Bourse doctorale du Medical Museion

PhD fellowship in Research Culture at Medical Museion (Department of Public Health) 

Call for applications


We are offering a 3-year PhD fellowship at Medical Museion, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, focused on Research Culture, commencing 15 September 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Our group and research
Medical Museion is a university research unit as well as a public museum where research, public/stakeholder engagement and museum work are all brought together (www.museion.ku.dk). We believe this public environment allows us to stretch the boundaries of what research can be, and what it can lead to. Medical Museion is a part of the Department of Public Health and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR), allowing close collaboration with scientist colleagues and exposure to a diversity of approaches to health research.

We are interested in topics at the intersection of medicine, science, culture and society, including:
the materiality, history, philosophy, methodology, aesthetics and epistemic workings of medical science
our relationship to the body, health and the existential sides of our physical being
the enduring role museums at the intersection of research and society.

In terms of disciplines, many of our investigative methods relate to Medical Humanities, but staff also comes from backgrounds including the History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine, STS, Material Culture Studies, Visual Anthropology, Museology, and Science Communication.

Project description
Companies, countries and foundations pour vast resources into our knowledge-based world by supporting research. This research is also increasingly international and interdisciplinary, presenting new challenges for the organisation and culture of science. There is a long tradition of studying how research environments function, but the relationship between their internal cultures, scientific outputs, and researcher wellbeing remains under-developed. This PhD project will explore a corner of this enterprise by examining aspects of how research in cross-disciplinary centres is conducted, alongside the experiences of its participants.

A core interest of the project will be the relationship between what’s good for researchers and what’s good for science: how might researcher wellbeing be linked to knowledge generation and innovation? The PhD will be expected to work together with supervisors to develop a project within this broad field. Pertinent more detailed questions might include:
how is creativity in research linked to collaboration and connectivity (both within academia and beyond)?
what value can/should be retained for more individual approaches to doing research?
what is the role for ‘business thinking’ (missions, goals, strategy, performance, KPIs….) in the organisation and structuring of research, and what other models are available/useful?
what impact do different scales and speeds have on research and its outputs – big versus small, fast verses slow?

The successful candidate could come from a variety of backgrounds, including e.g., STS, History and Philosophy of Science, Business Studies, Sociology, Ethnography and/or Biography. It will be important to mix understandings at a macro- and micro-level, balancing more quantitative evidence with qualitative and subjective insights. The incorporation of arts-led investigations – potentially through collaboration – might also yield fascinating insights.

The research will take its point of departure from Medical Museion’s participation in the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research and connections to other multi-disciplinary research centres in Copenhagen and beyond.

Supervisor contact:

Prof Ken Arnold, Department of Public Health. Email: kra@sund.ku.dk. Phone: +45 93565532

Start: 15 September 2022

Duration: 3 years as a PhD student

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

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses or other equivalent education corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS points
• Participate in active research environments including a stay at another research team
• Obtain experience with teaching or other types of dissemination related to your PhD project
• Teach and/or otherwise disseminate your knowledge
• Write a PhD thesis on the grounds of your project.

Key criteria for the assessment of applicants
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to a master’s degree related to the subject area of the project.
Please note that your master’s degree must be equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years).

Other important criteria are:

• The grade point average achieved
• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Previous publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in how contemporary science is conducted
• Demonstrable interest in medical sciences is desirable
• Language skills.

Place of employment
The place of employment is at the Public Health Department, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

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 15 September 2022 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.

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agree­ment between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State. Depending on seniority, the monthly salary starts at approximately 28,300 DKK/Roughly 3,800 EUR (April 2022 level) plus pension.
The PhD fellow is obliged to carry out – without additional pay – allocated teaching or museum-related tasks of up to 840 working hours during their period of employment.

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

General information about PhD study 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: 22 May 2022, 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 June.

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


Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.

Info

Application deadline: 22-05-2022
Employment start: 15-09-2022
Department/Location: Department of Public Health