PhD scholarship at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) as part of the ERC-funded Lobbying (A)symmetry Project

The Department of Political Science is inviting applications for a PhD scholarship on the “Lobbying (A)symmetry: The Dynamics Behind Informed Policy” (LOBBYMETRY) project. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and led by Associate Professor Wiebke Marie Junk (PI). The selected candidate will be a part of the project team consisting of the PI, two Postdoctoral

Researchers (hired in 2025 and 2026), a group of student assistants, and international collaborators. Enrollment as a PhD student will be at the Faculty of Social Sciences under Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences.

As part of the LOBBYMETRY project, the chosen candidate will cooperate with the other project team members in developing measures of informational quality in lobbying exchanges. The LOBBYMETRY project evaluates the types of information provided in several venues of policymaking across sampled issues in climate and digital politics. It uses such textual data to study how and when lobbying contributes positively or negatively to the quality of information in the policy process, and, ultimately, the quality of legislation.

The chosen candidate will write their PhD thesis within this overall topic of the larger project, including, but not limited to, a focus on information asymmetries and informational quality in lobbying exchanges. Funding is available for data collection and conference attendance such that candidates can develop their international network and research expertise.

The starting date is 1 February 2026, or as soon as possible by agreement.

Enrollment in the PhD Programme
The PhD programme provides PhD students with strong research training which opens a window of opportunity to a variety of careers within the private and public sectors. The programme includes the drafting of a PhD thesis, active participation in research networks, PhD courses, teaching, and other forms of knowledge dissemination. The PhD programme can be undertaken as a three-year full-time study within the framework of the 5+3 study programme, or as a four-year full-time study programme within the framework of the 4+4 study programme.   

Further information about the PhD study programme is available on the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences: samf.ku.dk/phd-skolen/english.

Under "Legal basis" on the website, you will find information about the rules and guidelines for the PhD programme and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD programme at the Universities. 

Information about the PhD study programme is also available on the PhD website of the Department of Political Science: politicalscience.ku.dk/education/phd.

Duties and Qualifications
The chosen candidate will be responsible for:

• Authoring and co-authoring publications with team members (leading to an article-based PhD dissertation)
• Assisting with the collection of data on information exchanges on sampled issues in the climate and digital policy areas in several European countries
• Contributing to developing and validating different measures of informational quality and potential fact-checking methods in lobbying
• Participating in workshops, conferences, and other scholarly activities.
• Teaching

We are seeking to recruit a candidate with the following qualifications:

• A background (e.g., a master’s degree) in a relevant social science field such as political science, sociology, or economics
• A demonstrated aptitude for quantitative methods
• An interest in interest representation, lobbying and European public policy, especially in the policy areas of climate and/or digital policy
• An aptitude for research and skills in academic writing
• A willingness to take on independent responsibilities, as well as work collaboratively as part of a team
• High proficiency in spoken and written English is a requirement. Proficiency in other European languages is an advantage.

Your opportunities
The position offers a range of attractive opportunities for the candidate, including:

• Being part of a vibrant and ambitious team
• Conference attendance, additional training and international networking are supported
• Being part of a leading political science department and its daily activities
• The project’s international advisory board spans universities in Europe and the United States (Princeton University, University of Amsterdam, Queen’s University Belfast, Leiden University, University of Ljubljana)

More details about the LOBBYMETRY project
The LOBBYMETRY project addresses two types of imbalances in lobbying: 1) mobilisation asymmetries, which exclude some actors from the policy debate, and 2) information asymmetries, which empower specific groups in their exchanges with policymakers. The project analyses these asymmetries and their relationship with each other, as well as their effects on the ways in which sectional and public interests feed into policymaking.

The project studies these asymmetries across populations of interest organisations in twelve European countries and at European Union level, as well as within the climate and digital policy fields, that vary strongly in mobilisation asymmetries and constitute areas where well- or ill-informed policies have vast consequences for humanity at large. LOBBYMETRY strives to open the black-box of policymaker-lobbyist information exchange within these areas, develop measures of informational quality and accuracy in lobbying, and evaluate how and when lobbying pulls outcomes away from the public interest.

Methodologically, the project combines cross-country surveys, cross-venue data on at least 100 issues in climate and digital policy, and different forms of participant observation of the information exchanges between policymakers and interest organisations in i) natural and ii) researcher-controlled settings. This combination of methods will generate unprecedented quantitative and qualitative evidence on lobbyist-policymaker information exchange in varying contexts.

Applications 

• The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding society, and invites all qualified applicants, regardless of personal background, to apply for the positions.  
• To be awarded a PhD scholarship the applicant must enroll as a PhD student at the Faculty of Social Sciences, cf. the rules of the Danish Ministerial order No 1039 of 27 August 2013.  

Scholarship in the 5+3 or in the 4+4 PhD study programme
The 5+3 PhD study programme 

To be eligible for a scholarship in the 5+3 PhD study programme the applicant must have completed a two-year MSc degree programme or have earned 120 ECTS credits at an equivalent academic level before starting his or her employment. The qualifications of applicants with non-Danish Master’s degrees will be assessed to ascertain whether they correspond to the Danish level. For further information, please refer to the website of the Ministry of Education and Research: ufm.dk/en/education/admission-and-guidance. Applicants should check the study programmes for more detailed descriptions of the entry requirements. PhD students are paid a salary in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). The PhD student has a work obligation of up to 840 hours over the 3-year period without additional pay. The work obligation can include for instance teaching.  

The 4+4 PhD study programme 
Students who have completed a BSc plus 60 ECTS of an MSc degree programme would enrol as PhD students simultaneously with their enrolment in the MSc degree programme. Applicants should check the study programmes for more detailed descriptions of the entry requirements. Until an MSc degree is obtained, the grant is paid partly in the form of up to 48 state education grant portions (in Danish: SU-klip). More specifically the PhD student will be paid two grant portions per month plus salary for work (teaching, presentations etc.) which totals a workload of at least 280 hours. Payment and conditions of employment are carried out in accordance with the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). Upon completion of the MSc degree the student is transferred to the salary-earning part of the PhD studies. 

The Department of Political Science
The Department is a top-ranked European Political Science department, which offers a vibrant, collegial, and pluralist academic working environment for ambitious scholars. The pluralism of Political Science in Copenhagen is evidenced in the various epistemological and methodological approaches as well as subfields adopted by faculty, and in a wide range of core subjects in the MSc programme. The Department’s dynamic environment within public administration and policy, as well as comparative politics, is particularly relevant for the announced position.

The Department consists of some 75 faculty members, as well as some 25 PhD students, organized in four main research groups and a few centres.

For more information on the Department, please consult our webpage: politicalscience.ku.dk/about.

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.

• Cover Letter including PhD project proposal. This letter should include your motivation and background for applying for this specific PhD position. Moreover, it should include reflections about the design of your PhD project with two or three brief descriptions of potential papers to develop as part of the PhD. (max. 4 pages)
• CV   
• Diploma and transcripts of records (both BSc and MSc)   
• A copy of the Master thesis and, if relevant, one additional article or paper. If the candidate has not yet submitted the thesis, include a relevant paper as well as a letter from the supervisor with the planned thesis submission date.
• Other information for consideration, e.g. list of publications, documentation of English language qualifications (if any)  

Please note that it is only possible to upload one document per attachment category. If more than one document must be uploaded in the same category, please make sure that they are scanned and collected into one file.  

Application process 
On the website of Copenhagen Graduate School of Social Sciences, you will find information about the application process, and enclosures to include with your electronic application: 
samf.ku.dk/phd-skolen/english/applicants/application/current_advertisement.

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

Selected applicants are notified of the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant has the opportunity to comment on the part of the assessment that relates to the applicant him/herself. You can read about the recruitment process here. 

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.

For the official Code of Conduct for the Department of Political Science, see politicalscience.ku.dk/about/news/2022/code-of-conduct-announced/Plakat_8T_uncoated.pdf.

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 position, please contact Associate Professor Wiebke Marie Junk, e-mail: wiebke.junk@ifs.ku.dk.

Information about the recruitment process is available from HR, e-mail: hr-soendre@adm.ku.dk. Please refer to ID 211-2115/25-2H #2.

The closing date for applications is 5 June 2025 at 23:59 CEST.

Applications received thereafter will not be considered.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.