PhD Fellowship in Kalaallit Narrative Traditions - UCPH

Applications are invited for a PhD scholarship at the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics. The chosen candidate will be employed and enrol at the Faculty of Humanities under PhD School at the Faculty of Humanities.

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

The PhD fellow will investigate conceptions of nature in Kalaallit narrative traditions. These traditions are understood broadly as living practices expressed through literature, theatre, visual art, oral storytelling, performance, and film. The project should explore Indigenous understandings of nature in one or more of these traditions, in contemporary and/or historical forms, drawing on ecocritical and/or decolonial perspectives, with the possibility of emphasizing one approach.

The fellowship is part of the research project “Environmental Colonialism in Kalaallit Nunaat: Tracing the Cultural Transformation of Indigenous Ecologies in Literature, Film, and Art”, a four-member team running from 2026 to 2030. This project highlights conceptions of nature in Kalaallit narrative traditions and examines how Danish and American narratives in literature, film, and art have represented them through Western frameworks. One of its aims is to offer a deeper understanding of the colonial narrative mechanisms that have marginalized non-Western conceptions of nature. The project is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (10.46540/4250-00022B).

The position is interdisciplinary, and applicants may come from backgrounds in Danish or Nordic language and literature, comparative literature, literary history, art history, theatre and performance studies, dramaturgy, cultural studies, Arctic studies, environmental humanities, philosophy, intellectual history, or related fields.

Introduction
The PhD program is study program which aims at training PhD students, at an international level, to undertake research, development, and teaching assignments. These qualifications open a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The program includes the drafting of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks and the Department’s scholarly life, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. The standard duration of the PhD programme is three years of full-time studies, which equals 180 ECTS credits.

Qualification requirements
Applicants must have qualifications corresponding to master’s level related to the subject area of the project, e.g. [relevant educations]. 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.

You must possess skills in written and spoken academic English at a high level. In addition, we expect thorough knowledge of Greenlandic language and culture. If deemed necessary, the Department may request that you document your English skills.

How to apply
Applications must be submitted online. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this advertisement to apply. The application must be written in Danish or English, and include the following enclosures in Adobe PDF or Word format:

• Project abstract Please fill in the “Project abstract” box in the application form (must not exceed 1.200 characters)
• Cover Letter detailing your motivation and background for applying for the specific PhD project (max 2400 keystrokes)
• Project description (recommended no more than 7500 keystrokes not including bibliography)
• CV
• Diploma and transcripts of records (bachelor’s and master’s degree)
• Other relevant documentation such as list of publications, documentation of language skills (if relevant).

Applicants holding a degree from a university where the working language is neither English nor a Scandinavian language must include translated versions of their diploma and transcripts, verified by the issuing university. The documents must be translated into English, Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish. In addition, an official description of the relevant grading scale (e.g. diploma supplement) must be included.

On the website of the PhD School, you can find more information about the attachments your need to include with your application: PhD at the Faculty of Humanities – University of Copenhagen.

Assessment criteria
The following criteria are applied when assessing PhD applications:

• Research qualifications as reflected in the project proposal
• Quality and feasibility of the project
• Qualifications and knowledge in relevant disciplines
• Performance (grades obtained) in graduate and post-graduate studies
• Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics can offer adequate supervision for the research topic in question.

Salary and Terms of Employment
Terms of appointment and salary will be in accordance with an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The salary range starts at approximately DKK 30,840 (EUR 4,130) + an 18.07 % pension contribution. According to the agreement, the PhD student is required to carry out tasks at the relevant department to an extent corresponding to 840 working hours (6 months).

You can read more about employment as a PhD Fellow here: Employment as a PhD student – University of Copenhagen.

The Recruitment Process
After the application deadline, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and then selects applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will then set up an expert assessment committee to assess the shortlisted applications. 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.

As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.

You can find further information about the recruitment process at: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen.

Enrolment
It is a prerequisite for employment that successful applicants enrol at the PhD School of the Faculty of Humanities, University of Copenhagen. Follow the links below for further information:

Structure of the PhD programme – University of Copenhagen.

PhD Programmes - Guide to studies and admission – University of Copenhagen.

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).

Equal Opportunity Workplace
University of Copenhagen 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: HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk).

Contact Information
If you have any questions about the academic content of the PhD programme, please contact Tobias Skiveren, e-mail tobiasskiverenwharrisseanjohnson@hum.ku.dksimpson-bray.dkgutierrez-shaw.dk.

Information about the recruitment process is available from HR South at scarpentercortegahr-soendresmithamber@fletcher.dknielsen-gray.dksmith.dkadm.ku.dk - please refer to ID number: 211-2270/25-2H #2.

The deadline for applications is 26 October 2025 at 23:59 (Central European time).

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered. However, changes may be made to the submitted application right up until the deadline.