Phd Fellowship In Societal Security And Preparedness At The Royal Danish Defence College

The Royal Danish Defence College hereby invites applications for a three-year PhD fellowship starting September 1st 2026. The position is anchored at the Centre for Societal Security at the Institute for Strategy and War Studies, Royal Danish Defence College, located in Copenhagen.

The PhD project is funded through a government research grant (2026–2028) aimed at strengthening strategic research in the field of societal security and preparedness. The initiative seeks to develop new, independent, research-based knowledge for the benefit of public authorities, private enterprises, and civil society in Denmark.

The PhD project will be carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Societal Security and Resilience (SECURE) at Roskilde University, where the PhD fellow will be enrolled and supervised as an integrated part of an internationally leading research environment within public governance, administration, and policy.

About Us

The Royal Danish Defence College is an independent educational institution under the Danish Defence Command. The position is anchored at the Centre for Societal Security within the Institute for Strategy and War Studies, which is the Danish Defence’s research and teaching unit in the fields of strategy, security policy, war and conflict theory, military history, and cultural understanding. Research at the institute aims to support Denmark’s security and, in particular, the operational tasks of the Danish Defence.

Copenhagen is regularly ranked among the most livable cities in the world. The Royal Danish Defense College is located at Svanemøllen Barracks in the Østerbro district of Copenhagen, a fifteen-minute commute by public transport from the city center.

About the position

Danish society currently faces the most complex and severe threat and risk landscape since the Second World War. The security situation in Europe has intensified as a result of geopolitical conflicts, including the war in Ukraine. Threats include cyberattacks, supply chain vulnerabilities, sabotage against critical infrastructure, hybrid threats, influence operations, and more. In addition, climate-related events are becoming increasingly frequent and severe, alongside complex technological systems and processes.

These developments place growing demands on society’s overall resilience and emergency preparedness capacity. To protect the population, key societal institutions, critical infrastructure, and other essential societal functions, it is necessary to strengthen emergency preparedness and broader societal security.

Research capacity within societal security and emergency management is therefore to be enhanced in order to provide research-based knowledge that can strengthen society’s ability to manage these threats and crises. Research in this field spans a wide range of topics, including crisis management and emergency preparedness practices (such as how authorities, companies, and/or civil society organize themselves before, during, and after crises and war), preparedness policies in a historical perspective, and learning processes following crises. This also includes comparative analyses of different countries’ societal security models, analyses of interaction between local, national, and international actors, as well as analyses of coordination, management, and governance across sectors. Research may also relate to topics such as total defence, resilience, and psychological defence.

A particular focus of this PhD position within this field is to generate new knowledge on the relationship between military and civilian contributions to societal security and preparedness. This constitutes the core of the emerging comprehensive total preparedness system, which—beyond military and civilian authorities—also includes Danish civil society, businesses, and citizens.

To apply for the position, applicants must submit a project proposal. Within the defined focus area, applicants are given the freedom to independently formulate a research project that is firmly grounded in international research in the field and contributes significantly to the existing knowledge. Regardless of the specific research focus chosen, the project proposal must also demonstrate how the project creates value for military and civilian authorities and—where relevant—private enterprises, civil society, and the population of Denmark.

The PhD programme involves the completion of an independent research project, as well as coursework and teaching obligations at both the Royal Danish Defence College and Roskilde University. In addition, the PhD programme includes collaboration with other relevant research institutions, also outside Denmark, as well as with authorities and other stakeholders in the field. Travel and transport activities are therefore to be expected, including a mandatoryextended research stay at another institution.

About you

To be qualified for the PhD fellowship, applicants must hold a two-year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) within a social science or humanities discipline. It is an advantage—but not a requirement—if you have knowledge of the Danish emergency preparedness system and the organisation of the Danish Defence and/or have previous experience teaching at university level or publishing academic work.

At a minimum, applicants must have submitted their Master’s thesis and received a preliminary approval at the time of application.

Employment is contingent upon the ability to obtain and maintain security clearance throughout the period of employment.

Terms of Employment

You will be employed and paid according to the current Academic Agreement in Denmark.

As an associate professor at the RDDC, you will also be covered by the current circular on certain employment conditions for civilian researchers with and without teaching obligations and civilian academic teachers at the RDDC.
Depending on your qualifications, there will be an opportunity to negotiate a supplement. The position is linked to an employer-financed pension scheme of 18,07%.
The place of employment is located in Copenhagen.

As an employee at the Ministry of Defence, you must be able to obtain a security clearance and obliged to participate in peace-making and peacekeeping operations. You are obliged to perform service outside the national borders, including with units participating in international operations aimed at conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, humanitarian, and other similar operations.
Please note that foreign applicants may be eligible for the Special Tax Scheme for Researchers.

Please note that the position is a fixed term position (end of 2028) linked to the Government grant. Depending on funding, the position may be extended.

Contact and Application

The application deadline is 1th of June, 2026, and interviews are expected to take place shortly thereafter.

Applications must be submitted electronically in PDF or Microsoft Word format via the link “Apply for the position” at the bottom of the page.

The application must include the following:

The project proposal must not exceed five pages (corresponding to 12,000 characters including spaces, excluding the reference list).

If you expect special expenses related to the project (e.g. surveys, fieldwork, extended stays abroad, specialised equipment, etc.), please include a brief note on this in the project proposal.

Further information

For further questions regarding the position, please contact Director Kristian Søby Kristensen at: fak-isk-ch@mil.dk.

For questions regarding the academic field of societal security and emergency preparedness, please contact Deputy Director of SECURE, Rasmus Dahlberg, at: rdahlberg@ruc.dk.

If you have questions about conditions of employment or salary, please contact Personelkommandoen, HR Consultant Mia Carlsson email: PKOM-MNC@mil.dk.

Your primary workplace will be the Royal Danish Defence College, Svanemøllen Barracks, Ryvangs Allé 1, 2100 Copenhagen Ø.

The position is full-time (37 hours per week) for a three-year period, with commencement as soon as possible.

The Royal Danish Defence College looks forward to receiving your application!

In the Ministry of Defence's organization, we believe that diversity optimizes task performance. Therefore, we encourage all interested individuals, regardless of background, to apply for the position.

Royal Danish Defence College

The Royal Danish Defence College (RDDC) educates and trains the Danish Defence forces and international officers to solve the unique tasks of the Danish Defence and of our allies. We create lifelong learning through relevant, practice-oriented, and contemporary education and training, and we contribute to the public debate through qualified research and development. Furthermore, the RDDC is conducting research in various fields such as security policy, strategy, cultural understanding, military operations, leadership, military history, and military technology.

At the Royal Danish Defence College, we comprise approximately 450 employees. Our workforce represents a blend of civilian and military personnel, who encompasses a diverse array of roles including administrative staff, lecturers, officers, researchers, assistants, cadets, librarians etc. The Royal Danish Defence College is located in several places in the country, but most of the employees are located at Svanemøllen's Barracks, while the other employees are located at Frederiksberg Castle, Varde, Frederikshavn and Karup.