PhD scholarship at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) Full-time

PhD Scholarship On The ERC-Funded Project MERCURY

Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship on the ERC-funded project MERCURY 'Mercenarism and the Accountability Void: Finding routes to accountability and remedy for the victims of human rights abuses perpetrated by mercenaries' at the Faculty of Law. You will be enrolled at the PhD School at the Faculty of Law.

The scholarship is for 3 years starting on October 1, 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

About the MERCURY project

The MERCURY project is a 5-year €2M project led by Dr. Sorcha MacLeod and funded by a European Research Council Consolidator Grant that is researching viable routes to accountability and access to justice and remedy for the victims of mercenarism.

This PhD position forms part of the mapping phase of MERCURY which aims to provide a novel understanding of contemporary mercenarism to underpin groundbreaking legal analysis of the shortcomings and weaknesses of national and international legal frameworks when it comes to accountability and access to justice and remedies for victims of mercenarism. The PhD project will therefore involve interdisciplinary mapping and analysis of the patterns of predatory and exploitative recruitment of mercenary and mercenary-adjacent actors (as well as the recruiters and other enablers involved in the recruitment and financing of mercenarism). It will shed light on both the evolution of mercenarism and the longer-term legal and life-trajectory consequences of such recruitment. As such, the project will require a 'mixing methods' approach examining how this phenomenon intersects with questions of mobility, nationality, citizenship, gender, race and other axes of inequality and vulnerability such as socio-economic circumstances.

Qualification requirements

Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master's level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. You must also have obtained a minimum overall grade average of 8.2, and the grade 10 or above for the master's thesis at the master's level in accordance with the Danish grading scale. For the Danish grading scale, please see: Grading system — English (ufm.dk).

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.

It is possible to submit your application before completing your master's degree, but the master's degree must be obtained before the start date.

The qualifications of applicants with non-Danish master's degrees will be assessed to decide whether they correspond to the Danish level. For further information, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Education and Research: General assessments for specific countries — English (ufm.dk) .

You must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level, additional language skills are an asset. If deemed necessary, the faculty may request that you document your English skills.

For further information about the guidelines for PhD studies at UCPH, please refer to: PhD Programmes – Guide to studies and admission – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

For further information about the structure of the PhD programme, please refer to: The PhD Programme – Faculty of Law – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

Please also familiarize yourself with the ongoing research at the faculty: Faculty of Law – Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

Essential requirements for the position:

• A background in migration studies, migration law, human trafficking, and/or international human rights law or a related field (ideally in humanities or social science)
• Knowledge of mercenaries and private military and security companies
• Qualitative and field research experience, specifically interviews

Highly desirable qualifications:

• Experience in conducting qualitative research among communities in situations of vulnerability.
• Additional language skills in e.g. French, Arabic, Russian, or Spanish

The successful applicant will be supported in accessing academic training and workshops, membership of professional bodies, conferences and workshops, network-building, and developing academic skills in research and academic writing. They will be effectively and constructively mentored and supported by the PI in a positive workplace. The successful applicant will be expected to engage actively with the MERCURY project and its team.

MERCURY is anchored in and benefits from a strong research environment at the Faculty of Law and across UCPH, as well as with other researchers nationally and internationally. The successful candidate will be based at the Centre for Private Governance (CEPRI). CEPRI is a dynamic research centre with multiple ongoing international and national research projects, and a nurturing, lively, and inspiring atmosphere for PhD scholars.

Enrolment

To be awarded a PhD scholarship, you must enrol as a PhD student at the Faculty of Law, cf. the rules of the Danish Ministerial order No 1039 of 27 August 2013.

Application

Please submit your application online. To apply, please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this page. The application must be written in English, and include the following enclosures in Adobe PDF or Word format:

• CV
• Cover Letter detailing your motivation and background for applying for the specific PhD project.
• Diplomas, transcripts and description of grading scale – bachelor's degree and master's degree.
• Project description, no more than 12,000 keystrokes not including bibliography.
• Other relevant material, e.g. list of publications, documentation of English language qualifications

AI: If generative artificial intelligence is employed during the preparation of the project description, it should be used responsibly and disclosed with full transparency in the designated part of the application.

On the website of the PhD School, you can find information about the enclosures to include with your electronic application: For applicants – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk) .

Salary and terms of employment You will be paid 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 DKK 31,600 (EUR 4,200) + a 18.07% pension contribution. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

You will have a work obligation of up to 840 hours over the 3-year period without additional pay. The work obligation can include for instance teaching.

The recruitment process and assessment criteria

The following criteria are used when shortlisting candidates for assessment:

• Research qualifications as reflected in the project description.
• Quality and feasibility of the project.
• Qualifications and knowledge in relevant human rights and migration disciplines.
• Performance (grades obtained) in graduate and post-graduate studies.
• Whether the faculty can offer adequate supervision for the research topic in question.

Once the deadline for applications has expired, the Associate Dean of Research, with advice from the Appointment Committee, selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted and selected for assessment. After this, the Associate Dean of Research sets up an expert Assessment Committee to assess the shortlisted applicants. The selected applicants will be informed who is serving on the committee. Each shortlisted applicant will be offered the opportunity to comment on the committee's assessment before the appointment is announced.

Further information on the recruitment process at UCPH can be found here: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

International applicant? The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here : For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

UCPH wishes to reflect the diversity of society, and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their personal backgrounds. For more information on the diverse working place environment at the university and the university's participation in the HRS4R programme, please see: HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

Contact information Information