PhD student or postdoc sought for research on suicide prevention at the Psychiatric Center Copenhagen – fixed-term position

Application deadline: Friday, 30 October 2026.

Are you passionate about making a meaningful difference in mental health? At the Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention (DRISP) we are seeking a motivated PhD student or postdoc to join our team. You will have a unique opportunity to work on an important research project in a stimulating and collaborative research environment.

You will be tasked with leading an independent research project on medications used in suicide attempts. As part of the project you will collect information from death certificates and police reports using text mining, perform statistical analyses, and summarize results in scientific manuscripts. The results from the project could inform national measures on method restrictions.

Our ideal candidate has a background in health data science, public health, statistics, pharmacology or related areas.

The position is a fixed-term full-time appointment at the Psychiatric Center Copenhagen, Region H (3 years as a PhD student or 2 years as a postdoc).

Primary duties

• Collection and gathering of data from death certificates and police reports
• Data management
• Collection of structured data from unstructured data (text field data)
• Writing and submission of scientific manuscripts
• Dissemination of results at conferences and other communication platforms. Desired qualifications
• Relevant academic master's degree or relevant PhD education
• Experience with text mining/data science (i.e., machine learning and AI algorithms)
• Proficiency in Python
• Knowledge of pharmacology
• Strong written communication skills in English
• Danish-speaking (due to reading of certificates and reports)
• Experience publishing scientific studies
• Ability to work independently while being part of a team.

Why choose DRISP?

High scientific level and relevant research: You will contribute to projects designed to save lives and support people who are at risk of suicide.

Collaborative environment: You will become part of a committed and welcoming work environment with access to international collaborators.

Professional development: You will strengthen your research skills while increasing your expertise in AI and health data science.

About DRISP

The Danish Research Institute for Suicide Prevention is a leading research group in suicide prevention in Denmark with a strong international profile. DRISP is part of the Psychiatric Center Copenhagen and is housed at Gentofte Hospital.

Our research tasks include identifying risk factors, developing interventions and implementing tools to reduce the number of suicide attempts as well as supporting affected individuals and their families.

Salary and employment terms

Working hours are 37 hours per week with flexible scheduling.

The position is a fixed-term employment; 3 years as a PhD student or 2 years as a postdoc, with employment at the Psychiatric Center Copenhagen.

You will be employed under agreements for academics employed in regions, etc. - 33.01.1

Start date

We will agree on a start date together: We would like to initiate the project by the end of 2026 / early 2027.

Application process

Submit your motivated application and CV via the electronic application system. No later than 30 October 2026.

Attach information about your education, transcripts, previous employments and relevant experience.

Please indicate 1–2 references from previous employments whom we may contact during the hiring process.

The first round of interviews will take place Monday, 16 November 2026. For questions please contact Annette Erlangsen (e-mail: [email protected]).

We look forward to receiving your application and welcoming you to our team.

About the Psychiatric Center Copenhagen

The Psychiatric Center Copenhagen is Denmark's largest psychiatric center, and part of Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, offering a wide range of general and specialized services. The center is known for being at the forefront of new treatment options arising from the renowned research conducted at the center.

The center has more than 1,300 employees and a catchment area of about 430,000 residents, covering the Copenhagen districts Østerbro, Inner City, Nordvest, Nørrebro, Frederiksberg and Vanløse. The center is administratively part of the Capital Region of Denmark, and geographically located at Bispebjerg, Gentofte and Frederiksberg Hospitals, as well as in a number of outpatient units in the catchment area.

We treat affective disorders, schizophrenia, other psychoses, complex neuropsychiatric disorders and personality disorders. The center has a number of special areas such as: Psychotherapy, anxiety, OCD, affective disorders, sexology, neuropsychiatry, including psychiatric evaluation for epilepsy surgery, liaison, geriatric psychiatry and military psychiatry.

~ Application deadline: 30 October 2026

Location: Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital