Aarhus BSS Graduate School, Aarhus University invites applicants for a three-year PhD Scholarship in connection with the research project "How to improve assessment and selection decisions in research funding" at the PhD Programme in Management.

The position is available from 1 September 2025 (or as soon as possible thereafter).

The research project

The PhD position will focus on the assessment and selection of 1) applicants for public research, 2) experts for assessment of applications, and 3) those who receive innovation funding. One aim is to improve administrative efficiency and outcomes for grant recipients and funding institutions. Furthermore, the research aims to improve our understanding of 1) inputs to the assessment and selection processes (e.g., application content, applicant team characteristics, assessments committees’ configuration and process) and 2) the resulting outputs for applicants depending on grant decisions. The research will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize large dataset analysis, improving decision-making processes for awarding grants to firms and scientists. The PhD project could aim at the following issues:

• Improved Funding Decisions: How can we make better and faster decisions when assessing funding applications, ensuring the efficient and unbiased elimination of poor applications? This question can be addressed through training algorithms on past decision data to mimic administrative rejections and historical grant decisions.
• Outcomes of Public Funding: How does obtaining or not obtaining public funding affect the subsequent performance of firms and scientists, in terms of outputs such as the number of papers, products, patents, etc. And how is the selection process potentially related to the resulting outputs among grantees?

Additional research topics could include:

• Algorithmic Transparency and Fairness in Funding Decisions
• Comparative Analysis of Funding Models
• AI-Driven Predictive Analytics for Funding Success
• Policy Implications and Recommendations
• Small case Studies of Successful Innovation Funding

Methods

The project will employ a combination of mainly quantitative methods, including machine learning (ML) and generative AI (GenAI) models for empirical statistical analysis, as well as possible experimental designs to validate findings.

Empirical setting

The research will utilize data from the Danish Innovation Fund, integrated with databases such as the Web of Science and the Danish register data. A few start-up interviews (max. 15) with people from evaluation committees, employees from The Danish Innovation Fund as well as prior applicants may also be conducted in order to understand the context better.

The PhD project is to be carried out as part of the research project. The PhD student's role in the research questions listed above will depend on the chosen candidate and his/her own PhD project description related to the topic of the overall project. Hence, you must write a project description on how you would carry out the research within the frames of the overall project.

During the project you will complete a PhD education as described in the rules and regulations for the PhD programme.

Project duration

This is a three-year PhD project, co-funded by the Innovation Fund Denmark and the Department of Management, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University.

Candidate profile

We are seeking applicants with strong knowledge of data analytics and statistical analysis, and some knowledge of the economics of science. A possible background in business studies, economics, sociology, or political science is envisioned.

Further information

For further information about the position, please contact Professor Lars Frederiksen, Email: L.Frederiksen@mgmt.au.dk 

Who we are

The Department of Management is one of the six departments at Aarhus BSS, one of the five faculties at Aarhus University. Aarhus BSS unites the business and social science-related research fields and brings them closer together to reflect the close relationship between society and the business community. As part of a Top 100 university, Aarhus BSS, and specifically the Department of Management, has achieved the distinguished AASCB, AMBA and Equis accreditations - the latter specifically applying to the school’s core business activities.

The department’s research and teaching environment is highly international and culturally diverse with a mix of Danish and international academic staff members and PhD students. We employ more than 160 academic staff including researchers, PhD students, and research associates and cover a broad range of disciplines within management. We aim to conduct high-quality research, and we give high priority to publishing our research in leading academic journals and presenting it at recognised conferences. In addition, we have a dynamic exchange of international researchers, who stay at the department for a shorter or longer period.

For more information about the Department of Management, please visit: http://mgmt.au.dk/.

Place of work

Aarhus BSS, Department of Management, Fuglesangs Allé 4, DK-8210 Aarhus V

Formal requirements

You can read more about how to apply in the application guide and find the rules and regulations of the PhD education here.

The following criteria are decisive in the assessment of the candidates:

• the applicant’s academic qualifications (assessed on the basis of the qualifying degree)
• the quality and relevance of the project proposal
• the applicant’s level of academic aptitude and assessed ability to complete the project within the framework of the PhD programme

You can read more about the assessment procedure and committees appointed by the dean here.

Applicants are very much encouraged to supply documentation as to how they rank compared to their class (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). This may for example be in the form of a letter from your University stating either how you rank as an individual student compared to other students the year you graduated ("ranks as no. 6 out of 111" or "ranks as among the best 8 percent") or if that is not possible, general information from your University as to how grades were distributed in the year of your graduation, will be appreciated.

Please note that Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to evaluate the applications on the basis of the documentation received before deadline, and you will not necessarily be asked for further documentation. Furthermore, Aarhus BSS Graduate School reserves the right to reject application that do not comply with the limitations as stated in the application guide (see link above).

Terms of enrolment

PhD students at Aarhus BSS Graduate School are always enrolled. The enrolment happens in accordance with the Ministerial PhD Order no. 1039 of August 27, 2013 and the terms stated in the Rules and Regulations for the PhD programmes at Aarhus BSS Graduate School. Both can be found here.
If relevant: If you are enrolled in part A of the 4- or 5-year schemes you will receive a SU PhD Scholarship according to the rules set out in the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme (SU, in Danish). In addition, you will be offered to undertake paid work of up to 280 hours during your part A enrolment period.

Terms of employment

If you are offered employment at Aarhus University in connection with enrolment in the 3-year scheme, the appointment is made in accordance with the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities as well as the circular on the Collective Agreement for Academics Employed by the State (in Danish). The job content and qualification requirements are described in further detail in the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities.

You can read more about the 3-, 4- and 5-year scheme here.

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 38,000 students (FTEs) and 8,300 employees, and has an annual revenues of EUR 935 million. Learn more at www.international.au.dk/