Deadline 9 Sep 23:59 CEST
Expected start 1 Feb
-
Department of Political Science Bartholins Allé 7 8000 Aarhus C
-
Full-time position ID: 18564
The position is available from 1 February 2026.
The research project
King Frederik Center for Public Leadership aims to provide better knowledge about how leadership can improve motivation and performance in public organizations and to ensure that this knowledge is disseminated and used in leadership training. We therefore invite PhD projects in public sector leadership that have the potential to improve our knowledge about leadership, motivation and performance in public organizations. We are especially interested in the following topics (but other applications are also welcome):
- Political leadership
- Leadership related to digitalization and/or AI
- Military leadership
- Leadership in relation to the climate challenge
The center is located at Department of Political Science, and it includes researchers from many different disciplines, including e.g. psychology, economics and management. 23 persons work at Department of Political Science (2 professors, 5 associate professor, 4 assistant professors, 5 PhD students, one senior advisor and 6 research assistants/organizational consultants). Around 25 additional persons are affiliated with the center and work at other departments at Aarhus University or at other research institutions.
Further information
For further information about the position, please contact Christian Bøtcher Jacobsen, christianj@ps.au.dk, +4587165431.If you need help uploading your application or have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Coordinator Mette Fisker Præstegaard, Email: mfp@au.dk
Place of work
Department of Political Science, Bartholins Allé 7, 8000 AarhusFormal requirements
You can read more about how to apply in the application guide and find the rules and regulations of the PhD education here.
The following criteria are decisive in the assessment of the candidates:
- the applicant’s academic qualifications (assessed on the basis of the qualifying degree)
- the quality and relevance of the project proposal
- the applicant’s level of academic aptitude and assessed ability to complete the project within the framework of the PhD programme
Applicants are very much encouraged to supply documentation as to how they rank compared to their class (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). This may for example be in the form of a letter from your University stating either how you rank as an individual student compared to other students the year you graduated ("ranks as no. 6 out of 111" or "ranks as among the best 8 percent") or if that is not possible, general information from your University as to how grades were distributed in the year of your graduation will be appreciated.
Please note that Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to evaluate the applications on the basis of the documentation received before deadline, and you will not necessarily be asked for further documentation. Furthermore, Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to reject application that do not comply with the limitations as stated in the application guide (see link above).
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply irrespective of personal background.
Terms of enrolment
If you are enrolled in part A of the 4- or 5-year schemes you will receive a SU PhD Scholarship according to the rules set out in the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme (SU). In addition, you will be offered to undertake paid work of up to 280 hours during your part A enrolment period.
Terms of employment
You can read more about the 3-, 4- and 5-year scheme here.
Questions about the position?
Christian Bøtcher Jacobsen Professor, Department of Political Science +4587165431 christianj@ps.au.dk
Questions about application and proces?
Aarhus BSS Administrative Centre - Aarhus BSS HR and PhD Administration +4593522807 bss.hr@au.dk