Morten Meldal PhD fellowships in Chemistry

Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen invites excellent, ingenious, and creative applicants for two PhD stipends in chemistry. Application date for the stipends will be 1 February 2026. Start date is 1 August 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The PhD stipends will be available for PhD projects in all areas of experimental and theoretical chemistry at the Faculty of Science. These include:

• Organic chemistry
• Inorganic chemistry
• Physical chemistry
• Nanochemistry
• Materials chemistry
• Food chemistry
• Chemical biology
• Biological chemistry
• Quantum chemistry
• Sustainable chemistry
• Environmental chemistry
• Analytical chemistry

You are welcome to contact relevant supervisors at the five departments listed below to discuss research projects.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for strong candidates within the broader field of Chemistry. Applicants should hold an MSc or a BSc degree related to one or more of the areas of experimental and theoretical chemistry listed above, with excellent results and good English language skills. If you expect to obtain an MSc degree before August 2026, but do not have it at the deadline of this call, you must apply for the integrated PhD program (option B).

The three criteria for the assessment of the applications are:

1. The excellence of the PhD candidate based on former performance at BSc and MSc level.
2. The academic originality and expected impact of the proposed project.
3. Implementation, including the relevance of the supervisor host environment and the feasibility of the PhD project plan.

In order to develop a research proposal that can be supported at the Faculty of Science, it is a requirement that you have made an agreement beforehand with a supervisor at one of the departments listed below; a letter of confirmation from the supervisor must be included in your application.

Our faculty and research – and what do we offer?

The Faculty of Science consists of 12 Departments. Five of them have strong research groups in the broader area of Chemistry (covering all areas listed above). The relevant departments are:

• Department of Chemistry (CHEM)
• Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PLEN)
• Department of Food Science (FOOD)
• Department of Biology (BIO)
• Niels Bohr Institute (NBI)

All departments are located in central Copenhagen and Frederiksberg. Their websites provide more information about the departments and the research. You are welcome to contact the relevant Deputy Head of Department for Research if you need further guidance:

• CHEM – Mogens Brøndsted Nielsen
• PLEN – Kristian Holst Laursen
• FOOD – Nanna Viereck
• BIO – Michael Poulsen
• NBI – Charlotte Fløe Kristjansen

You can find more information about the PhD program at the SCIENCE PhD School on our homepage.

The PhD programme

Depending on your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:

Option A: A three‑year full‑time study within the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme)

Option A is relevant if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree, or if you will obtain such a degree no later than 1 July 2026 (in that case, you need to include a letter from your supervisor stating that you are expected to finish before 1 July 2026).

Option B: An up to five‑year full‑time study programme within the integrated MSc and PhD programme (3+5 scheme)

Option B is particularly relevant if you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree but have an education equivalent to a Danish bachelor’s degree.

Qualifications Needed for the Regular Programme

To be eligible, you must have completed a degree programme equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the areas of chemistry mentioned above.

Terms of employment in the regular programme

Employment as a PhD fellow is full time and for a maximum of 3 years. It is conditional upon successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School.

Qualifications Needed for the Integrated MSc and PhD Programme

Eligible if you have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish bachelor’s degree but not to a master’s degree.

Terms of the integrated programme

Students enroll as PhD students simultaneously with completing their MSc programme. The duration is up to five years, depending on credits already passed. Until the MSc degree is obtained, the grant is partly paid as state education grant portions (48 SU‑klip) plus salary for work totalling 150 working hours per year. After obtaining the MSc, you transfer to the salary‑earning part of the scholarship.

Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes

• Conduct an independent research project under supervision
• Complete PhD courses corresponding to approximately 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad, or a private research company
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at peer‑reviewed scientific journals
• Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project

Additional responsibility for the Integrated MSc and PhD programme

• Complete and pass the MSc education in accordance with the curriculum of the MSc programme

We are looking for the following qualifications

• Professional and excellent qualifications relevant to the PhD project
• Curious mind‑set with a strong interest in the thematic areas mentioned above
• Fluent in written and spoken English language

Application and assessment procedure

Your application, including all attachments, must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include

• Cover letter describing your motivation to undertake a PhD study (max. one page)
• A brief research proposal framing a research idea within one or more of the areas of experimental or theoretical chemistry listed above (max. 5500 characters with spaces excluding figures/table and without references)
• Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
• Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (if possible) and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorised English translation if issued in another language than English, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor (with contact details to the supervisor) is accepted.
• Publication list (if possible)
• Reference letters (if available)
• A letter of confirmation from the potential supervisor at one of the departments listed above.

Application deadline

The deadline for applications is 1 February 2026, 23:59 GMT +2. We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process

After the deadline, a number of applicants will be shortlisted for academic assessment by an internal unbiased expert committee. You are notified whether you will be shortlisted for assessment.

An internal evaluation committee will then assess and grade the applications with respect to the three above‑mentioned evaluation criteria. The assessors will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for Model A or Model B. The assessed applicants will be given the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with the top‑qualified candidates are expected to be held in weeks 15‑17.

Questions

For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the Deputy Head of the relevant department listed above.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of Science is available at the PhD School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

Employment start: 1 August 2026

Working hours: Full time

Department/Location: Faculty of Science