At The Department of Sociology and Social Work at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities a PhD fellowship in Social Work with special focus on inclusion of children with autism is available. The fellowship is available from September 1st 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter. The PhD fellowship has a duration of three years.

Job description

The PhD position is part of the project “Disabling Exclusion. Negotiated Practices of Social Welfare Targeting Families with Children with Disabilities” funded by The Independent Research Fund Denmark.

The project focus on social work with families focusing on families with a child with Autism or under observation for Autism in the cross section between the ordinary school system and the specialized support. The investigates what kind of knowledge, and discursive meaning on disability that is unfolded and negotiated during encounters between families, schools and the Danish welfare system and how this shape the help given and the families’ well-being and opportunities for social participation. The aim of the project is to produce in-depth knowledge on how discourses on disability unfold and vary in the practice of frontline professionals, how they are negotiated between the frontline professional and families and how this affects the help given to these families. 

The PhD position is part of a work package which must focus on encounters between family and frontline practitioners (schoolteachers and social workers) and how disability and especially autism is constructed during these encounters paying special attention to how frontline workers define and understand disability. The emphasis in this part of the project is on how discourses of disability are formed in the frontline and how they are unfolded and challenged during encounters with families. The data for the PhD project will consist of survey data from social workers and school teachers as well as qualitative interviews with frontline professionals and families. The project should apply a mixed method approach, but emphasis can be put on either the qualitative or quantitative data. The PhD fellow will be responsible for part of the work package and associate professor Iben Lausten Kragh will serve as the main supervisor. Experience with mixed methods is an advantage to the position. 

Data collection will be conducted in Danish and applicants able to understand and read and speak Danish or other Scandinavian languages is preferred. 

The position is in Aalborg and teaching and research activities will primarily take place at campus in Aalborg. 

Qualification requirements
PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of August 27, 2013 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time.

Please visit the website of the doctoral school for further information on admission requirements.


How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application, stating reasons for applying and qualifications in relation to the position
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (bachelor and master's degree diploma)
• project proposal (approx. 5 pages) containing the research project title, an outline of the course of study and a description of the overall problem areas. The project proposal must be in English or in a Scandinavian language.
• Applicants WHO are planning to complete a doctoral thesis in English and who do not have English as a first language or WHO have not completed an English language-based Master's programme (or an equivalent educational achievement in English) shall provide documentation that they have passed one of the following official tests with the respective minimum score: IELTS (band score): 7, TOEFL (paper-based): 600, TOEFL (internet-based): 100. The language test must be no more than five years old at the time of the application. 
•  Co-author statement. If publications that have been written in cooperation with others are submitted, a declaration from each of the authors must be enclosed. The declaration must state the extent of the applicant's contribution to the total work and be signed by the authors. 
•  Application for credit transfer if relevant. 
• Other relevant documents

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University's website. 

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Do you have any questions?     
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Further information  
We recommend that you save a copy of the job posting, as it will be removed once the application deadline has passed.  

The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

Read more about The Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish). 

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish). 

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world
Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.

Contacts

• Jakob Skjøtt-Larsen: jsl@socsci.aau.dk
• Lene Møller, AAU PhD : lml@adm.aau.dk

Ref number

2025/291

Deadline

15.08.2025