PhD Fellowship in Causal Inference (SMARTbiomed Pioneer Centre) at the University of Copenhagen
Job Description
The University of Copenhagen’s Department of Public Health is offering a PhD fellowship in causal inference for complex longitudinal survival data, using Denmark’s nationwide health registries to study combination drug treatments in type 2 diabetes, as part of the SMARTbiomed Pioneer Centre.
At a glance
- Position: PhD fellowship, Section of Biostatistics, Department of Public Health
- Centre: SMARTbiomed Pioneer Centre
- Supervisors: Thomas A. Gerds (principal), Munir E. Hiabu (co-supervisor), Christian Torp-Pedersen (Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen)
- Start: 1 January 2027 or as soon as possible thereafter
- Apply: 20 September 2026
About the PhD project
- Develop causal inference methods for longitudinal survival data with time-varying confounding, competing risks, treatment non-adherence and time-related biases
- Work on dynamic, asynchronously started combination treatments
- Use methods such as random forests and targeted learning to build interpretable survival models and doubly robust estimators
- Apply the methods to combination drug therapies in people with type 2 diabetes, using nationwide Danish registries
A Danish PhD combines supervised research with about 30 ECTS of PhD courses, a research stay at another group, and some teaching or dissemination, ending in a PhD thesis. Positions are advertised with a fixed project and supervisor, and applicants apply to that specific project.
What University of Copenhagen is looking for
- A statistician with a solid background in mathematical statistics and biostatistics
- Documented skills in theoretical and applied statistics and the ability to program in R
- Interest in communicating results through teaching, talks and international journal papers
- You must not already be enrolled as a PhD student at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Nice to have
- Knowledge of clinical trials and experience collaborating with medical researchers
- Knowledge of group-sequential trials (appreciated but not necessary)
Pay and location
Salary, pension and terms of employment follow the agreement between the Danish Ministry and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC); the posting gives no figure. The position is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
How to apply
Apply through the official University of Copenhagen page. The closing date is 20 September 2026. Apply through the University of Copenhagen job portal using the “Apply now” link on the official posting, which lists the documents to include.
See all our PhD positions, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: University of Copenhagen
Official advertisement: employment.ku.dk
How to prepare for this application
- Causal methods: revise g-methods, targeted maximum likelihood estimation and doubly robust estimators.
- Survival analysis: competing risks and time-varying confounding are central to the project.
- R skills: bring code examples; R programming is required.
- Registry data: read about the strengths and pitfalls of Danish health registries.
- Deadline: it closes on 20 September 2026.
About the University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen, founded in 1479, is Denmark's oldest and largest university. In Denmark, PhD students are normally employed on full-time salaried contracts, with pay and terms set by national collective agreements, and the standard PhD lasts three years after a master's degree.
