplace hosting a large group of faculty, post docs and PhD-students. The research of the department covers a wide range of topics and methodologies and has an international work environment.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Psychology is part of the Faculty of the 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 competence to change society for the better.
• Energizing global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the faculty strategy, see: https://socialsciences.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/

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: https://ism.ku.dk/

Contact information
We encourage you to first consult our website, where most questions concerning the recruitment process as well as the academic content and structure of the PhD programme are answered:

Structure of the PhD programme

How to obtain a PhD scholarship.

For information about the project and the position, please contact PI Assistant Professor Sara Kerstine Kaya Nielsen, sara.nielsen@psy.ku.dk. Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: HR-SOENDRE@adm.ku.dk Please refer to ID number: 211-2569/26-2H

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:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum vitae
• Diploma (master and bachelor)
• Other relevant material

The deadline for applications is 1 December 2026.
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.