PhD fellow positions at the Department of Food and Resource Economics Full-time

PhD Fellowship Positions

The Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO) is inviting applications for positions as PhD fellows that will start on 1 August 2026 or later. IFRO carries out basic and applied social science research and has educational and public sector advisory service responsibilities within its thematic fields. We are characterized by a high involvement in interdisciplinary research at both international and national levels.

Research areas The relevant research areas for the PhD scholarships are within the thematic areas covered by the four larger research groups at IFRO:

• Environment and natural resources, which includes environmental valuation, economic modelling, behavioural economics, and the economic regulation of environmental externalities and natural resource use, environmental ethics, sociology and governance, climate change economics and policy, economics, assessment and management of forests, fishery or aquaculture, biodiversity conservation
• Production, markets, and policy, which include production economics, applied micro-economics, efficiency analysis, innovation studies, sustainability transitions, management science, organization and ownership, policy design and analysis, business economics, agricultural and food economics including agri-tech economics, policy and regulation, trade negotiations and agreements, and the impact of international trade in food and natural resources
• Consumption, bioethics, and regulation, which include food economics, food and environmental sociology and policy, law, consumer behaviour and policy, and public health economics and policy in the human, veterinary and the animal science fields. It also includes ethics perspectives on food production, animal husbandry, companion animals, veterinary practices, and management of the environment and natural resources
• Global development conducting research on nature-society relations, including agricultural commodities and value chains, business and development, rural livelihoods and environmental reliance, state and non-state governance, climate adaptation and mitigation, renewable energy, forestry and conservation, indigenous territories and resource conflicts, urbanisation, and social movements and mobilisation

Who are we looking for? At IFRO, we see diversity as important to our collective ability to do excellent research and teaching. We therefore particularly encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Applicants should hold an MSc degree related to the thematic areas mentioned above with outstanding results and English language skills. Previous publications (if any), relevant work experience, and the quality of the applicant's proposed non-binding research idea (see below) will also be considered criteria for assessing your qualifications. Applicants are encouraged to submit a brief (maximum 3 pages) non-binding research proposal to illustrate their general interest and ability to formulate a research idea. The final research topic for each employed applicant is decided upon in dialogue. The Department may propose topics relevant to the applicant's profile that are better fitted to ongoing activities, are funded through existing project grants, and/or hold greater potential. We recommend carefully reviewing the Department's homepage, staff, and publications for inspiration. Physical presence at IFRO is considered as a natural part of being an employee to contribute to a welcoming, socially pleasant, creative and innovative work environment. IFRO offers possibility for flexibility and working from home, but an employee is expected to regularly be present physically at IFRO.

The PhD programme Depending on your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:

Option A: A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master's degree.

Option B: An up to five year full-time study programme within the framework of the integrated MSc and PhD programme (the 3+5 scheme), if you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree – but you have an education equivalent to a Danish bachelor’s degree.

Qualifications needed for the regular programme To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master's degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. [relevant educations]. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of employment with the regular programme Employment as PhD fellow is full-time and for a maximum of 3 years.

Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.

The terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Qualifications needed for the integrated MSc and PhD programme If you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree, you might be qualified for the integrated MSc and PhD programme, if you have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish bachelor’s degree. Here you can find out, if that is relevant for you: General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.

Terms of the integrated programme To be eligible for the integrated scholarship, you are (or are eligible to be) enrolled at one of the faculty's master programmes related to the thematic areas mentioned above.

Students in the integrated programme will enrol as PhD students simultaneously with completing their enrollment in this MSc degree programme.

The duration of the integrated programme is up to five years and depends on the number of credits you have passed on your MSc programme. For further information about the study programme, please see www.science.ku.dk/phd, “Study Structures”.

Until the MSc degree is obtained (when exactly two years of the full 3+5 programme remains), the grant will be paid partly in the form of 48 state education grant portions (in Danish: “SU-klip”) plus salary for work (teaching, supervision, etc.) totalling a workload of 150 working hours per year. A PhD grant portion is currently (2026) DKK 7.426 before tax. After obtaining the MSc degree, you will transfer to the salary-earning part of the scholarship for two years. At that point, the terms of employment and payment will be according to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.

Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes

• Complete and pass the MSc education in accordance with the curriculum of the MSc programme (ONLY when you are attending the integrated MSc and PhD programme)
• Carry through an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Prepare and submit publications – typically for high-end journals relevant to your field of study or, in some cases, a monograph depending on your field of study
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mindset with a strong interest in the thematic areas mentioned above
• Good English language skills

Application and Assessment Procedure Your application, including all attachments, must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
2. Curriculum vitae, including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant to the position
3. Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another 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.
4. Publication list (if possible)
5. Reference letters (if available)
6. Applicants are encouraged to submit a brief non-binding research proposal (maximum 3 pages) to illustrate their general interest and ability to formulate a research idea. The final research topic for the applicants hired is decided upon in dialogue. The Department may propose topics relevant to the applicant's profile that are better fitted to ongoing activities, funded through existing project grants, and/or hold greater potential.

Application deadline: The deadline for applications is 19 April 2026, 23:59 GMT +2. We reserve the right not to