SDU Metaverse Lab, part of Maersk McKinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), invites applications for a 3-year postdoc position within serious games and immersive simulation for healthcare and robotics. Funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the positions are available from September 1, 2026, and the specific start date will be agreed upon with the successful candidates.

The postdoc will contribute to an interdisciplinary research program at the intersection of game development & simulations, robotics, and medicine, focusing on designing and evaluating interactive training and decision-support experiences (e.g., XR/VR medical training, digital-twin-based simulation). The project will be developed in close collaboration with regional and international partners.

What we offer

• A fully funded postdoc position with strong support for research dissemination, conferences, and collaboration-building activities
• An interdisciplinary home in the SDU Metaverse Lab, collaborating across games, health, learning technologies, and robotics, and embedded in the strong robotics ecosystem around MMMI and Odense
• A collaborative environment with supervision/mentoring opportunities (student projects, co-supervision with the PI), and support for building an independent research track and future funding applications.
• Access to facilities and project resources for XR/VR prototyping and evaluation, including planned VR lab setup and dedicated budget for user testing and studies.
• Opportunities to co-design and validate solutions with external stakeholders (e.g., clinical and industry partners), supporting real-world impact and technology transfer.

What we expect

• Core responsibilities:
  • Lead and execute research on interactive simulations/serious games for healthcare and robotics-related scenarios, from research questions and prototypes to validation and publication.
  • Plan and conduct human-subject studies (e.g., controlled experiments, field studies with professionals, mixed-methods evaluations), including study design, ethics, recruitment planning with partners, data collection, and statistical analysis.
  • Develop robust evaluation pipelines for experience, learning outcomes, usability, and human factors, potentially combining self-report with behavioral/interaction data and (where relevant) sensor-based or psychophysiological measures.
  • Contribute to mentoring/co-supervision of students and support collaboration across the project team.
• Required Qualifications:
  • PhD (or near completion at start date) in a relevant area such as game research or development, human-computer interaction, interaction design, XR, serious games, health technology, or related fields.
  • Demonstrated ability to design and run user studies and analyze human-subject data (quantitative and/or mixed methods).
  • Track record (relative to career stage) of publishing in relevant peer-reviewed venues.
  • Practical experience with at least one of: game engines (Unity/Unreal), XR prototyping, interactive simulation development, or comparable interactive tech stacks.
  • Strong communication skills, demonstrated through activities such as teaching, supervision, presentations, interviews, or interdisciplinary collaboration, and an interest in working in an interdisciplinary, partner-facing setting (academia and clinical/industry collaborators).
• Desired Qualifications:
  • Experience evaluating player experience, emotions/affect, engagement, or learning in interactive systems (including serious games).
  • Familiarity with ethical considerations in human-subject research and data collection for sensitive contexts (e.g., healthcare, biometrics).
  • Interest or experience in co-creation with domain experts (e.g., clinicians), or related approaches such as user-centered design, requirements elicitation, or iterative prototyping, and the ability to translate real-world needs into design requirements.

Workplace description
The postdoc will be based in the SDU Metaverse Lab, an interdisciplinary research and impact-oriented environment focusing on interactive technologies across domains such as games, health, learning, and robotics.

The SDU Metaverse Lab is part of the Faculty of Engineering at SDU and located within the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, a strong international environment with a long-standing excellence in robotics, interactive technologies, and AI, situated in Odense, one of Europe’s notable robotics hubs.

Further information
For further information about the position, please contact Alexander Dockhorn, SDU Metaverse Lab, MMMI, SDU, at ([email protected]).

If you experience technical problems, please contact our email support.

Application
Applicants are advised to read the SDU information on how to apply.

Assessment of the candidates is based on the application material, and the application must include:

• Motivated application.
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Master’s and PhD degree certificates or equivalent (original and an official English translation).
• Complete list of publications.
• Publications most relevant to the position.
• Summary and documentation of experience in teaching, if relevant to the position.
• A research statement may be included.
• References/reference letters may also be included.
• A statement/documentation of other qualifications relevant to the position may also be included.

All documents must be in English and PDF format. CPR number (civil registration number) must be crossed out. All PDF-files must be unlocked, allow binding and may not be password protected.

SUBMISSION GUIDE: Motivated application must be uploaded under ‘Cover letter’ (max. 5 MB), Curriculum Vitae must be uploaded under ‘Resume’ (max 5 MB). All other documents must be uploaded under ‘Miscellaneous documents’ (max 10 files with a maximum 50 MB per file).

The application deadline is August 9, 2026, at 11:59 PM/23:59 (CET/CEST)

Assessment and selection process
Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied, and only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU. Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation. Read about the Assessment and selection process.

Employment terms
The appointment as a postdoc is for a 3-year period and the preferred start date is from September 1, 2026. Extension may be possible depending on available funding.

Employment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level at the time of employment. Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state including the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for postdoc as described therein.

Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements. As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process. SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary. Further information on salary and taxation.

Persons employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer”.

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The University of Southern Denmark wishes its staff to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position. SDU conducts research in critical technologies, which, due to the risk of unwanted knowledge transfer, is subject to a number of security measures. Therefore, based on information from open sources, background checks may be conducted on candidates for the position(s).

Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark. You may also visit WorkinDenmark for additional information.

Further information about The Faculty of Engineering.

Location
Odense M, Denmark

Apply Before
2026-08-09T21:59:00+00:00