PhD Fellowship in Street-level Bureaucracy of Regulatory Implementation for AI at University of Copenhagen

About the opportunity

The Human Centered Computing Section at the Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen invites applicants for a PhD fellowship on Street-level Bureaucracy of Regulatory Implementation for AI. This doctoral position is part of REGULAIRE (Regulatory Learning for the Governance of Transformative Technologies), a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network bringing together 15 doctoral candidates across ten European universities to study how regulation can learn and adapt. The PhD researcher will conduct qualitative studies of how EU digital regulation is technically and organisationally implemented in SMEs developing AI-related technologies. The position provides supervision across institutions, participation in three residential summer schools, methods workshops, monthly paper development seminars, and a planned three-month intersectoral secondment.

Salary and benefits

• Full-time employment salary and terms of appointment in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Taxation and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State
• Enrollment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen
• Participation in REGULAIRE network-wide training activities, residential summer schools, and winter schools
• A planned three-month intersectoral secondment with a relevant standards organisation or academic partner

Who can apply?

• Hold an MSc degree or equivalent (180 ECTS Bachelor plus 120 ECTS Master) in Computer Science, Data Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Critical Data Studies, Science and Technology Studies (STS), Law and Policy, or a related field
• Must not have resided or carried out main activities (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to recruitment
• Good written and oral English language skills
• Willingness to engage in international mobility, including planned secondments and network-wide activities

Required documents

• Cover Letter detailing motivation and background
• Research Statement detailing desired research focus, goals, specific research questions, preliminary methodological approaches, connections to existing literature, and potential impact
• Curriculum vitae including information about education, experience, language skills, and other relevant skills
• Original diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees and transcripts of records in the original language, with an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish
• Publication list (if available)
• Names and contact details of three references

When to apply

• Application deadline is November 22, 2026, at 23:59 GMT+1
• Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in December 2026
• Expected start date is February 1, 2027, or as soon as possible thereafter

How to apply

• Prepare all required application documents in English
• Submit the application electronically through the official electronic recruitment portal by clicking the apply link

Additional information

• The position is co-supervised by Irina Shklovski and Naja Holten Møller at the University of Copenhagen and conducted in collaboration with Professor Joris Van Hoboken at the University of Amsterdam
• The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure at the University of Copenhagen