Up to 22 fully funded Marie S. Curie PhD positions at University of Copenhagen and Technical University of Denmark

CALL FOR PHD APPLICANTS

Application deadline February 20, 2025.

Are you:

• Scientifically curious and determined to pursue a PhD degree? 
• Eager to work with an interdisciplinary research project related to cancer or neurological diseases? 
• Driven to strengthen your scientific creativity and independent thinking? 

Up to 22 PhD positions are open in the international Marie S. Curie Doctoral Programme ‘Interdisciplinary Marie S. Curie Action for Health’ (INTERACT). The positions are open for researchers with a master’s degree, and maximum 4 years of experience. All PhD-project will be interdisciplinary, working across biology/biomedicine to physics, chemistry, data science or engineering. A PhD project in science didactics is also available. The candidates’ main workplace will be either at the University of Copenhagen or the Technical University of Denmark, dependent of the selected project. The programme is co-funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement no. 101179234. 

Why apply to the INTERACT programme?
INTERACT offers researchers a unique opportunity to join an international and interdisciplinary PhD program within biology/biomedicine, physics, chemistry, data science, engineering, or science didactics. The aim is to cultivate agile and responsible researchers capable of working seamlessly across at least two disciplines, with implications for transforming health solutions, and to provide the groundwork for a career track in academia, industry and beyond. Further, training and career activities will seek to empower all students to fully exploit the potential of their talent.

About the programme
INTERACT will in total recruit 66 PhD students over three calls during 2025-2027. The programme offers 36-months fully funded positions, attractive employment and salary conditions with enrolment as PhD student at one of the two host universities. Each PhD student will work with an original ’convergence science’ project at one of the seven host institutes*. Each PhD student will have a main supervisor in the main field of the research project (employing institute) and an interdisciplinary co-supervisor from another host institute. Candidates can when applying express interest in up to 4 of the offered research projects, specifying the employing host institute. An individual career development plan containing research and transferable courses, international research visits, mentoring and career activities, is also a central element. Please visit http://www.interact-msca.ku.dk for more information on the programme and the offered research projects.

* Departments at University of Copenhagen: Biotech Research and Innovation Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, Department of Chemistry and Department of Science Education. Departments at Technological University of Denmark: Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Department of Chemistry and Department of Health Technology.

Candidate eligibility 

• The programme is open for highly motivated researchers with a master’s degree and maximum four years of experience since issuing of the degree at the time of application. Prolonged career breaks are considered upon documentation of parental leave, illness, military- or civil service. 
• Transnational mobility is required, and applicant 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 deadline of the co-funded programme's call — unless as part of a compulsory national service or a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention. 

Key selection criteria
The selection process includes these steps of evaluation: eligibility check, evaluation of application material, interview with selection committee and with Interdisciplinary Supervisor Teams. The selection will be merit-based, using predefined scoring scales and weighed criteria in three defined areas: Education and track record, Scientific potential and Motivation.

Application procedure 
Please carefully read the detailed description of the eligibility criteria and requirements for the application in the Guide for Applicants found at www.interact-msca.ku.dk/how-to-apply/. All applications must be received by the application deadline on February 20, 2025. The application, in English, must be submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below. To be eligible, the applicant MUST use the provided mandatory templates which can be downloaded on the INTERACT webpage and submit all the following material: 

• Motivation letter/Cover letter (mandatory template, max 1,5 pages), including expression of interest in up to 4 of the offered projects
• CV (mandatory template, max 4 pages)
• Eligibility declaration and consent (mandatory template) 
• List of 2 referees (mandatory template)
• Certified copy of original master diploma and transcripts records in the original language, including an Authorized English translation if issued in other language than English**
• Applicants with a master´s degree from abroad should also enclose a short description of the grading scale used
• Documentation of English test (if required **)
• Documentation for career breaks (if any)
• Other relevant information for consideration

** Please see further details in the Guide for Applicants.

LATE OR INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS, NOT USING THE PROVIDED TEMPLATES, WILL NOT BE EVALUATED. 

Timeline of call

• Opening of call: December 20, 2025
• Application deadline: February 20, 2025
• Evaluation and selection of candidates: February-April 2025 
• Online interviews with selection committee: End-April 2025   
• Online host interviews: Mid-May 2025 
• Answers to applicants: End-May 2025
• Start of employment: September 1, 2025 

About University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
Driven by intellectual creativity and critical thinking since 1479, researchers and students at UCPH have expanded horizons and contributed to moving the world forward. With its 5,000 researchers and 36,500 students, the university boasts an international research and study environment and is highly ranked on the leading ranking lists of the world's best universities. UCPH offers researchers and students the opportunity to develop their talent and launches ambitious interdisciplinary initiatives to support its strong academic communities. The university is working towards becoming one of the world’s greenest campus areas, leaving as little environmental and climate footprint as possible. The university also focuses on gender equality and sees diversity as a strength. Please visit www.about.ku.dk for more information.

About Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
DTU is recognized internationally as a leading university in the areas of the technical and the natural sciences, renowned for their business-oriented approach, their focus on sustainability, and their good study environment. Founded in 1829 with the mission of creating value for the benefit of society, DTU is an international elite technical university where education, scientific advice, and innovation rest on a solid foundation of world-class research. The University is at the academic and multidisciplinary forefront of the technical and the natural sciences with new initiatives in several demanding engineering disciplines, including sustainable energy technology and life science. 13.400 students are educating themselves for the future, and 6,000 employees focus each day on education, research, consulting and innovation, which contribute to creating value, welfare, and growth. Research underpins all DTUs work. Technology is created through the synergy of research, education, innovation, and scientific advice and by innovative researchers who work at the cutting edge in global partnerships. Please visit https://www.dtu.dk/english/about for more information. 

Terms of employment and salary
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions offer attractive salary and working conditions. Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State and according to the rules and regulations laid down by European Union’s Horizon Europe Marie S. Curie COFUND programme. Depending on seniority, the monthly gross salary begins around 30.700 DKK (approx. 4.100 EUR) (April 2024 level) plus pension as a PhD Fellow.

The employment as PhD Fellow is for 3 years. It is conditioned upon the candidates’ successful enrolment as PhD student at University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Technical University of Denmark. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the candidate and supervisor. 

The PhD study must be completed in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD programme (2013) and the rules on achieving the degree.

Contact
For more information about the process, guidelines or the application system, please contact INTERACT Project manager: Camilla Ebert, interact-msca@bric.ku.dk. 

The deadline for applications is February 20, 2025, at 23.59pm CET.

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements. 

The further process
After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorised recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the hiring committee. All applicants are then immediately notified whether their application has been passed for assessment by an unbiased assessor. 

The assessor makes a non-prioritized assessment of the academic qualifications and experience with respect to the above-mentioned area of research, techniques, skills and other requirements listed in the advertisement.

Once the assessment work has been completed, each applicant can comment on the part of the assessment that relates to him/herself.

The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministerial Order no. 242 of 13 March 2012 on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities. 

You may read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

For more information on working and living in Denmark visit http://ism.ku.dk (International Staff Mobility) and https://www.workindenmark.dk.
 
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and encourages all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.