At the Department of Law, one or more PhD fellowships will be available as of January 1, 2027, or by further agreement. The place of work is at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense or in Esbjerg.

The PhD fellowahip is in jurisprudence especially within private law, health law, tax law and law and AI.

The primary task in the positions is research and, as a result, to prepare a PhD thesis within the three-year employment. As a PhD student at the Department of Law, you will be part of a legal research environment anchored at The Faculty of Business and Social Sciences.

You are expected to have academic qualifications corresponding to the level obtained by completing a relevant Master’s programme. If you have practical experience in subject areas relevant to the proposed research project, it is naturally an advantage, but it is neither required nor expected.

A PhD is a research degree at the highest international level. You will become part of an active learning environment, in Denmark as well as abroad, and you will obtain an extensive academic knowledge e.g. by participating in relevant PhD courses. Furthermore, you will gain teaching experience since part of the programme involves teaching certain courses at our law studies. You are expected to be able to teach in Danish and/or English.   
   
As a PhD student, you will become part of the good research environment at our department. We cherish our good working environment, and therefore you are expected to show commitment and visibility in relation to the department – internally as well as externally – and to contribute positively to the department’s working environment, everyday life and ongoing operation.

More information about our PhD programme is available at the department’s website. On the website, you will also find the department’s qualifications criteria. The programme is provided by the PhD School at the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences who offer further information on their website.

The Department of Law has a cooperation agreement with Universita' Ca' Foscari in Venice. It means that we offer a so-called double PhD degree. You will find more information about the cooperation here.

Further information about the fellowships               
For further information (regarding both the education and the application procedure), please contact PhD coordinator, Associate Professor Niels Skovmand Rasmussen at nsr@sam.sdu.dk. Please note that due to holidays, responses to inquiries cannot be expected in the month of July.

Application   
The application must include the following:

•   Motivated application
•   Detailed Curriculum vitae (educational and work history should be specified by month and year)
•   Master’s degree certificate including all examination results
•   An application form (is available here)
•   A project description (max 5 pages of 2,400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography etc.). The guidelines for preparing a PhD project proposal for the Department of Law are available here.
•   An abstract of the project description of no more than 250 words
•   Publications, if any – however, no more than two. If one of the attached publications is a master thesis, only the problem formulation and the conclusion should be attached, not the entire thesis.
•   Information on teaching experience or other forms of academic communication.

Documents which are not in Danish, Norwegian or Swedish must be translated into English. SDU may discard applications which are incomplete regarding the above-mentioned criteria without further notice. All documents must be in pdf format, no more than 5 MB per file. 

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. If you experience technical problems when uploading the application, please contact hcm-support@sdu.dk. 

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application should be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae should be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents should be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’. 

Terms of employment      
The applicant will be employed in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and AC (the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations) for academics in the state sector, including the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at universities and the regulations for PhD students as described therein.

Employment as a PhD student is subject to the circular of 20 December 2021, on the agreement for academics in the state sector – Appendix 5, protocol on PhD students.

Application procedure     
When the deadline for applications has expired, a number of applications are selected for an academic evaluation (shortlisting), based on an overall assessment of which of the applicants as regards both their qualifications and their project description match the strategies of the research groups and the department’s needs the best.

Subsequently, the chosen applicants will be assessed by a committee from the PhD School. Once they have submitted their report, each of the applicants in concern will receive the assessment concerning him/her. A number of applicants will then be invited to a job interview.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of our society and thus welcome applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of personal background.

Application deadline: August 17, 2026, 23:59 CET/CEST.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website.

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The Department of Law is part of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, which is comprised of five departments. The department currently has approximately 65 permanent employees and a number of part-time lecturers. We work to ensure high quality and social relevance as regards both jurisprudent research, education and knowledge exchange.

The Department of Law offers the traditional law degree (the Bachelor programme and the Master’s programme) both as daytime studies and part-time studies (the teaching takes place on Saturdays). We also offer a Bachelor programme as well as a Master’s programme in Business Administration and Commercial Laws. In addition, the department is responsible for the teaching of other legal subjects offered at SDU, e.g. on the Master’s programme in Business Economics and Auditing, on the engineering programmes, on the Bachelor programmes in Economics and Business Administration and on the Diploma programmes in Business Administration.                  

The department is based on three of the University of Southern Denmark’s campuses: in Odense (where most of the employees are affiliated), in Kolding and in Esbjerg. The Bachelor programme in Esbjerg started in September 2023 for which reason the legal professional environment at that campus is still being developed.    

The Department of Business & Management (DBM) invites applications for one or more 3-year positions as PhD student within Consumption, Culture & Commerce. The positions are located at SDU’s Campus in Odense and are vacant from January 1st, 2027, or as agreed.

The successful candidate will be engaged in teaching in the B.Sc. Marketing and Management Anthropology programme, and in our Business Administration programmes at the bachelor and master level. Candidates are expected to be able to teach courses based on CCT, anthropological, and sociological approaches to consumption and markets and to supervise bachelor and master theses in the area of consumer research and marketing. 

The proposed PhD project should relate to and expand on the Consumption, Culture and Commerce research unit at SDU. The unit’s research focus lies on critically unpacking consumption and market phenomena by exploring the workings and vicissitudes of culture and socio-economic systems. More details to be found through this link. 

In particular, we welcome projects for cultural research on consumption and markets on topics related to global socio-technical and planetary crises, e.g. climate change, AI risks, social inequalities, biodiversity loss.

Applicants’ profile
We are looking for applicants possessing personal qualities such as curiosity, openness, and a strong desire to understand and solve societal challenges. The applicants should be able to work independently and, in consultation with their PhD supervisor, prioritize different aspects of work. Finally, the applicants are expected to have good interpersonal skills, be interested in engaging with the national and international research community, be present and take part in the daily academic and social environment in Odense.

Applicants should have a relevant master’s degree within management, economics, or related disciplines. Moreover, we expect applicants to: 

• Have good Danish and English skills, both in speaking and writing. 

• Have good communication skills. 

• Have enthusiasm and talent for academic work.  

• Be engaged, proactive, cooperative, be able to work independently, show awareness and confidence in own skills and capabilities.

As part of the PhD program, an individual education program within the field of business and management must be completed. The successful candidates will be expected to complete a three to six-month stay at a research institution abroad and, over the period of the program, to acquire experience of teaching or other types of presentation. They will also be expected to participate in the various activities within the department and – apart from the stay abroad – to be present on a daily basis.

For further information, please contact associate professor and head of research Julie Emontspool, juli@sam.sdu.dk.  
 

How to apply for this position
Employment as a PhD fellow is governed by the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described herein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

Employment of a PhD fellow can only happen after the PhD School has approved the candidate for admission. 

For more information on the department guidelines for qualification and recruitment please visit our website.

An application must include:

• Application, including the motivation for applying for this position.

• Detailed CV – if applicable, including publications and teaching experiences. Education and work history must be date, month and year specific. 

• A certified copy of your master’s degree certificate including all examination results. Alternatively, the expected date to finish the master’s degree.

• Application form, available on our web page.

• A translation of grades according to the European ECTS system obtained in BA and MSc programs. 

• A description of the proposed PhD project, including the main research question, theoretical background, and methodological approach (3 – 5 pages of 2400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography, etc.). 

On the webpage of the PhD School, you can find the guidelines for preparing your project proposal within the PhD program in Business Economics.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English. The application, CV, and project proposal must be written in English. Use of large language models or related AI tools in any capacity must be disclosed in accordance with best academic practices.

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number), if they do – the CPR number must be crossed out. 

To qualify for the position as PhD fellow you must have obtained a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master’s degree) by the enrollment/employment date. 

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the candidates to provide the necessary material.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the candidates will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns them. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointments committee. The appointments committee will manage and complete the job interviews, should such be conducted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will receive an assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU.

Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation. 

If the application does not meet the requirements mentioned above, the faculty may reject your application without further notice. Applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

Application deadline: August 13, 2026, 23:59 CET/CEST.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website.

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. 

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application shall be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae shall be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents shall be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’.

We request files in pdf-format no more than 5 MB per file. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected. 

If you experience technical problems, please contact hcm-support@sdu.dk. 

We recommend that as an international applicant, you take the time to visit Work in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a self-organiser.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.

Salary and employment terms
Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements.

As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process.

SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.