The Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Odense, invites applications for a three-year full-time PhD scholarship focusing on physician leadership in a healthcare system undergoing major healthcare reforms. The project is funded by Danish Regions and Danish Association of Medical Specialists. The successful candidate is expected to start the PhD on 1 September 2026, or as agreed. The place of employment will be Odense.

Project background and overall aim

The Danish healthcare system is currently being reorganized and transformed by large-scale reforms and accompanying agreements that introduce new governance arrangements and stronger expectations of cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration. A key implication is that hospitals are expected to orient more strongly towards hospital-at-home and strengthened collaboration with primary care and municipal services to support more integrated and coherent patient pathways. These developments challenge leadership roles in hospitals and across the wider healthcare sector and for physician leadership.

The aim of this PhD project is to generate new knowledge about physician leadership - including how chief physicians, leading senior consultants, and other physicians with leadership roles understand, enact, and develop leadership – in the context of health care reform and its implementation across organisational boundaries. The project will contribute to both research and practice by producing insights that can inform physician leadership development, organisational design, and governance approaches that support coherent patient pathways, effective hospital–primary care collaboration, and shared responsibility for population health.

Core research questions (indicative)

The PhD project is expected to engage with questions such as:

1. How do clinical leaders understand and perform their leadership roles in light of healthcare reforms and organisational change?

2. What opportunities and barriers do they experience when contributing to reform implementation and organisational change across boundaries?

3. How can physician leadership be strengthened to support healthcare reforms, coherent patient pathways and cross-organisational responsibility for health?

Research design and methods (indicative)

The PhD project has a broad and flexible framing, and the successful candidate will help refine the theoretical and analytical approach in dialogue with the supervisory team. The project can apply a variety of methods depending on the exact research focus and research questions. The research group has previously applied:

• A national survey targeting clinical leaders (in coordination with related research activities) to map leadership roles, authority, autonomy, and reorganization of physician leadership in hospital.

• Qualitative case studies (e.g., interviews and/or observations) examining clinical leadership practices in reform implementation and change processes at hospital level and across organisational boundaries.

These methods are just examples for inspiration and are not exhaustive for potential methodological approaches. Within the overall framing of the project, the PhD candidate will decide the research questions, theory, and methods of the PhD project. Please request the overall project description.

What we are looking for

Applicants must hold a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master’s degree) in a relevant social science field, such as political science, public administration, sociology, organisational studies, economics or related disciplines. The ideal candidate has:

• Strong skills in research design and academic methods (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods);

• A clear interest in healthcare systems, clinical leadership, organisations, and/or healthcare reform and policy;

• Proficiency in Danish (or near-proficiency) is a significant advantage, as empirical work is expected to involve Danish organisations and participants.

Also, the candidate is expected to (please also consult the Scholarly Qualification Matrix):

• Be curious and have a strong desire to generate new research ideas. 

• Have strong analytical and writing skills.

• Be able to work independently and, in consultation with the PhD supervisor, prioritize the different aspects of the PhD plan, including participation in PhD courses, teaching and supervision of undergraduate students. 

• Have good interpersonal skills.

• Be interested in engaging with the national and international research community (your supervisor and the department will support you in this), i.e., participate in conferences and present own work.

The PhD fellow will be employed at the Department of Political Science and Public Management that provides an active research environment with strong competencies in public management, welfare, and health policy. The PhD project will be embedded in an ongoing research programme on physician leadership and will be carried out in close interaction with relevant stakeholders and practice partners.

It is highly recommended that interested candidates contact the project head to discuss their PhD proposal prior to application, to ensure that there is reasonable alignment between their proposal and the overall project framing.

Requirements and programme structure

PhD candidates follow an individual PhD plan including course work, conference participation, and teaching. One semester is typically spent at another research institution - often abroad. The scholarship carries a monthly salary including pension plus office facilities and financial support for conference travels and research visits abroad. 

Applications are invited from candidates with a master's degree (the 5+3 programme over 3 years). If selected for the position, you will be enrolled in the PhD programme in Political Science.

Application

An application must include:

• Application form

• A motivated application / cover letter

• A research proposal (max 3 pages / 12,000 characters incl. spaces) outlining how you would approach the project topic (research questions, theoretical framing, research design).

• A detailed CV 

• A copy of your master's degree certificate including all examination results.

• A copy of your bachelor's degree certificate.

• A document detailing any experience with teaching, dissemination, or scientific publication, if applicable.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English, and all documents must be in pdf format, no more than 5 MB per file. Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. If you experience technical problems when uploading the application, please contact hcm-support@sdu.dk. 

Application deadline: 26 April 2026 at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST).

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application should be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae should be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents should be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’. 

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website.

Assessment and selection process

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied, and only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU.  The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the necessary material. Incomplete applications may be rejected without any substantial evaluation.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, applicants will receive the part of the assessment that concerns themselves. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of the Department of Political Science and Public Management, who will form an appointment committee. Interviews will be part of the overall evaluation by the appointment committee. 

Based on information from the entire recruitment process, the Head of Department determines which applicant will be offered a position.

Further information

For further information about the PhD programme, please contact the Department of Political Science and Public Management PhD coordinator, Associate Professor, Romana Careja, e-mail rca@sam.sdu.dk

For further information about the research project, please contact Professor Mickael Bech, e-mail mibech@sam.sdu.dk

Conditions of employment
Appointment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position. Applicants must hold a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) at the time of enrolment and employment. Employment of a PhD fellow can only take place after the PhD School under the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences has approved the candidate for admission. 

Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described herein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). Further information about salary and conditions of employment.

For a detailed description of the entry criteria and a job description for a PhD fellowship, as well as a descriptions of the assessment and hiring processes at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please consult the department’s Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD.

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organiser”.

SDU recommends that international applicants take the time to visit Work in Denmark, where there is information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

About the Department of Political Science and Public Management

The Department of Political Science and Public Management is part of the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences and currently has approximately 90 permanent employees as well as several part-time employees. Currently, the department attracts around 2,500 students in its various full-time bachelor and master programs as well as part-time professional master programs. The department is located on three of the University of Southern Denmark’s campuses in Odense, Sønderborg and Esbjerg, respectively. 

The department is organized around three research sections in Public Administration, Welfare and Politics, International and Regional Politics, and Journalism as well as several cross-disciplinary research centres and research groups. 

The department believes in fostering a stimulating and inspiring environment for both staff members and students. Therefore, the department’s ambition is to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic and educational excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes the staff to reflect the diversity of society and, thus, welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

For a detailed description of the Department of Political Science and Public Management’s profile and activities, please visit the department's website.