Postdoctoral Researcher in Theoretical and Experimental Microeconomics at the Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen

The position
We are seeking to recruit a postdoctoral researcher for a 1,75-2 year position to work on the project "DeceptionWeb: Foundations for Emergent Deception in Human-AI Interaction", funded by a UCPH Convergence Grant and led by Pepa Atanasova (Department of Computer Science), Ingo Zettler (Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science and Department of Psychology), and Egor Starkov (Department of Economics). The project's goal is to build a foundational framework for understanding emergent deception in human-AI interaction by uniting behavioural-psychological, economic-strategic, and machine learning perspectives. In addition to the PIs and this postdoctoral researcher, the team also includes a second postdoc bridging Computer Science and Psychology, as well as a student assistant.

The successful candidate will join the Microeconomics Research Unit at the Department of Economics and the Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science (SODAS) at the University of Copenhagen. The postdoc will be jointly supervised by Egor Starkov and Ingo Zettler and will work at the interface of theoretical microeconomics, experimental economics, and behavioral psychology. Duties include working on strategic communication models and frameworks that capture human-AI interaction with the emphasis on behavioral aspects, as well as co-designing and running controlled human-AI interaction experiments. Duties may also include student teaching and supervision, subject to negotiation.

The position is expected to start October 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The position duration is between 1 year, 9 months, and 2 years.

Who are we looking for?
The successful candidate should have:

• a PhD degree or equivalent in Economics or a related field
• have good written and oral English skills.

The assessment of qualifications will also be made based on previous scientific publications and relevant work experience. The ideal candidate would have an educational background, prior research and work experience on Theoretical Microeconomics with a focus on games with incomplete information and/or decision-making under uncertainty, as well as experience in Behavioral/Experimental Economics.Experience in interdisciplinary projects, experimental research with human participants, and/or cognitive, personality, or social psychology is a plus.

Terms of employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range for postdoctoral positions starts at DKK 39,000/approximately EUR 5,200 and 18.07 % pension contribution. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.
You can find further information about the qualification requirements for postdoctoral positions here: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (In Danish only).
You can also find further information about the postdoctoral position on our English webpage on career paths for early‑career researchers at the University of Copenhagen: Career at The University of Copenhagen.

The position is expected to start October 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. The position duration is between 1 year, 9 months, and 2 years. The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

Application procedure
Your online application must be submitted in English by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. Your application must include the following documents (all in PDF format):

• Cover Letter detailing your motivation and background for applying for this position;
• Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position;
• Job market paper;
• Research plan – description of current and future research plans;
• Complete publication list;
• Teaching portfolio;
• Diplomas (Masters and PhD degree or equivalent);

Recruitment Process
After the deadline for applications has expired, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment on the advice of the Interview Committee. You will be notified about whether your application will be selected for assessment.
The assessors will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above-mentioned research area, skills, and other requirements. The assessors will conclude whether each applicant is qualified. The applicants assessed will have the opportunity to comment on their assessments.
You can find further information on our recruitment process at: Recruitment process.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in July or early August 2026.

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
For questions about the recruitment process, contact HR at [email protected], and please refer to ID number: 211-2621/26-2I#2.

Inquiries about the position can be made to Egor Starkov [email protected].

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap 10.000 medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 15-07-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-10-2026

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Economics