Postdoc and PhD scholarship as part of the “Pesticides and Human Health” project Full-time

Postdoc And PhD Positions In Pesticides And Human Health

Section for Health Data Science and AI

Department of Public Health

University of Copenhagen

We are looking for one postdoc (4 years) and one PhD student to join our research project “Pesticides and Human Health”. The positions are fully funded through a grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The start date for both positions is 1 September 2026.

Research project Pesticides are widely used in agricultural production to combat unwanted insects and fungi around crops, thereby increasing output per acre. We humans are exposed to pesticides daily both through our diet and through the environment. This happens, for example, through the air we breathe.

We still lack answers pertaining to the public health consequences of indirect pesticide exposure. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to environmental impacts, as exposure to toxic substances can be transferred to the unborn child via the placenta and thus affect the development of the fetus. This can, for example, result in the mother losing her child or the child being born with congenital malformations.

This research project will investigate whether there is a causal relationship between indirect exposure to pesticides through the air and population health. We will investigate how pesticides affect the population's fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and children's health and education.

Postdoc Position

Duties and Responsibilities

As a postdoc on the project, you are expected to:

• Develop and co-author with the other project members on research papers.
• Participate in workshops, seminars, and conferences.
• Teach and disseminate your research

Qualifications

We are looking for a highly motivated, independent and enthusiastic scientist with the following qualifications:

• A PhD degree in a relevant subject area, e.g., economics, epidemiology, biostats, data science, or a related discipline.
• Experience in applied statistics and causal inference.
• Experience in the field of health and/or environmental economics/epidemiology.
• Experience in data science
• Experience in working with large data sets.
• A willingness to take on independent responsibilities and work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Experience in writing and submitting academic research papers.
• Experience with statistical software, e.g., Python, Stata, R, or SAS.

Application requirements

• Motivated application (max one page)
• Project description (max. 10,000 characters incl. spaces) not including bibliography). In your project description, we invite you to outline one research idea within the scope of the overall research project. You should focus on one research question you would like to answer and which approaches and methods you will apply. The exercise is designed to assess your research maturity and interests – specifically, your ability to identify meaningful questions, conceptualize a feasible research framework, and think through possible methods of analysis. Please note, you are not necessarily expected to pursue this particular idea during your postdoc; rather, this outline allows us to evaluate your potential as a researcher.
• CV, including list of publications
• Diploma and transcripts of records. If the PhD is not completed, a written statement from the supervisor will do, including the expected date of defence.

PhD Position

Duties and Responsibilities

As a PhD student on the project, you are expected to:

• Co-author with the other project members on one or more research papers.
• Develop your own independent research paper(s) within the scope of the overall project.
• Write an article-based PhD thesis based on these co-authored and individual research papers.
• Attend PhD courses.
• Participate in workshops, seminars, and conferences.
• Teach and disseminate your research.
• Visit another international research institution for at least half a year.

Qualifications

We are looking for a highly motivated, independent and enthusiastic scientist. We are looking for the following qualifications in a candidate:

• You must have qualifications corresponding to master's level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. MSc in economics, data science, or related discipline.
• A substantial interest in applied statistics and causal inference.
• A substantial interest in the field of health and/or environmental economics/epidemiology.
• An interest in data science and working with large data sets.
• A willingness to take on independent responsibilities and work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Experience with statistical software, e.g., Python, Stata, R, or SAS.

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.

If you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree or qualifications corresponding to Danish master's level, you might be qualified for the integrated MSc and PhD program (4+4).

The position is a fixed-term position limited to a period of 3 years.

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.

Application requirements

• Motivated application in English (max. one page)
• Project description (max. 10,000 characters incl. spaces, not including bibliography). In your project description, we invite you to outline one research idea within the scope of the overall research project. You should focus on a research question you would like to answer and which approaches and methods you will apply. The exercise is designed to assess your research maturity and interests – specifically, your ability to identify meaningful questions, conceptualize a feasible research framework, and think through possible methods of analysis. Please note, you are not necessarily expected to pursue this particular idea during your PhD; rather, this outline allows us to evaluate your potential as a researcher.
• CV
• Diploma and transcripts of records (BSc and MSc diplomas and grades. Please include your latest transcript of grades, if you have not yet obtained your degree diploma).

Place of employment

The employment is at the Section for Health Data Science and AI, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, located in central Copenhagen, Denmark. The Section was launched in January 2025 as the newest branch at the Department of Public Health. Our section brings together high level, internationally recognized academics with a focus on big data analysis. The research environment is ambitious and international. Seminars with high-profile international speakers and regular internal research seminars are organized at the section. Both as a Postdoc and PhD at the Section, we provide network and training opportunities, and we have a strong commitment to providing both academic and social opportunities for all staff. The working language is English.

Salary, pension and terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.

The Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) have agreed on a protocol that makes it possible for all international researchers employed by the University to achieve a pension exemption, where the pension will be paid as salary. For more information about the different pension schemes:

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University's participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see.

International applicant? The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying