项目介绍

2026年5月31日

At the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Aalborg University Business School, one PhD position is available within management and organization with a particular focus on discrimination and bias reduction in recruitment processes. The position is full-time, three years, and based at the research group Strategy, Organisation and Management at campus Aalborg. The stipend is open for appointment from October 15, 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Your work tasks
You will be part of a research project that examines why bias in recruitment persists, even though various forms of blind screening and other interventions have been implemented. The project views recruitment as a multi-stage process, where screening, interviews and final decisions interact, and where bias-reducing mechanisms can reinforce or counteract each other.

You will work in an experimental setting using AI, immersive virtual reality scenarios and quantitative analyses to study decision-making and implicit bias across the hiring process. The technical development of the virtual reality set-up is handled by project partners. Your role will be to help design and carry out experiments using AI and VR, define conditions and scenarios, and analyse the resulting data. You might further engage in qualitative follow-up studies gaining in-depth knowledge about the underlying mechanisms.

A central part of your work will be quantitative analysis of data from experiments and other sources. This may include studying how blind screening and structured interviews affect the representation of different groups in selection processes (for example gender, ethnic minorities and age groups), and how candidates’ personality traits interact with stereotypes and implicit evaluations. You will work systematically with questions such as: under which conditions do bias-reducing mechanisms support more inclusive recruitment, and how can they be combined and implemented to improve diversity outcomes over time.

You will be part of the research group Strategy, Organisation and Management and are expected to participate in research meetings, seminars and collaborative activities. During the three years of employment, you will also contribute to teaching at Aalborg University Business School and complete PhD courses corresponding to 30 ECTS, including an external research stay in agreement with your supervisors.

Your competencies 
You hold a relevant Master’s degree, for example in organization and management, business administration, sociology, work and organizational psychology or related social science fields. You are motivated to work in depth with empirical research on recruitment and decision-making and to contribute to both academic and practice-oriented discussions of diversity and inclusion.

You have solid quantitative methodological skills and experience with data analysis in software such as R, Stata, Python or similar tools. You are comfortable working with datasets, developing statistical models and documenting your analytical choices. Experience with experimental designs, surveys or field/laboratory experiments is an advantage, but not a strict requirement, provided you are ready to build such competences.

You work independently and in a structured way, and you are able to plan and complete longer research tasks. At the same time, you contribute actively to the research environment, share your work in progress and engage in constructive feedback with colleagues. You can communicate clearly in written and spoken English. Knowledge of Danish is an advantage, particularly in relation to teaching, but it is not a requirement. Please note that non-Danish speaking employees will undergo a course in basic Danish language qualifications within the first two years of employment.

Qualification requirements
PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master’s degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1124 of September 19, 2025 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time. As part of the PhD study, you are among other things required to complete PhD courses corresponding to 30 ECTS, gain experience with teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination and complete an external research stay outside of Aalborg University, preferably 3-6 months at a foreign research institution.

Please visit the website of the doctoral school for further information on admission requirements.

Who we are    
Aalborg University Business School (AAUBS) is a regionally anchored and internationally oriented business school conducting research and teaching within the broad fields of business administration and economics. As a PhD student you will be affiliated with the research group Strategy, Organisation and Management, which focuses on organizing, leadership and decision-making in private and public organisations.

The project is embedded in a lab environment that studies bias and decision-making in recruitment. Researchers from different disciplines collaborate on designing realistic experimental settings to understand how bias-reducing mechanisms work across the hiring process and what organisational and technological structures are needed to sustain diversity gains over time. As a PhD student, you will also be part of the broader PhD community at Aalborg University Business School, with access to seminars, methods training and opportunities for international collaboration.

How to apply
Your application must include the following:

• Application, stating reasons for applying and qualifications in relation to the position
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Diplomas (bachelor’s and master’s degree diploma, including grades) 
• Project description (approx. 8 pages). Read more about the project description
• Applicants WHO are planning to complete a doctoral thesis in English and who do not have English as a first language or WHO have not completed an English language-based Master’s programme (or an equivalent educational achievement in English) shall provide documentation that they have passed one of the following official tests with the respective minimum score: IELTS (band score): 7, TOEFL (paper-based): 600, TOEFL (internet-based): 100. The language test must be no more than five years old at the time of the application
• Other relevant documents

The application must be submitted via Aalborg University’s recruitment system, which can be accessed under the job advertisement on Aalborg University’s website. 

Aalborg University wants to reflect the surrounding society and has diversity as a core value. Therefore, everyone, regardless of personal background and orientation, is encouraged to apply for the position.

Do you have any questions?     
If you have any questions about the position, you are more than welcome to contact us. You will find contact persons at the bottom of the jobpost.

Further information  
Read more about our recruitment process here.

The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

Read more about The Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Humanities

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish).

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (in Danish) 

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.

Aalborg University – Knowledge for the world
Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real-world-oriented education and create world-class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.