PhD position in the HORIZON-MSCA Doctoral Network “alignAI”

We are offering a PhD position at the Research unit of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the Capital Region of Denmark, commencing 1 March 2025 or after agreement. The position is a fixed term for 3 years and full time (37 working hours on average per week).

The candidate will be part of a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) Training Network.

We are seeking a highly motivated, talented researcher with a master’s degree in psychology, sociology, anthropology, public health, or related field to join our research team as part of a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Doctoral Network (DN) project: AlignAI.

About the Project
The AlignAI Doctoral Network aims to train doctoral candidates in the interdisciplinary Large Language Model (LLM) research field. It focuses on aligning these models with human values to ensure their development and deployment are ethically sound and socially beneficial. By integrating expertise from social sciences, humanities, and technical disciplines, the project will address critical issues such as explainability and fairness, ensuring LLMs contribute positively to education, mental health, and news consumption.

The doctoral candidate will focus on the Positive Mental Health use case, which will inform the development of AI mental health assistants for mental health workers, patients, and patients’ caregivers that summaries medical journal entries, takes journal notes, and spares on diagnostic criteria and treatment planning. To support the co-creation process, the doctoral candidate will conduct interviews with stakeholders and evaluate the acceptability of the tool. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with leading experts in the field.

Planned secondments:

• Co-supervision will be provided by Professor Christoph Lütge from the Technical University of Munich who specializes within the field of Ethics and Philosophy.
• Fijitsu Germany will act as an external advisor.

Our research
The Research Unit, CAMHS has three main areas of focus within child and adolescent psychiatry: interventions, epidemiology, and translational neuropsychiatry. The unit has an interdisciplinary staff including, psychologists, medical doctors, nurses, specialists within public health and anthropologists.

The doctoral candidate will be a part of the digital psychiatry research group that employs, develops, and tests machine learning techniques, wearables, and artificial intelligence tools in the context of research and practice of child and adolescent psychiatry. The group has a longstanding close collaboration with data scientists at the Technical University of Denmark. The group is currently working on automating evaluation of cognitive behaviour therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder, developing and testing an app-based intervention, and a national digital mental health platform.

Principal supervisor: Senior Researcher Nicole Lønfeldt; e-mail: [email protected]
Eligibility Criteria

• Doctoral Status: Applicants must not have a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.
• Mobility Rule: Candidates 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 recruitment date.
• Nationality: Open to all nationalities.
• Doctoral Programme Enrolment: You must be willing to enrol in a doctoral programme at the University of Copenhagen.
• Full-Time Commitment: The position requires full-time commitment with a physical presence at the recruiting institution. Teleworking is not permitted.
• Educational Background/Training: Candidates must have a master’s degree in psychology, sociology, anthropology, public health or similar.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct research as outlined in the project’s objectives under the supervision of Nicole Lønfeldt.
• Engage in secondments as part of the project’s training activities with Professor Christoph Lütge, Technical University of Munich and Fijitsu Germany.
• Contribute to academic publications, project reports, and other dissemination activities.
• Participate in structured training programs and network-wide events organised by the consortium.
• Collaborate with international partners and other Doctoral Candidates within the network.

Selection Process

• Application Submission: Applications must be submitted by January 6, 2024.
• Selection Criteria: Candidates will be evaluated based on their academic background, research experience, and alignment with the project’s objectives. The selection process will be open, transparent, merit-based, impartial, and equitable.
• Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a structured interview with predefined questions and a scoring system.
• Reserve List: A reserve list of top candidates may be created for future opportunities.
• Selection Committee: The selection committee will comprise diverse experts ensuring gender balance, nationality diversity, and relevant experience.

Benefits

• Competitive salary: Salary, pension and terms of employment will be in accordance with the Agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and AC (Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) or other relevant organization. Currently, the monthly salary starts at DKK 30.478/ approx. EUR 4,091 (April 2024-level). Depending on qualifications, a supplement may be negotiated. The employer will pay an additional 18,58 % to your pension fund.
• Social Security & Pension: Full coverage under Denmark’s social security and pension schemes.
• Mobility Allowance: Additional monthly allowance for living costs related to relocation.
• Other Allowances: Family allowance, long-term leave allowance, and special needs allowance will be available if needed.
• Professional Development: Access to high-quality training, networking opportunities, and career development support.

Terms of employment
Application Procedure

• How to Apply: Submit your certificate, CV, cover letter (e.g., why are you interested in this project and/or what will you bring to this project. Max two pages), and contact information for two references.
• Documentation: Candidates may be required to provide proof of residency history and eligibility criteria.
• Timeline: The successful candidates will be invited for interviews in the third week of January, and the final decision will be made by the end of the fourth week in January.

Additional Information

• VISA Support: Where applicable, assistance with VISA and relocation procedures will be provided.

For more information about the project and the application process, please contact Nicole Lønfeldt at [email protected]

Equal Opportunity: We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our recruitment process, and we encourage applications from underrepresented groups and all qualified individuals, regardless of nationality, gender, or background.

Note: The recruitment process will adhere strictly to the European Charter for Researchers principles and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

Department:

Lokation: Region Hovedstadens Psykiatri