PhD Fellowship: Complexity-oriented Evaluation in European Joint Actions

Department of Oncology and Office of Health and Partnerships at Lillebaelt Hospital in Vejle and at the Graduate School of Health Sciences at the University of Southern Denmarkinvites applications for a position as PhD fellow linked to European Joint Actions from 1 February 2027 or as soon as possible.

Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, is involved in several large European initiatives in cancer care, including among others the Joint Actions EUnetCCC and JANE-2 under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. Across these joint actions, the hospital leads and contributes to evaluation work packages and evaluation tasks that are related to governance, impact and learning in complex multi-partner collaborations. This provides a unique setting for the PhD fellow, with access to rich empirical material and close collaboration with both academic and clinical partners working to improve cancer care.

PhD project focus: Complexity-oriented evaluation in large EU health programmes

The PhD’s overall focus is to explore how evaluation can be designed and carried out in ways that reflect the complexity of large EU health initiatives.

The project will focus on complexity-oriented approaches to evaluation. Current EU health programmes are often planned, monitored and reported through structured frameworks that emphasise predefined objectives, indicators, deliverables and expected impacts. While these tools are important for accountability, they may be less well suited to capturing emergent, context-dependent and multi-level forms of change in complex health initiatives.

The PhD project is expected to:

• Examine how EU-funded health projects interpret and translate evaluation requirements into practice, including how they try to balance accountability, learning and improvement
• Analyse the tensions between the evaluation logic embedded in EU-funded programmes and complexity-informed evaluation approaches, not only as a methodological issue but also as an institutional and epistemological challenge
• Explore how evaluation designs and methods can be developed to better handle multi-level complexity (local, national and European) while maintaining sensitivity to context

A mixed-methods approach is expected, combining document analysis, qualitative data and selected quantitative data from the Joint Actions. The PhD project will not evaluate the Joint Actions, it will use them as empirical cases to study how evaluation is designed, negotiated and used in complex EU-funded health initiatives.

You will be enrolled as a PhD fellow at the Graduate School of Health Sciences at the University of Southern Denmark and based at the Department of Oncology at Lillebaelt Hospital. The PhD fellow will develop an independent research project within the overall framework of the Joint Actions, while also contributing to selected evaluation activities. The position therefore combines academic research with close engagement in an ongoing European evaluation practice.

As a PhD fellow, you will be actively involved in the Joint Actions during their implementation periods.

We offer

• A PhD training programme at the highest international level.
• Affiliation with the Graduate School of Health Sciences at the University of Southern Denmark, and department of Oncology and Office of Health and Partnerships at Lillebaelt Hospital.
• A PhD position in a dynamic and interdisciplinary research environment with a focus on complex evaluation, funded through departmental resources and with an expectation of ongoing applications for external funding during the fellowship.
• Close supervision and strong opportunities for developing advanced research competencies.
• The opportunity to shape and develop the PhD project within the overall framework of the research programme.
• The opportunity to contribute to research with the potential to inform evaluation practice, EU health policy and the development of future European health networks.
• Great opportunities for research exchanges.

Required qualifications

• A relevant master’s degree, for instance in social sciences, health sciences or humanities.
• Experience or strong interest in evaluation research, implementation research, health services research, public health, organisational studies, policy studies or related fields.
• Documented experience with academic writing, preferably including one or more peer-reviewed publications or manuscripts under review.
• Experience with qualitative methods.
• Familiarity with mixed-methods research.
• Interest in EU health policy, cancer care, cross-border collaboration or large-scale health programmes.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to disseminate research findings both orally and in writing in Danish and English.
• The ability to work independently, persistently, and in a structured manner, as well as strong collaborative skills within an interdisciplinary research environment.
• A strong interest in working at the intersection of research and policy with a specific focus on translating research findings into practical applications.
• Experience with evaluation and/or work on EU-funded projects is an advantage.

Application

Applicants are asked to submit the following documents:

• A brief project outline (2–3 pages) describing the proposed PhD project, including research focus, theoretical and methodological considerations.
• A motivated application letter explaining the applicant’s interest in the position and how their qualifications match the project.
• A detailed CV including information on education, research experience and any relevant publications.
• Copies of degree certificates and transcripts (master’s degree and bachelor’s degree).
• The application deadline is 18 October 2026.
• If you have any questions regarding the position, you can contact Christine Lund Momme at +45 29 20 13 18. If you have any questions about the PhD project, you can contact Amalie Weiss Risbjerg at +45 24 41 06 07.