We are offering a PhD fellowship in Surveillance Strategies for Mosquito Borne Infections of Human and Veterinary Importance commencing 1 January 2027 or after agreement.

Our group and research
The applicant will be working with biologists, veterinarians and disease modellers in the Vector Group, which is a part of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Research Group at the Section of Animal Welfare and Disease Control. The Vector Group is situated at the Frederiksberg Campus of University of Copenhagen. Apart from the Epidemiology and Disease Control Research Group, the section also consists of research groups in One Health, Ethology, Bioethics, Health Economics, Animal production and Genetics. The applicant will be closely attached to the National Vector Surveillance program as well as to two EU funded projects Surveillance of West Nile virus and Prevention, Detection and Control of Mosquito-Borne Arboviruses both commencing 1 January 2027.

Information about the Department can be found at: https://ivh.ku.dk/english/.

Project description
The PhD student will be responsible for developing a PhD study which is based on activities in the above-mentioned projects and monitoring of Danish vector borne diseases of veterinary relevance, all under the supervision of senior staff in the vector group. Monitoring insect and tick disease vectors and providing risk assessments and scientific advice to the authorities are core activities of the vector group. The PhD project therefore aims to:

• Improve surveillance techniques for mosquitoes and the associated veterinary and zoonotic relevant pathogens and quantify uncertainties (trap types, field methods for pathogen collection, high risk areas for trapping, seasonal timing of trapping and use of attractants for target species of mosquitoes)
• Explore new techniques for extracting important epidemiological information from mosquito surveillance programs in general and specifically from the growing Danish mosquito data base with a focus on population dynamics and time series analysis (e.g. ARIMA models)
• Map and predict the distribution of emerging Culex modestus in the Nordic area in collaboration with Nordic partners
• Develop a new web-based dashboard for the national vector surveillance program targeting veterinary and health authorities, farmers as well as the public.

Principal supervisor is Senior researcher René Bødker, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, [email protected], +45 25476974

Start: 1 January 2027

Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD student at SUND are:

• Carrying through an independent research project under supervision.

• Completing PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS points.
• Participating in active research environments including a stay at another research team.
• Obtaining experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teaching and disseminating your knowledge.
• Writing a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project.

PhD Programme Description:
The PhD programme is a three-year full-time research education within the framework of the 5+3 scheme, intended for candidates holding a relevant academic degree within the project’s subject area (e.g., MSc Biology/cand. scient, MSC Veterinary Medicine/cand. med. vet.).

Qualifications:
If you have completed your academic education in Denmark, the admission to the PhD programme requires a relevant Master’s degree (equivalent to 180 ECTS BSc + 120 ECTS MSc).

If you have an academic education from abroad, you must have either a degree equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ETCS + 120 ECTS MSc), or at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor's degree (180 ECTS) and be academically qualified at master's level.

As part of the assessment of whether you meet the educational requirements, you must also achieve a positive academic evaluation and be assessed as qualified for the position.

Other important criteria are:

• The grade point average achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project, e.g. experience with mosquito identification is a major advantage
• Previous publications
• Relevant work experience (experience with planning and conducting fieldwork is an advantage)
• A curious mind-set with a strong interest in disease surveillance and quantitative epidemiology
• Good communication skills in English (both oral and written)
• The working language is English, but oral and written Danish is an important advantage when planning mosquito collections on private properties and especially for developing the online dashboard
• Good collaboration skills and team player abilities
• A driver's license for Denmark is essential

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment. We are responsible for the national vector surveillance and for providing scientific advice on vector borne disease risk to the national authorities.

Terms of employment
The average weekly working hours are 37 hours per week.

The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years. The start date is 1 January 2027 or after agreement.

The employment is conditioned upon the applicant’s success­ful enrolment as a PhD student at the Graduate School at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

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

Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Questions
For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD studies at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences is available at the Graduate School’s website: https://healthsciences.ku.dk/phd/guidelines/

Application procedure
Your application must be submitted electronically by clicking ‘Apply now’ below. The application must include the following documents in PDF format:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)

2. CV incl. education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position

3. Certified copy of original Master of Science diploma and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in other language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted. As a prerequisite for a PhD fellowship employment, your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree. We encourage you to read more in the assessment database: https://ufm.dk/en/education/recognition-and-transparency/find-assessments/assessment-database. Please note that we might ask you to obtain an assessment of your education performed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science

4. Publication list (if possible)

Application deadline: Sunday 30 August 2026, 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 authorized 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 has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself.

You find information about the recruitment process at: https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

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

Interviews are expected to be held in week 40 and 41, 2026.

The University of Copenhagen wish to reflect the diversity of society and encourage all qualified candidates to apply regardless of personal background.

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.

Kontakt
René Bødker
E-mail: [email protected]

Info
Ansøgningsfrist: 30-08-2026

Ansættelsesdato: 01-01-2027

Arbejdstid: Fuldtid

Afdeling/Sted: Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences