Two PhD students for a project on womens health and side effects of modern hormonal contraceptives

We are looking for two motivated and capable PhD students to join the Cancer and Medicine research group at the Danish Cancer Institute.

About us

The Danish Cancer Institute is a research institute within the Danish Cancer Society. The institute has an international profile with around 300 researchers and other staff members from 30 countries covering basic, translational and epidemiologic cancer research. In the Treatment and Cancer team, we use high-quality Danish and Nordic registry data as basis for our research to investigate safety, risks and benefits of drugs in relation to cancer and other outcomes. Current drug candidates include (among others) female hormones, antidiabetic drugs, aspirin and other NSAIDs, and drug exposure in early pregnancy.

Ongoing projects include safety studies of drug use in women and in children after drug exposure in pregnancy. We are also interested in potential carcinogenic effects of drug use, and possibilities of repurposing of drugs with potential anti-cancer effects, whether in cancer prevention or as beneficial effects on cancer prognosis.

About the position

The overall purpose of the PhD projects is to investigate women's health, diseases, and side effects of modern hormonal contraceptives using emulated target trials and real-world data. The project will be based on data from nationwide health registers and data from the nationwide survey on reproductive health - SafeChoice.

You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the project in collaboration with the team and two other PhD students. You will be involved in protocol development, perform data management, statistical analyses, and dissemination of results in scientific journals. You are also expected to collaborate broadly with the team on other ongoing research projects. You will be enrolled in a university PhD program.

About you

We expect you to have:

• A master's degree in a relevant field (Statistics, medicine, public health or other related fields)
• Experience in programming and statistical analyses in R or similar
• Knowledge of statistics (preferable target trails and LTMLE) and epidemiology
• Excellent communication skills in spoken and written English
• Proven ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritizing effectively and meeting deadlines
• Research experience and subject‑matter knowledge in women's health and hormones is an advantage

We offer

• An exciting position in an inspiring and international research environment
• A 3-year PhD student position
• Involvement in other research activities e.g. presentations, applications, research

We have an in-house seminar series, a young researchers' association and administrative and IT support, and we in the Treatment and Cancer Team have both international and national collaborators which will also be a part of the research environment for the applicant.

Working hours are 37 hours per week including a lunch break. You will receive salary and pension in accordance with the current agreement between the Danish Cancer Society and the relevant trade union.

The Danish Cancer Institute is located at Strandboulevarden 49, Copenhagen Ø where a canteen, daily fruit, a sports association, and an art association are available. And of course, the working hours arw smoke-free.

More information

For more information about the position, please contact Team Leader & Senior Researcher Lina Mørch, or Research assistant Emma Ove Dahl or on

Submit your application electronically via the link 'Apply for position', no later than 31st of December 2025. The application should be written in English and include a motivated application (max. 1 page), CV and documentation of completed education.

We expect to hold the interviews in week 2 and 3. The position is available as soon as possible thereafter.

Application due

31/12/2025

Start date

Start as soon as possible

Workplace

Copenhagen

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Contact

Lina Steinrud Mørch

Gruppeleder

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