Two PhD fellowships on implicit theories of gender/sex in the context of diverse hormonal transitions, Department of Psychology

The University of Copenhagen invites applications for two PhD fellowships connected to the Gender-InSIGHT Doctoral Network, funded through the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Both PhD studentships are full-time positions with a duration of 36 months with a start date of June 1st 2026.

Gender-InSIGHT is an international network for the Investigation of biopsychoSocial Influences on Gender during (diverse) Hormonal Transitions. The network brings together a range of disciplines including psychology, history, ethics, endocrinology, neuroscience and public health. Through co-creation and mixed methods research, individual projects will increase understanding of how biological, psychological, and social factors together shape experiences of hormonal transitions at different points in time and across different populations, including adolescence, menopause, in the general population and among people with variations of sex characteristics and trans and gender diverse individuals. 

Historical, clinical and societal lenses will focus attention on different aspects of hormonal transitions, leveraging multiple angles to achieve unique Gender-Insights. The historical lens will document historical and ethical implications of the shifts in meaning given to biopsychosocial factors in the framing of hormones and gender over time. The clinical lens will provide clinical guidance informed by a biopsychosocial understanding of gender to assist patients and healthcare providers with decision-making regarding diverse hormonal transitions. The societal lens will uncover societal pressures and polarization regarding the biopsychosocial nature of gender and how these are communicated across cultures and through different channels. Collaborating with a range of partners from the non-academic domain, the project aims to have a lasting impact on culture and media, healthcare, and public policy.

Gender-InSIGHT will deliver a training programme to 15 Doctoral Candidates that equips them with an up-to-date, complete and multi-layered understanding of gender in the context of diverse hormonal transitions and builds the capacities to inform healthcare, public policy and practice in this domain. 

More information about the network and its mission can be found on the Gender-InSIGHT home page: Gender Insight.
More information about MCSA Doctoral Networks can be found here: Doctoral Networks - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

Project descriptions
The successful applicant will join a multidisciplinary EU-funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie International PhD training network. The advertised doctoral positions fall within the societal lens of the Gender-InSIGHT network. Both advertised positions will be based at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, under the supervision of Professor Thomas Morton. Additional co-supervision and/ or secondment opportunities will be provided through other partners in the network.

Both PhD projects concerned the development and form of implicit theories of gender/ sex and how these shape the experiences of gender diverse individuals. Details of each project are briefly summarised below.

Project 1: “Implicit theories of gender/ sex, gender expression and psychosocial adjustment among non-cisgender populations”.
This project aims to:

1. Characterise the variety of understandings (i.e., implicit theories) about gender/ sex among people who are not cisgendered;
2. Examine how implicit theories of gender/ sex relate to individual choices, including whether and how to alter bodily characteristics and express gender identity, and;
3. Examine how (mis)alignment between implicit theories of gender/ sex between the individual and significant others (including family, support networks and health professionals) shape emotional experiences and outcomes of the choices that they make.

This project will draw on mixed methods to produce a triangulated and valid understanding of implicit theories of gender/ sex among those who identify outside traditional male-female binaries. Interviews will explore in detail the various understandings of gender/ sex among individuals who do not identify as cis-gendered and will be used as the basis for generating new scales to capture implicit theories of gender/ sex in ways that are meaningful for gender minority populations. Survey work will validate new scales and explore the correlates and consequences across time and in response to internal (e.g., bodily changes) and external forces (e.g., experiences from social networks, health professionals, and institutions). Secondment to IHLIA LGBTI Heritage will facilitate co-creation and dissemination materials and work toward a community-sensitive scale.

Project 2: “The role of educational materials and teaching practices in shaping knowledge and understandings of gender/ sex among aspiring medical practictioners”.
This project aims to:

1. Audit knowledge and implicit theories about sex and gender among aspiring medical practititioners (i.e., medical students), their correlates and consequences;
2. Audit curricula and teaching practices around sex, gender, and treatment of trans and gender diverse individuals across key courses in the medical education, and;
3. Develop alternative models of gender/ sex education that are accurate both with respect to biology and with respect to the needs and identities of patients that might seek gender affirming care.

Medical practitioners receive education that should – ideally – equip them with a solid and accurate basis for understanding how sex and gender interrelate, and for advising appropriate treatment pathways for those who seek gender-related care, including trans and gender diverse patients. This project will interrogate that ideal while also considering the role of social and cultural factors in shaping the acquisition of knowledge about gender/ sex. Triangulated audits, combinging quantitative surveys and qualitative/ observational methods, will assess: (1) levels of knowlegde and understanding of gender/ sex among cohorts of medical students, their correlates and consequences, and; (2) the models of gender/ sex conveyed through teaching materials (e.g., curricula, textbooks) and classroom practices. Through assessing the state of knowledge and the educational environment that produces knowledge, the project further aims to develop and test teaching materials that could address identified gaps and contribute to more positive interactions between medical practitioners and individuals seeking gender-related treatments or care. Secondment to Vrije Universiteit Medical School will facilitate access to medical students and opportunities to pilot new educational materials.

About the Department
The Department of Psychology at the University of Copenhagen 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”. This project will be situated within the SCOPE section under the supervision of Prof. Thomas Morton. Research within SCOPE covers theoretical and applied topics and spans multiple methodological perspectives, including qualitative, quantitative, laboratory and field research.

For further information about the Department, including research groups and researchers, please see: Department of Psychology – Department of Psychology - University of Copenhagen.
For more information about the PhD programme at the University of Copenhagen, see: The PhD programme – Department of Psychology - University of Copenhagen.

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD Fellow are to:

• Conduct an independent research project under supervision.
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
• Participate in active research environments including a stay at another research team.
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project.
• Teach and disseminate your knowledge.
• Prepare and submit a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project.

Qualification requirements
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master’s level related to the subject area of the project. 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 will also be required to meet the European Commission’s MSCA Doctoral Network eligibility criteria, notably:

• Mobility Rule - Applicants can be of any nationality and must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the start of their employment at UCPH. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays, and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not considered.
• Doctoral Candidate requirement – the applicant must not be in possession of a doctoral degree at the first day of the employment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet been awarded the doctoral degree are not eligible.

Only applicants who meet the above eligibility criteria will be considered for the position.

Qualifications
Candidates should have:

• A Master’s degree in psychology or a neighbouring field related to the research project.
• Familiarity with the relevant academic literatures.
• Excellent higher education track record and scientific curiosity. 
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research designs and treatment of resulting data.
• Knowledge and experience with relevant data analysis software (e.g., SPSS, R, NVivo).
• Strong analytical skills and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong academic writing skills.
• Fluent spoken and written English. 

 In addition, the following experience would be helpful, but not essential: 

• Knowledge of variations of sex characteristics and issues facing gender diverse populations. 
• Experience with outreach, stakeholder engagement and community involvement.
• Knowledge of Danish or other languages relevant to engaging with participant populations.

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant work experience
• Publications
• The grade point average achieved
• Other professional activities
• Language skills
• The successful applicant is also required to be enterprising and to possess good   interpersonal skills.

Terms of employment
The employment is conditioned upon the applicant’s successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of Social Sciences. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project to the PhD School. Please note that this process will be initiated by the PhD School only after an employment offer has been made.

The PhD programme must be completed in accordance with the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme (Executive Order no. 1124 of 19 September 2025) and the faculty’s regulations for obtaining the degree

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the requirements from the European Commission related to the MSCA programme and the agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at DKK 31,242/roughly EUR 4,110 (November 2025 level) plus pension.

The EU MSCA grant consists of a living allowance of EUR 5,325 (roughly DKK 39,664), and mobility allowance of EUR 710 (roughly DKK 5,290). In addition, a family allowance of EUR 660 (roughly DKK 4,917) may apply if eligibility conditions are fulfilled. The above amounts shall cover compulsory taxes etc. as well as all the University of Copenhagen’s costs related to your employment, such as monthly salary, future salary raises, pension, paid holidays and labour market contributions.

Please note that the PhD student has a work obligation of up to 840 hours over the 3 years period of time without additional pay.

How to apply
Please submit your application online. To apply, please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this page. Your application must be written in English, and include the following attachments (with descriptive titles) in PDF format:

• Cover letter (max. two pages) detailing your motivation for applying and the skills, experiences, and perspectives you would bring to the specific project(s) for which you would like to be considered.
• CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Diploma and transcripts of records (BSc and MSc) including a short description of the grading scale. Please note: If your degree diploma is not available by the application deadline, please include your latest transcript of records.
• Publication list (if relevant)
• Other information for consideration, e.g., list of publications, documentation of English language qualifications (if any). Please do not submit recommendations etc.

The deadline for applications is 1 March 2026, at 23.59 CET.

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.

In addition to submitting application materials here, please also refer to the Gender-InSIGHT website provide further eligibility information: Gender Insight.

Further information and contact
You can read more about the recruitment process at Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen.

For more information on working and living in Denmark, please visit For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (International Staff Mobility) and Workindenmark.

For further information, applicants may contact the main supervisor Professor Thomas Morton via e-mail: thomas.Morton@psy.ku.dk.  

For further information about the recruitment process, please contact HR Centre South at e-mail: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk. Please refer to ID number 211-0081/25-2G #2.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and encourages all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.