PhD scholarship – “Green Futures: Strategic Partnerships in the Anthropocene” project, funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF)

The Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen is inviting applications for a three-year PhD scholarship starting on 1 March 2024 or as soon as possible thereafter. 

The PhD project is part of a collective project entitled “Green Futures: Strategic Partnerships in the Anthropocene” funded by the Danish Independent Research Fund and led by Associate Professor Ravinder Kaur.  

About the Project
The planetary-scale climate crisis is fostering a new form of international cooperation: green strategic partnerships. This still-evolving intergovernmental collaboration locates the climate crisis at the core of bilateral exchange and cooperation. The green framework, at once, signals a reconfiguration of the older forms of bilateral strategic partnerships as well as an expansion of the existing edifice of global climate policies and multilateral institutions. Green Futures: Strategic Partnerships in the Anthropocene examines this emerging multi-scalar architecture of climate diplomacy and climate partnerships. Taking the Denmark-India green strategic partnership as the empirical ground, the project delves into the unfolding battle for global sustainable futures along multiple scales and sites across the global north and south.  

About the PhD Program
PhD studies consist of research programmes that qualify students for independent and wide-ranging international research, development and teaching. The main emphasis is on PhD students organising and conducting their research projects (under supervision). The programme culminates in the submission of a PhD thesis, which the student must defend in public. The programme is prescribed to 180 ECTS points, corresponding to three years of full-time study.

A PhD opens up a range of career opportunities in academia and elsewhere. As well as writing a thesis, PhD students work in active research environments in Denmark and abroad. They contribute to the academic environment, take research training courses, and convey the results of their research in teaching, at academic conferences and to the general public. 

Qualification requirements
Applicants must have a two-year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent with a specialization in Modern Indian and South Asian Studies, anthropology, sociology, environmental humanities, and global development studies with a focus on India, and, as a minimum, have submitted a Master’s thesis for which they have received pre-approval at the time of application.

The qualifications of applicants with non-Danish Master’s degrees will be assessed to ascertain whether they correspond to the Danish level. For further information, please refer to the Ministry of Education and Research website: https://ufm.dk/en/education/admission-and-guidance.

• Since the case study will involve data and material in Danish, English, and Hindi or relevant regional Indian languages (depending on the chosen case study), applicants must have advanced skills in relevant languages. 
• Due to the collaborative nature of the host project, the candidate must have excellent collaborative skills and a strong interest in being part of a close-knit research team.

The following criteria are applied when assessing PhD applications:

• The quality, originality and feasibility of the PhD project.
• Research qualifications, as reflected in the attached CV and project description. 
• Competencies and knowledge of relevant fields of academic research.
• Level (grades obtained) of Bachelor's and Master’s studies. 

Application
All applications must be submitted online, in PDF or Microsoft Word format, via the link “Apply for the position” at the bottom of the page. 

The application must include: 

1. Project abstract (max.1,200 characters with spaces)

2. Letter of motivation (max. one page) 
In their statements, applicants are encouraged to outline their motivation in undertaking (a) PhD education, and (b) how they propose to contribute to the collective project. 

3. CV 
Applications must be accompanied by a CV (max. one page) and a list of publications, where relevant.

4. Documentation (diplomas and transcripts) 
Applicants must upload the following:

• A copy of their Master’s degree diploma or similar (if this is not available by the application deadline, applicants must document pre-approval of their Master’s thesis). 
• A copy of their Master’s degree transcript. 
• A copy of their Bachelor’s degree diploma. 
• A copy of their Bachelor’s degree transcript. 

Applicants with a degree from a university where the working language is not English or one of the Scandinavian languages must submit a translation of their Master’s diploma and/or diploma transcripts approved by the Danish embassy or consulate in the country where the original document was issued. These documents must be translated into English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish. An official description of the grading scale (and a diploma supplement where relevant) must also be attached.    

5. Project description
Applications must include a detailed project description covering the problem formulation, overall objectives, methodology, design and timetable (max. five pages/12,000 characters, incl. spaces, excl. bibliography).
Applicants who anticipate incurring extraordinary expenses (related to questionnaires, fieldwork, extended stay(s) abroad, equipment, etc.) must include brief comments about this in their project description.

Guidelines and good advice on project descriptions are available here.

6. Other relevant material 
Statements of consent, e.g. regarding access to special archives and approval of studies abroad, may be submitted along with the applications. It is not necessary to include commitments from supervisors.
Please do not upload or submit recommendations, publications, theses, etc. 

The recruitment process 
After the deadline for applications, the Head of Department considers advice from the Appointment Committee and then selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether or not they have been shortlisted. After this, the Head of Department sets up an expert Assessment Committee to assess the shortlisted applications. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Individual applicants will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced. 

Enrolment 
It is a prerequisite for employment that successful applicants enrol at the PhD School of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen. 

For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: https://phd.humanities.ku.dk/become-phd-student/what-is-it/structure-of-the-phd-programme

For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: https://phd.ku.dk/english/

Remuneration and terms of employment 
Appointment as a PhD Fellow is subject to the collective bargaining agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). 

We seek to reflect the breadth and diversity of society and encourage applications irrespective of personal background.

More information
If you have any questions about the research project, please e-mail the PI Associate Professor Ravinder Kaur, rkaur@hum.ku.dk

For further information about the structure and rules of the PhD programme, please e-mail the PhD Administration at Søndre and City Campus, phd@hrsc.ku.dk

Information about the recruitment process is available from Trine Boe Torp at HR South and City Campuses, hrsc@hrsc.ku.dk. Please refer to case number: 211-1604/23-2H #1.

For further information about the application procedure, please refer to the University of Copenhagen website: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

The deadline for applications is 10 December 2023 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.