PhD Scholarship for Legal Sociological Research Project

At the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Legal Institute at Aalborg University is a 3-year PhD fellow available. The PhD fellowship is part of the research project TRANSLAW, funded by the Danish Free Research Foundation and led by Stine Pilgaard Porner Nielsen, Associate Professor in Legal Sociology.

The scholarship is available for occupation per 15. January 2027 or soon thereafter.

TRANSLAW is a legal sociological research project which examines how social rights at EU level are translated into practice in the Member States. Specifically, the research project identifies the applicable law in order to identify legal opportunities and barriers for non-Danish EU citizens who experience homelessness in Denmark, more specifically in Copenhagen. In addition, the research project examines how these legal possibilities are put into practice.

TRANSLAW involves non-Danish EU citizens who experience homelessness in Copenhagen, as well as professionals from, among others, shelters and NGOs working to support this target group. TRANSLAW is a legal sociological research project which uses legal methods as well as qualitative methods in the form of observations and interviews, and the theoretical framework of the research project is sociologically inspired.

TRANSLAW examines the overall research issue:What is the impact of structural, interaction and individual factors on the Member States' transposition of EU social rights into practice?

The PhD project will focus on answering the question:What is the impact of interactions between non-Danish EU citizens and professionals as well as their individual experiences of the right to transpose EU social rights into practice?

This is a PhD project involving qualitative methods in the form of observations and interviews with relevant professional and non-Danish EU citizens who experience homelessness in Copenhagen.
Your duties
As a PhD fellow at the Legal Institute, one is employed in a research position where over three years one is working to carry out an independent scientific project for the award of the PhD degree. The scholarship is part of the Foundation's daily community and becomes part of a committed research environment as well as the other group of PhD students with strong academic and social cohesion.

As part of the job, the PhD fellow is expected to perform teaching tasks (the teaching can be done in both Danish and English), engage in research collaboration with a foreign research environment, and acquire approximately 30 ECTS through participation in research courses. The scholarship will also have the opportunity to present at international conferences. The PhD fellow is also expected to participate in the Foundation's activities, including participation in research group meetings, institute seminars, etc.

For more information about the position, the research project manager Stine Pilgaard Porner Nielsen can be contacted atstineppn@law.aau.dk.

Information on PhD training can also be sought from PhD coordinator Thomas Neumann,thn@law.aau.dk. See also the Foundation's website on the PhD programmehttps://www.law.aau.dk/forskning/phd/

The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences wants PhD positions to offer career opportunities both within and outside the university. Therefore, PhD positions are designed so that the skills acquired in the position qualify both for a research career and for a career in the private and/or public sectors.

The PhD project will be linked to the Public, Administrative and Welfare Law Group (PAW) research group.

Your competences 
Applicants may have a Master's degree in law or other social sciences relevant to the legal sociological focus of the project. The assessment of the application shall pay particular attention to:

• the ability to formulate itself in writing, which is why the Master's thesis or other major written work must be attached to the application.
• experience in performing observations and interviews as well as processing and analysing qualitative data.
• knowledge of (courts) sociology and (courts) sociological theories.
• knowledge of homelessness as a problem.
• interest in the impact of the law on the regulation of social problems, including homelessness.

It is expected that applicants have achieved the character 10 or higher in their written thesis, and it is generally expected that applicants have good grades.

Qualification requirements
PhD grants are awarded to persons who have passed a Master's degree. PhD grants normally have a duration of 3 years, and it is a prerequisite for the award of the scholarship that there is also a registration as a PhD student at the PhD School of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in order to carry out a research programme according to the rules of theOrder 1124 of 19. September 2025 on doctoral training at universities and certain artistic courses. After the announcement, the PhD training course must be evaluated at regular intervals. As part of the PhD study, you will have to conduct PhD courses similar to 30 ECTS, gain experience with teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination and conduct an external research stay outside Aalborg University, preferably 3-6 months at a foreign research institution.

Look.PhD School Homepage for further information on qualification requirements.
Who are we?
The Legal Institute is the framework for a dynamic and ambitious research and training environment. Focusing on values such as commitment, community, freedom, balance and good governance, the Foundation wants to contribute legal research to solving societal issues and with high quality education for the future labour market.

See more about the Foundation's value base and about life as a PhD student on the Foundation's website.
https://www.law.aau.dk/om-instituttet#eab7ef77-8355-47da-b434-b5f546dc781e
https://www.law.aau.dk/forskning/ph-d-uddannelse-pa-juridisk-institut

Application
Your application shall contain the following:

• Application stating reasons for applying and qualifications in relation to the post
• CV
• Diplomas (graduate and bachelor's certificate, including grades)
• Project description (minimum 5 pages)Read more about the project description
• Applicants wishing to write the thesis in English and who do not have English as their mother tongue or completed an English language Master's degree shall provide proof of passed language test with the following minimum score IELTS (band score): 7, TOEFL (paper-based): 600, TOEFL (Internet-based): 100. The language test shall be no more than five years old at the time of application.Read more about how the language requirement can be met.
• Other relevant documentation

Application is sent via Aalborg University's recruitment system, which can be accessed during the job vacancy on Aalborg University's website.

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone is encouraged, regardless of personal background and orientation, to apply for the position.
Do you have any questions? 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. You will find the contact details at the bottom of the poster.

Conversations are expected to take place in December 2026.
Other information 
You can read more about our recruitment processhere.

We recommend that you save a copy of the post release, as the post release will be removed after the application deadline has expired.

Shortlisting is used. This means that after the application deadline, the head of department, with the assistance of the recruitment committee, selects the candidates to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether or not they have passed on to their assessment.

The recruitment process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with recruitments that ensure the safety, compliance and integrity of the workplace.

Read more aboutThe Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Conditions of employment and employment
Recruitment shall be carried out in accordance with:Ordinance on the appointment of scientific staff at universities; andDecree on the job structure of scientific staff at universities.

The terms and conditions of employment are as follows:agreement for academics in the state;.
There are 3 months of mutual probation in the post.