Postdoctoral position in family demography/sociology

The Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen invites applications for an 18-month fixed-term postdoc position open from 1 August 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a new research team that will conduct a comprehensive study of late transition to parenthood in Denmark.

Project description
The research project "Late transition to parenthood in Denmark: normative timetables and real life experience" (LateTOP) is funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF) from 2023 to 2025. And the project is located in the Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen. The project aims to provide an updated knowledge on the presence and strength of age norms for parenthood in contemporary Denmark, in comparison with other European countries. The focus of this project is to uncover the life trajectories of couples who have late transition to parenthood, by examining what they experience before and after childbirth in the spheres of education, employment and partnership. Advanced quantitative methods will be deployed to analyze the European Social Survey and Danish registry data.

Job Description
The project now is hiring a post-doc for 18 months. The successful candidate will contribute to the data management, statistical analyses of the European Social Survey and Danish registry data, manuscript drafting and publication. He or she will disseminate the findings through presentations at conferences and publications in international journals. The postdoc position is a full-time research position and does not involve any teaching obligations.

Requirement

• A PhD degree in family demography, family sociology, economics or statistics. Applicants must have obtained their PhD degree in 2017 or later, or show proof of submitting their doctoral dissertation before the starting date.
• Applicants must possess advanced skills within quantitative methods and applied statistics. Expertise in multilevel model, sequence analysis, latent class analysis, or growth mixture modelling is an advantage.
• Experience in analyzing large datasets. Particularly, experience in using registry data will a merit.
• Good knowledge of R or Stata
• Very good command of English. Some knowledge of Danish will be good but not required.
• Demonstrated ability to work in an international team of researchers
• Good communication skills

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences
The Department of Sociology is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energizing global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the Faculty strategy, see: samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/ You can read the Department’s strategy here: Strategy 2018-2023 (ku.dk)

Terms of Employment

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here: employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/

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 employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

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: ism.ku.dk/

Contact Information
For information about the project and the position, please contact project PI Assistant Professor Mengni Chen ([email protected] ). Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: [email protected]. Please refer to ID number: 211-1384/23-2I

How to apply
Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.  

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

1) Cover letter demonstrating (a) how the scientific qualifications of the applicant meet the requirements for this position and (b) how the applicant can contribute to the LateTOP project (max 4 pages in total).

2) Curriculum vitae (including contact information of three reference persons).

3) A complete list of publications (including accepted manuscripts to be published).

4) Your best publication represents your qualifications (or chapter from your PhD dissertation) (max 30 PDF pages)

5) A copy of diploma of master and doctoral degree or letter signed by the supervisor that a doctoral degree is expected in due time.

The closing date for applications is 30 April 2023 23:59 CEST
Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.