项目介绍

2026年8月20日

Are you interested in combining audiology, data science, and epidemiology to understand how hearing loss relates to brain health and dementia?

The Hearing Systems Section at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), together with collaborators from the Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Centre (CHBC), Rigshospitalet, invite applications for a 3-year PhD position as part of the VERA project (Vascular Effects on the Risk of Age-related Hearing Loss and Dementia). This position is part of an international Alliance PhD programme between DTU and the University of Queensland (UQ), Australia.

Age-related hearing loss is strongly associated with cognitive decline and dementia, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. A key limitation in existing research is that hearing loss is typically treated as a single, homogeneous condition. This PhD project addresses this gap by decomposing hearing loss into biologically meaningful components – in particular metabolic and sensory-dominated patterns – and evaluating how these relate to vascular disease burden and dementia risk.

You will work with large-scale Danish clinical and audiological datasets, with the possibility to link these to national health registries and hearing intervention records. A central focus of the project is the development and validation of hearing loss phenotypes using computational modelling approaches. These model-based indicators may be evaluated and refined through complementary analyses, including comparisons with physiological and electrophysiological measures such as otoacoustic emissions (OAE) and frequency-following responses (FFR), where relevant data are available or can be collected. Building on this validation framework, the project will investigate how different hearing loss phenotypes relate to variation in vascular health, cognitive performance, and dementia risk across individuals.

The project is embedded in an interdisciplinary research environment spanning epidemiology, clinical audiology, auditory modelling, and cognitive neuroscience. You will join the Hearing Systems Section at DTU Health Tech and the Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Centre (CHBC) at Rigshospitalet. The project provides access to unique clinical and epidemiological datasets and offers a research stay at the University of Queensland in Australia with Professor Piers Dawes as part of the Alliance PhD programme.

Responsibilities and qualifications

You will:

• Develop and apply computational models to derive hearing loss phenotypes from clinical audiograms
• Assess the robustness and validity of model-based phenotypes (e.g., stability, biological plausibility)
• Analyse large-scale linked audiological and registry datasets
• Evaluate associations between hearing loss components, vascular health, and dementia outcomes
• Collaborate with clinicians, epidemiologists, and engineers across Denmark and Australia
• Disseminate research findings through scientific publications and conferences

You should:

• Have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, data science, statistics, audiology, physics, computer science, or a related field
• Have strong quantitative and analytical skills, for example within statistics, modelling, machine learning, or data science
• Have experience with programming in Python, R, Matlab, or similar environments
• Be interested in hearing science, audiology, epidemiology, vascular health, and dementia research
• Be motivated to work with large and complex datasets
• Enjoy working in a cross-disciplinary research field and be able to work independently
• Communicate research effectively in English

Experience with audiology, epidemiology, registry data, neuroscience, or modelling of biological systems is advantageous but not required.

You must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree.[AAK2] 

Approval and Enrolment 
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU’s rules for the PhD education. 

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by Associate Professor Abigail Anne Kressner and relevant members of the project team.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

The starting date is as soon as possible and at latest 1 Dec 2026. The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Abigail Anne Kressner (PI), aakress@dtu.dk.

You can read more about DTU Health Tech at www.healthtech.dtu.dk and about the Clinical and Technical Audiology research group at https://www.healthtech.dtu.dk/research/research-sections/section-hearing-systems/group-clinical-and-technical-audiology.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU. 

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 27 August 2026 (23:59 Danish time), but applications will be processed as they come in.

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link “Apply now”, fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale