PhD scholarship in the project “Individual differences in face recognition” at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen

PhD scholarship in the project “Individual differences in face recognition” at the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship at the Department of Psychology. The starting date is March 1st 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter. Introduction The PhD-student will be part of a project entitled Exploring the bases of individual differences in face recognition funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (IRFD). The project is headed by Professor Randi Starrfelt and is a collaboration with Professor in Psychology and Epidemiology, Karen‑Inge Karstoft and Professor in Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Birgitte Fagerlund from Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen. The overall project investigates variability in face recognition across a large, representative sample of the Danish population, with the aim of relating this to variability in other measures of cognition through questionnaires and data from Danish public registries. The focus of the PhD‑project will be on relating variability in face recognition to other measures and indicators of cognitive abilities. Applicants are asked to situate and develop their research plan within the framework of the overall project, and the original project proposal should be requested from Professor Randi Starrfelt, randi.starrfelt@psy.ku.dk prior to submitting the application. Candidates with various background may be considered for the position, examples of relevant backgrounds are MA/MSc degrees in experimental, cognitive, or developmental psychology, neuropsychology, cognitive (neuro)science, medicine (psychiatry), or public health. Strong skills in data handling and analysis is an advantage, as is an interest in the research questions posed in the overall project. Experience with research using data from Danish public registries will be an advantage but is not a requirement. The PhD student will be working in close collaboration with psychologists from different disciplines including psychological epidemiology and cognitive neuropsychology/neuropsychiatry. The position will be placed at Copenhagen Neuropsychology Lab, part of the Section for Cognition and Neuropsychology. It is expected that the successful candidate will be present, part of the team, and partake in the activities in the Lab on a daily basis. The PhD programme provides PhD students with strong research training which opens a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The programme includes the preparation of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. This funded PhD-position is to be undertaken as a three-year full-time study within the framework of the 5+3 study programme. Duties And Responsibilities Information about the PhD study programme is available on the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences PhD at the Faculty of Social Sciences and on the PhD website of the department. Qualification Requirements Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master’s level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. MSc in psychology, public health, medicine, or cognitive neuroscience. 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. Scholarship in the 5+3 programme PhD students are paid a salary in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The PhD student has a work obligation of up to 840 hours over the 3-year period of time without additional pay. The work obligation can include teaching, for instance. Please note assessment of applicants’ qualifications and eligibility for employment and enrolment will only take place after the application deadline. Assessment Criteria
- Research qualifications as reflected in the cover letter, CV and project proposal.
- MSc from a relevant field, e.g. psychology, public health, medicine, or cognitive (neuro)science.
- Interest in cognition and variability in cognitive ability.
- Performance (grades obtained) in graduate and post-graduate studies. Salary and Terms of Employment Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at approximately DKK 31.844,98 (EUR 4.260,48) +