PhD Scholarship at the Center for Subjectivity Research, Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen

PhD Scholarship at the Center for Subjectivity Research, Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) The Department of Communication invites applications for a three-year PhD scholarship starting from February 1st 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is offered within the project Rethinking ADHD: from executive control to a disorder of salience and will focus on reconsidering the theoretical and philosophical premises underlying ADHD, and distractibility in particular. The project is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark and is led by Assistant Professor Jelle Bruineberg. Introduction The PhD programme is a study programme which aims at training PhD Fellows, at an international level, to undertake research, development, knowledge dissemination and teaching assignments. The main emphasis is on PhD students organising and conducting their own research project (under supervision). The programme includes the drafting of a PhD thesis which the student must defend at a public defence. The standard duration of the PhD programme is three years of full-time studies, which equals 180 ECTS. A PhD degree opens a range of career opportunities in academia and elsewhere. As well as writing a thesis, PhD students work in active research environments in Denmark and abroad. They contribute to the academic environment, take research training courses, and convey the results of their research in teaching, at academic conferences and to the general public. The PhD Fellow will be affiliated with the Center for Subjectivity Research, an internationally oriented and interdisciplinary research center that seeks to further the integration of different philosophical traditions, in particular phenomenology and analytic philosophy of mind. It moreover promotes the dialogue between philosophy and empirical science, in particular psychiatry, clinical psychology, cognitive science, developmental psychology, sociology, anthropology, and political theory (https://cfs.ku.dk/). The Project The overall aim of the Sapere Aude project is to rethink the theoretical assumptions underpinning Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is typically thought of as a disorder of executive control: an inability to control where attention is directed. But in situations that capture their interests, people with ADHD seem to be able to focus for particularly long periods of time. The core idea to be pursued is that ADHD might be better understood as a difference in the way the world draws attention. Everyday attention is then not so much a tug-of-war between controlling your attention and being distracted, but a balancing act between sticking to the task at hand and remaining open to other things that might also be relevant. The hypothesis is that a salience-based approach to ADHD can make better sense of some of the paradoxical aspects of ADHD, such as hyperfocus, can lead to a better understanding of ADHD and can inform the normative debate about ADHD. The PhD project is part of a work package that develops the conceptual and philosophical groundwork that is required for articulating a new perspective on ADHD. This groundwork includes rethinking some foundational issues in the philosophy and cognitive science of attention, such as: What is the “

job description
” for attention? What is the division of labor between salience and executive control? And is it always good to have more control over one’s attention? The PhD candidate is expected to develop and carry out a research project that coheres with the overall ambitions of the work package. The role will suit applicants who are interested in working at the intersection between philosophy, cognitive science and psychiatry, and who have a special interest in attention. Applicants should have well-developed writing and research skills, and be able to demonstrate research potential, for example through a strong Master’s thesis, publications, or conference presentations. Qualification Requirements Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master’s level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. Philosophy, Cognitive Science, or similar. If you have completed your education in Denmark, you must have a master’s degree covered by the collective agreement for academics in the state sector. If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, you must either have a master’s degree equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (two years) or as minimum a bachelor’s degree equivalent to a Danish bachelor’s degree (three years) and be assessed as having professional qualifications at master's level. If you have completed your education outside of Denmark, we will obtain an assessment of your education from the Danish Research Agency. Applicants must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level. If deemed necessary, the department may request that applicants document their English skills.