Clinical PhD student for two randomized studies on the prevention of preterm birth

3-year clinical PhD position at CAMES

Are you ambitious, independent and interested in clinical research? Do you have clinical experience and willingness to take responsibility for the execution of large research projects across multiple hospitals?

Then we have an exciting PhD position for you.

We are seeking a skilled and proactive PhD student who will play a central role in planning, coordinating and conducting two large randomized clinical trials within the research program BIRTH@TERM .

About the research project

Premature birth is one of the most important causes of neonatal illness and death. With BIRTH@TERM, we will investigate whether artificial intelligence (AI) can improve our ability to identify pregnant women at increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth and prevent, that they deliver prematurely.

The project comprises two large randomized multicenter studies

• AI-based screening for preterm birth

A randomized stepped-wedge cluster trial with about 10,000 pregnancies, where we compare traditional screening based on cervical length with a new AI-based screening strategy. We investigate whether AI can identify more pregnant women at increased risk of preterm birth, and what the consequences of implementation are for clinical follow-up and treatment.

• Prevention of preterm birth with progesterone

A large individual randomized multicenter trial, where we examine whether vaginal progesterone can prevent spontaneous preterm birth in pregnant women identified as high-risk by AI-based screening. We expect to randomize about 4,000 pregnant women.

The trials are conducted in close collaboration between six maternity wards in the Region of Eastern Denmark, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES), University of Copenhagen and our partners in artificial intelligence.

Your tasks

You will become a central person in the research program and will have significant independent responsibility for the daily conduct of the clinical trials.

Your tasks will include, among others

• Planning, coordinating and daily operations of the two randomized trials.
• Establishing and maintaining collaboration with the participating hospitals, including training and coordination with local clinical teams.
• Recruitment of study participants and conduct of clinical investigations and follow-ups.
• Ensuring good data quality, protocol adherence and progress across the participating centers.
• Analysis of research data, preparation of scientific articles and presentation of results at international conferences.
• Clinical screening of high-risk patients, including handling communication with patients who are part of the project.

There will be substantial activity at the participating hospitals, so you must be willing to travel within the Region of Eastern Denmark.

Who are we looking for?

We attach particular importance to finding an independent and proactive candidate who thrives with responsibility and can make complex projects succeed in practice.

You must have clinical experience and a desire to work at the intersection of patient care, research and new technology.

We expect that you

• Are a physician with independent practice and preferably more than 1 year of experience in gynecology-obstetrics.
• Are independent, structured and good at driving projects with many involved collaboration partners.
• Have good collaboration and communication skills and can engage clinicians across disciplines and hospitals.
• Are ambitious and motivated to conduct research of high international quality.
• Have strong written skills in Danish and English.

Previous research experience, experience with randomized trials and knowledge of obstetrics or fetal medicine are an advantage, but not a requirement.

The most important is that you have shown that you can work independently, take responsibility and translate plans into action.

What do we offer?

You will become part of an active and international research environment with clinical and technical PhD students, postdocs and senior researchers from Rigshospitalet, CAMES, University of Copenhagen and DTU.

You will get

• A central role in a large clinical research program with potential to change future screening and prevention of preterm birth.
• Opportunity to build solid experience in leading and conducting large randomized clinical trials.
• Close supervision and sparring with experienced researchers in obstetrics, fetal medicine, epidemiology and AI.
• Opportunity for international research collaborations and participation in scientific conferences.
• An independent PhD project with the possibility of publications in leading international journals.

You will be attached to CAMES and the Center for Fetal Medicine at Rigshospitalet. Professor Martin G. Tolsgaard will be the principal supervisor.

Salary and terms of employment

Employment is made in accordance with the agreement below. The starting salary may vary depending on your seniority, experience, education and the geographic location of the workplace.

Agreement

Subordinate physicians 33.06.1

Position

Doctor, Clinical Assistant

In addition to the starting salary you may have

• rights to allowances under local pre-arranged agreements.
• rights to special allowances, e.g. for evening, night and weekend work.
• possibility to negotiate individual allowances depending on the position as well as your experience and qualifications.

Employment: 3-year PhD program with enrollment at the University of Copenhagen. The position is 37 hours per week.

Workplace: CAMES and Rigshospitalet, with activity at the participating hospitals in the Region of Eastern Denmark.

The application deadline is 20 November 2026. Interviews are expected to be held on 8 December 2026, and the desired start date is 1 January 2027.

For further information about the position, Professor Martin G. Tolsgaard can be contacted at [email protected]

Application

Submit a motivated application, CV, copies of certificates and any publication list.

In your application, we would especially like to hear about your clinical experience and examples of tasks or projects where you have had independent responsibility for planning, coordination and ensuring progress.

We look forward to hearing from you