Research Assistant for "The Copenhagen Daycare Project"

The Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for a Research Assistant in “The Copenhagen Daycare Project”.

We are looking for a dedicated research assistant for a new project titled “The Copenhagen Daycare Project”, which focuses on the social and emotional wellbeing of babies and toddlers in the daycare setting. The project is led by Professor Mette Skovgaard Væver and assistant professor Sophie Reijman.

The position is for 2 years of full-time employment, starting January 1, 2022 or soon thereafter.

Project

The Copenhagen Daycare Project aims to benefit the social and emotional development of babies and toddlers in daycare centers in Copenhagen via two separate but interrelated strands of research: the first strand is a clustered randomized trial of the Caregiver Interactive Profile (CIP) intervention, which supports daycare providers in reflecting on and improving their sensitive communication with the children in their care via a video-feedback method. In the second strand of the study we aim to identify behaviours in toddlers in the daycare setting that may signal vulnerabilities in their social and emotional development. The ultimate goal of this strand of the study is to develop a screening tool daycare providers can use in the work setting to help identify and support children with social-emotional vulnerabilities.

The project is a collaboration with Københavns Professionshøjskole and Københavns Kommune.

Primary tasks

The primary tasks of the research assistant (RA) will be to help with recruitment of daycare centers, maintain excellent working relationships with daycare providers and parents, implementation of the CIP intervention, and with coding of video-recorded interactions between daycare providers and children.

The selected RA will have a high level of responsibility in the day-to-day management of the study. The RA will be part of research meetings held with the core research group. The RA will receive formal training both in delivering the CIP intervention and in coding the video recordings from the author/creator of the intervention, Dr. Katrine Helmerhorst (Erasmus University Rotterdam, NL). Ongoing supervision will be provided by the senior staff.

The project will provide the RA with a versatile working experience that will be highly valuable for those graduates who are interested in pursuing a career in research as well as those who want to practice in the area of early childhood mental health (e.g., PPR).

Your Competencies and Opportunities

Required:

• MA degree in Psychology
• An interest for research
• Fluency in Danish, good proficiency in English
• Excellent social skills.
• Being highly organized and responsible
• Being flexible

Desirable:

• Work experience in daycare, particularly “vuggestuer” (nurseries for children aged 0-3 years).

Strategy 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.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the Faculty strategy, see: https://samf.ku.dk/fakultetet/strategi/ . You can read the Department’s strategy here: https://psy.ku.dk/om/strategi/Strategy_Department_of_Psychology_UCPH_2018-2021_180514.pdf

Terms of Employment

The recruitment process
Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:  https://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 https://employment.ku.dk/working-at-ucph/eu-charter-for-researchers/

Contact information
Information about the recruitment process is available from HR Sarah Lund, e-mail: [email protected] please refer to ID number: 211-0158/21-2O

Additional information about the position can be obtained from Sophie Reijman, e-mail: [email protected]

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:

• Motivated application (1 page max)
• Curriculum vitae
• Diploma (master and bachelor) or transcript of grades
• Other relevant material

Combine all these documents into a single pdf and upload it online via the website https://employment.ku.dk/

The closing date for applications is October 27, 2021, 23:59 CEST.

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the society and encourages everyone to apply for the position, regardless of personal background.

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.