Postdoc in psychiatric epidemiology

The Department of Affective Disorders at Faculty of Health at Aarhus University invites applications for a position as Postdoc in the field of psychiatric epidemiology as per 1 September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position is a fixed-term full-time position for 2 years.

Department of Clinical Medicine 

As a postdoc at the Department of Clinical Medicine, you will be part of what is probably the largest health science research department in Denmark. Our clinical research covers all the medical specialities and takes place in close collaboration with the university hospital and the regional hospitals in the Central Denmark Region. We have approx. 30,000 square metres of modern research facilities for experimental surgery and medicine, animal facilities and also advanced scanners at our disposal. The department has overall responsibility for the Master's degree programs in medicine and in molecular medicine. At the department we are approx. 670 academic employees, 500 PhD students and 160 technical/administrative employees who are cooperating across disciplines. As a postdoc, you will be working at Aarhus University Hospital or another hospital in the Central Denmark Region. You can read more about the department here and about the faculty here. 

About the research project

The project is called “Risk stratification for early-onset major depressive disorder”. This is a multi-year, multi-site, international collaboration led by Dr. Francis Rice, Professor at Cardiff University, UK and co-director of the Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health.

The offspring of parents with mental illness represent a major lost opportunity for early intervention. Having a parent with mental illness is the most common potential risk factor for early-onset depression. Early-onset depression (by age 24) is difficult to treat and is associated with a recurrent/chronic course and poor outcomes. Early intervention strategies are effective when targeted at this group. However, we know that very few access support. There is also substantial variation in absolute levels of risk meaning that all offspring of parents with mental illness are unlikely to require early intervention, and service constraints make this infeasible. Early detection and intervention that is personalized dependent on absolute level of risk is therefore needed to improve access to early intervention for those at ultra-high-risk of developing early-onset depression. The goal of this project is to harness big data to stratify risk for early-onset depression.

The goal of the Danish work package, which is led by Dr. Katherine Musliner at the AU Department of Clinical Medicine, is to use Danish register-based data to validate the risk-stratification tool developed in the Welsh data. As such, a background in prediction modeling and experience working with Danish registry data is highly preferred.

Your job responsibilities

As Postdoc in the department of affective disorders, your position is primarily research-based but may also involve teaching assignments. You will contribute to the development of the department through research of high international quality. In your daily work, you will work closely with colleagues on your project, where you will receive supervision and guidance.

Your main tasks will consist of:

• Independent research of high international quality, including publication.
• A limited amount of teaching and supervision
• Some degree of contribution towards attracting external research funding
• Contributions to internal and external efforts to disseminate research findings to relevant academic, clinical and patient stakeholder groups
• Participation in, and active contribution to, the development of the working environment of the department, including journal clubs and research seminars

You will report to the Head of The Department of Clinical Medicine, Christian Fynbo Christiansen.

Your competences

You have academic qualifications at PhD level, for example within the following areas: epidemiology, biostatistics, psychology/psychiatry or a closely related field. The ideal candidate for this position will have a strong background in prediction modeling as well as experience working with Danish or other Scandinavian registers. As a person, you have good interpersonal skills, are inclusive and team-oriented and able to contribute to a good work environment. We expect you to be fluent in oral and written English.

In order to be assessed as qualified for a Postdoc position, you must meet these academic criteria.

Shortlisting will be used.

To be considered for the position, applicants must meet the formal requirements for academic appointments at Aarhus University and submit all required application materials by the deadline. Applications that are substantially incomplete will not proceed to further assessment

Questions about the position

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Katherine Musliner, email: klm@clin.au.dk.

Your place of work will be the Department of Affective Disorders (ADA) at Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital-Psychiatry. Address Børglumvej 5, 8240 Risskov, Denmark.

We expect to conduct interviews May/June 2026.
 

Terms of employment

• Appointment as a postdoc requires academic qualifications at PhD level.
• Further information on the appointment procedure can be found in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.
• The appointment is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• Remuneration is in accordance with the above, and the Salary agreement catalogue for staff at Health.
• The yearly base salary for a fulltime postdoc is between DKK 484.214,84 and DKK 538.720,20 depending on the years of working experience after achieved MSc degree. The base salary includes a position related supplement and pension (17.1 %). Additional supplement(s) for special qualifications can be negotiated. Authorisation supplemement(s) will be granted, if relevant for the position. Your local eligible trade union representative at Aarhus University negotiates your salary on your behalf.
• Researchers recruited from abroad are offered a special researcher tax scheme with a lower tax rate.
• Further information on qualification requirements and job description can be found in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff

Application

Your application must include the following:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum Vitae
• Diploma
• Template for applicant - postdoc
• A list of publications
• A teaching portfolio. We refer to Guideline on the use of teaching portfolios
• A maximum of five of the publications of greatest relevance to the job may be submitted (optional)
• Research plan can be uploaded (optional)
• Coauthor statement(s) can be uploaded (optional)
• References/recommendations can be uploaded separately in the e-recruitment system (optional)

We refer to the faculty’s Guidelines for applicants.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants.

International applicant?

Aarhus University offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including assistance with relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about the International Staff Office and the range of services here. Aarhus University also has a Junior Researcher Association and offers career development support. You can read more about these resources here.

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

Aarhus University

Aarhus University is an academically diverse and research-intensive university with a strong commitment to high-quality research and education and the development of society nationally and globally. The university offers an inspiring research and teaching environment to its 37,000 students (FTEs) and 8.700 employees and has an annual revenue of EUR 1.106 billion. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/