Postdoctoral Position in School Choice Modeling and Simulation

The Copenhagen Center for Social Data Science (SODAS), Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH), invites candidates for a postdoctoral position in modeling and simulation of school choice and admissions systems. Preferred starting date is 1 July 2026, but an earlier start may be possible by agreement.

The position is for two years (full-time). The position is part of the project "Implementation and perception in school choice", read more about the project here. As part of the project, the succesful candidate will work closely with project members, including Christopher Neilson from Yale Uni., Mikkel Gandil from Rockwool Foundation and Hessel Oosterbeek from Uni. of Amsterdam as well as Christian Fogel Henneberg who is a PhD student on the project.

Introduction

As part of the project you will be employed at SODAS and affiliated with the Economics Department. SODAS is an interdisciplinary research, teaching, and impact center situated at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen. The center integrates traditional social science theories and methods with novel data science approaches, fostering a collaborative and international research environment. SODAS is home to over 40 researchers from diverse academic backgrounds and offers a supportive environment for both research and professional development. For more information, visit SODAS.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Postdoc will work on the project Implementation and Perception in School Choice, supervised by PI Andreas Bjerre-Nielsen. The main responsibilities include:

• Developing and estimating structural models of school application behavior.
• Simulating the school admission process under various allocation mechanisms.
• Estimating causal effects of school admission outcomes and their broader impact.
• Analyzing and working with large-scale administrative datasets.
• Contributing to publications in top academic journals.
• Collaborating with project team members and other researchers.

Your Competencies and Opportunities

The candidate must have obtained a PhD degree in economics, applied economics, operations research, social data science, or a related field before starting the position.

We expect the following qualifications:

• Strong skills in structural modeling (preferably discrete choice models or matching models).
• Proficiency in Python or R for data processing, modeling, and simulation tasks.
• Experience with large-scale data management and statistical analysis.
• Knowledge or interest in education policy and school choice systems is highly desirable.
• Strong quantitative skills, excellent programming abilities, and the ability to work independently and collaboratively.

This position offers the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research with significant real-world policy implications. The Postdoc will join an interdisciplinary team and contribute to impactful research aimed at top journals.

Strategy of the Faculty of the Social Sciences

SODAS is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The Faculty is a successful academic community that strives to put knowledge into action by:

• Engaging partners in the co-creation of knowledge, learning and social change.
• Empowering our students to become reflective and responsible citizens who have the vision, the knowledge and the competences to change society for the better.
• Energising global, European and Danish communities of knowledge by innovating research methodologies and by research findings with impact

For more on the Faculty strategy, see:

Terms of Employment

Further information on qualification requirements as postdoc can be found in the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Danish Universities 2025 here: Bekendtgørelse om stillingsstruktur for videnskabeligt personale ved universiteter (in Danish only).

• Terms of appointment and salary is in accordance with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (Akademikerne).
• The salary range starts at appoximately DKK per month + a 18.07 % contribution to the pension scheme. It is possible to negotiate salary supplements on an annual basis.

The recruitment process

Further information on the recruitment process at University of Copenhagen can be found here:

As an applicant to the University of Copenhagen, you should be prepared to undergo a security screening related to international research collaboration as part of the recruitment process. The security screening will be conducted in cases where the University deems it appropriate based on an overall assessment.

An Equal Opportunity Workplace

The University of Copenhagen is committed in its pursuit of academic excellence to equality of opportunity and to creating an inclusive working environment and therefore encourages all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of personal background, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, ethnicity etc. For more on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University's participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Researrch, see

International applicant?

The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here:

Contact information

For information regarding the recruitment process, please contact HR at hr-, referring to ID number: /25-2I #2.

For further details about the position, please contact Andreas Bjerre-Nielsen via email:

How to apply

Submit a complete application at our online portal. Click on the "Apply now" icon at the bottom of the page to apply. The documents must be in Adobe PDF or Word.

Your application must be written in English and include the following documents:

• Motivated application
• Curriculum vitae
• Diploma (master and bachelor)
• Other relevant material

The closing date for applications is 23:59 CET 30 November 2025.

Applications or enclosures received thereafter will not be considered.

Københavns Universitet giver sine knap medarbejdere muligheder for at udnytte deres talent fuldt ud i et ambitiøst, uformelt miljø. Vi sikrer traditionsrige og moderne rammer om uddannelser og fri forskning på højt internationalt niveau. Vi søger svar og løsninger på fælles problemer og gør ny viden tilgængelig og nyttig for andre.

Andreas Bjerre-Nielsen

E-mail:

Ansøgningsfrist:

Ansættelsesdato:

Afdeling/Sted: SODAS

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