The Department of Psychology invites applications for a postdoctoral position in registry based cognitive research to commence by 01.december 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position is a fixed-term position for 24 months/2 years.

Introduction

The postdoc will be part of a project entitled Exploring the basis of individual differences in face recognition funded by the Independent research Fund Denmark and the Carlsberg Foundation. The project is headed by Professor Randi Starrfelt and is a collaboration with Professor in Psychology and Epidemiology, Karen-Inge Karstoft and Professor in Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Birgitte Fagerlund from Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen.

The overall project investigates varibility in face recognition across a large, representative sample of the Danish population, with the aim of relating this to other measures of cognition through questionnaires and data from Danish public registries. The focus of the postdoc-position will be on contributing to the survey design, selecting appropriate registry variables that may index cognition, and planning and executing data-analyses across the entire project.

Applicants are asked to situate and develop their research plan within the framework of the overall project, and it is a requirement that the original project proposals are requested from Professor Randi Starrfelt, randi.starrrfelt@psy.ku.dk prior to submitting the application.

Candidates with various background may be considered for the position, examples of relevant backgrounds are PhDs in public health, psychiatry (medicine), psychology or cognitive (neuro)science. Strong skills in data handling and analysis is crucial, and experience with research using data from Danish public registries a strong advantage.

The postdoc will be working in close collaboration with psychologists from different disciplines including psychological epidemiology and cognitive neuropsychology/neuropsychiatry. The position will be placed at Copenhagen Neuropsychology Lab, part of the Section for Cognition and Neuropsychology. It is expected that the successful candidate will be present, part of the team, and take part in the activities in the Lab on a daily basis.

Duties and Responsibilities

The primary focus of the postdoctoral position will be on research within the main project. However, a certain amount of teaching obligations may be required. Additional tasks beyond research and teaching may also be considered, but to a limited extent. The university will determine the final scope of the various responsibilities, and the emphasis may vary over time.

The data collection in the project is currently being planned, and will start in the beginning of 2027. The main responsibilites of the postdoc in the project will be in planning the registry based part of the project, planning and conducting statistical analyses across the project’s different work packages, and preparing this work for publication. Some supervision of a future PhD-student in the project is also expected.

Qualification Requirements

Appointment as a postdoctoral researcher requires research qualifications at a level at least equivalent to those obtained through the satisfactory completion of a PhD programme within the relevant field.

Strong skills in data handling and analysis is crucial, and experience with research using data from Danish public registries a strong advantage. An interest in cognition and individual differences will be a clear advantage, as is curiosity about the relationship between face recognition skills and other cognitive abilities, disorders, and vulnerabilities.

You can find further information about the qualification requirements for postdoctoral positions here: Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (In Danish only).

You can also find further information about the postdoctoral position on our English webpage on career paths for early‑career researchers at the University of Copenhagen: Career at The University of Copenhagen.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences

The Department of Psychology 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.
Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact.

For more on the faculty’s strategy, please see: Strategy for the Faculty of Social Science.

Assessment Criteria

Applicants will primarily be assessed in relation to their research qualifications, including their publications, ability to conduct independent research and participate in research collaborations, and their experience of research management. In addition, the applicant’s research plan and research potential will be assessed in relation to the overall project described above.

Teaching qualifications are not a requirement.

Application

Please submit your application online. To apply, please click on the “Apply now” icon at the bottom of this page. The application must be written in English, and include the following attachments in PDF or Word format:

CV (max. 3 pages)
Cover letter including the preferred starting date (max. 1 page)
Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates and PhD diploma)
Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:

Peer-reviewed publications:
- Monographs and anthologies
- Articles in journals
- Book chapters/anthology contributions, etc.
Non-peer-reviewed publications:
- Publications disseminating research findings, etc.

You can attach a maximum of 3 publications. The publication dates must be clearly marked on the list. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered 1-3.

A short paper (max. 2 pages) including reflections on the use of registry data as indicies of individual differences in cognition. This paper must not exceed 2 standard pages, corresponding to approx. 4,000 characters (including title, punctuation, figures, footnotes and references, but excluding bibliography). A substantial breach of this will result in the application being excluded from consideration.
Research plan (max. 2 pages)

The plan should include a brief account of previous research, current research projects, and a forward-looking outline of planned research contribution over the coming years. This may include specific references to the project proposals funded by Independent Research Foundation Denmark and the Carlsberg Foundation, and how the candidate expect to contribute to the project at large.

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 for postdoctoral positions starts at DKK 39,000/approximately EUR 5,300 + an 18.07 % pension contribution. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

Recruitment Process

After the application deadline, the Head of Department will consider advice from the appointment committee and select applicants for assessment. All applicants will be notified whether they have been shortlisted. The Head of Department will 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.

You can find further information on our recruitment process at: Recruitment process.

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 our services at: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen.

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. To learn more about our diverse workplace and our participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, please visit HR Excellence in Research.

Contact Information

For additional information about the position, please contact Professor Randi Starrfelt at email randi.starrfelt@psy.ku.dk or phone +45-35324886.

For more Information about the recruitment process, please contact HR South at hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk. Please refer to ID number: 211-2646/26-2I #2

The application deadline is September 30th 2026 at 23:59 CET.

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.

Postdoc in registry based cognitive research at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH)

Om jobbet