Job Description

The National Institute of Public Health at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites applicants for a 3-year PhD scholarship for a highly motivated candidate interested in working within the field of environmental epidemiology and public health. The project aims to investigate new and previously suspected toxicants to risk of Parkinsons Disease.

The PhD project is part of a larger collaborative research initiative “Connecting the environmental exposome to PD risk and disease pathology” funded by Michael J Fox Foundation. Through this grant, a 3-year PhD position has been funded. The larger project includes four work packages (WPs), where the PhD project is part of the WP with the title “Toxicant-wide association studies for PD”, which also includes funding for two part time researchers.

Research environment

The PhD project will be anchored at the National Institute of Public Health within the research group in Geographical and Register-based Epidemiology in Copenhagen. Professor Annette Kjær Ersbøll will be the principal supervisor, researcher Stine Kloster and researcher Kirstine Wodschow will be co-supervisors. The project will be conducted in close collaboration with the research team in the larger project. Together, the larger team provides an interdisciplinary research environment with close integration of public health, in vivo and in vitro experimental research, neurology, register-based research and environmental epidemiology. The teams are internationally oriented and offer a supportive and inclusive research culture.

You can read more about the research initiative here: https://www.michaeljfox.org/grant/connecting-environmental-exposome-pd-risk-and-disease-pathology.

Project description

The PhD project will focus on associations between toxicants and risk for Parkinsons Disease. The association between toxicant exposure at residential location and incidence of Parkinsons Disease will be investigated for the entire Danish adult population through access to Danish national registers. Toxicants will include pesticides in drinking water, airborne pesticides exposure from fields and larger chemical pollutions.

Together with the researchers in WP4 the PhD student will:

• Establish the study population of the entire Danish adults
• Derive toxicant exposure at an individual level
• Analyze associations between toxicant exposure and risk of Parkinsons Disease
• Prepare and publish research findings in international peer-reviewed journals.

Qualifications

The applicant should possess the following qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will have demonstrated an interest in research within epidemiology, environmental medicine, or data science
• A master’s degree (MSc or equivalent) in public health, epidemiology, data science or related fields
• Experience with programming using statistical software (such as SAS, Stata or R) is considered a strength but not a requirement
• Preferably prior experience with register-based and/or environmental epidemiology
• An interest in working with quantitative analyses and large datasets
• Excellent communications skills in English, both written and spoken
• A motivated, independent, and quality-oriented approach to research, with enthusiasm for learning new scientific disciplines and methodologies.

For further information about the project, please contact:

Professor Annette Kjær Ersbøll

The National Institute of Public Health

University of Southern Denmark (SDU)

Phone: +45 65507775 E-mail: ake@sdu.dk

Applications must include:

• At letter stating the interest, motivation and qualifications for the project (max. 2 pages) - upload under “Application form”.
• Detailed CV, including personal contact information
• Certified copy of diploma (Master’s degree in a relevant field)

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process.

Further information about the PhD-study can be found at the homepage of the University.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now". Attached files must be in Adobe PDF format. We strongly recommend that you read How to apply for a position at SDU before you apply.

Incomplete applications and applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated. This also applies to reference letters.

Closing date October 9th, 2026

Successful candidates will be asked to send an application to the PhD Secretariat, Faculty of Health Sciences, to be enrolled as PhD students.

The PhD programme will be carried out in accordance with Faculty regulations and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities (PhD order).

Salary and Working Conditions at SDU

PhD students employed at SDU are employed as PhD fellows according to the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations in public employment (AC) agreement.

Salary and any salary supplement are paid according to your seniority level and as negotiated with your union representative. The base salary (excluding 18.07% pension contribution) is DKK 374,912.98.

The University wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and thus welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.