Danish Data Science Academy Open Call for PhD Scholarships at any Danish University

The Danish Data Science Academy (DDSA ) invites applications for ten three-year PhD scholarships for individual research projects within any field of data science and at any Danish University. We encourage visionary and ambitious young data scientists to develop their own research projects with the assistance of a supervisor from a Danish university.

The DDSA will award the scholarships to the most promising candidates according to their scientific qualifications, motivation and engagement, as well as the quality, originality, relevance and potential impact of the proposed project.

The DDSA PhD Programme
The overall vision of the DDSA is a world-class data science research and education ecosystem in Denmark. To achieve that we will create and support a collaborative data science network enabling excellent data science research, teaching, training, networking and knowledge sharing. 

The PhD programme aims to train, engage and empower young data science talents. It offers a unique opportunity to carry out an individual research project under supervision, while at the same time building your professional network in the evolving, cross-sector data science community. The selected DDSA PhD candidates will become an integral part of the prestigious DDSA Fellowship Programme.

In addition to funding, the programme offers exclusive possibilities such as:

• Free participation in the annual DDSA meeting for the entire data science community across scientific domains and sectors in Denmark
• Access to events and platforms of the DDSA Fellowship Network
• Participation in DDSA PhD courses, summer schools etc.
• Training and assistance in science communication and popular dissemination
• Participation in the DDSA mentoring programme

Who can apply?
The DDSA welcomes applications, which combine excellent personal qualifications, creativity, passion for research, and the desire to engage with the data science community.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, nationality, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

In order to apply for a PhD scholarship, you must also fulfil these formal requirements:

• The applicant
  By the time of application, you must have a relevant two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or equivalent, in addition to a bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS points). You must also have high-level proficiency in oral and written English.
  
• The Research Project
  Your project must be within a field of data science, and may concern basic theoretical research, new data science methods and technologies, and/or innovative applications of data science. Make sure, however, to fit the funding scope of one or both of the DDSA funders, Novo Nordisk Foundation and VILLUM FONDEN.
  
• The Principal Supervisor
  In order to apply, you must have a letter of support from a principal supervisor who should hold a position as associate professor or professor (or equivalent) at a Danish university and conduct research within the field of your PhD project.

Please note that applications not fulfilling these requirements will not be considered.

How to apply
Applications must be written in English and uploaded in the online application form no later than 20 March 2022 23.59 (UTC + 01:00).

Please open the link “Apply online”, fill out the online application form, and attach all the required documentsin English in one PDF file.  The application must include all the following information, numbered as specified below:

Please be aware of the detailed guidelines to the specific content available at DDSA.dk .

Please note that applications failing to provide the required documentation or meeting the technical requirements will not be considered.

Evaluation process and criteria
The DDSA Secretariat will process all incoming applications. All eligible applications will be forwarded to the DDSA Fellowship Evaluation Committee for scientific evaluation. The top-ranked candidates will be invited for an interview, after which the FEC will nominate candidates for final approval by the DDSA Board of Directors.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Qualifications and potential of the PhD candidate (E.g. academic performance, interview performance, data science and programming experience, motivation and creativity, research experience, achievements and references etc.) 
• Quality of the research proposal (incl., originality, coherence, motivation, feasibility,  and potential impact)
• How the proposed project fits to the research scope of the DDSA and its funders.   

Enrolment and employment
If you are granted a scholarship, you will be enrolled in a PhD programme at the Danish university where your principal supervisor holds a position.

The PhD project must be carried out in accordance with The Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme , as well as with the regulations and guidelines defined by the university at which you are enrolled.

Terms of employment and salary are according to the agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the Ministry of Finance.

Further information
For further information about the scholarships, please make use of the elaborate guidelines at DDSA.dk . 

About Danish Data Science Academy
The Novo Nordisk Foundation and VILLUM FONDEN have awarded in excess of DKK 180 mill. to establish a new national Data Science Academy, which will unite and strengthen stakeholders within research institutions, business, public service and organisations. The primary purpose of the Academy is to support education and training of the next generations of Data Science experts as well as creating an internationally competitive Danish Data Science environment. The DDSA is hosted at DTU Compute and will support activities across the national Data Science community and at all Danish Universities.