PhD scholarship at the Danish Institute for International Studies, Military Artificial Intelligence, Peace and International Security

The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) is recruiting a PhD candidate to research military applications of artificial intelligence and their implications for peace and international security. We are especially interested in projects that examine how the development and use of AI-based military capabilities affect established practices of decision-making, human control, and accountability. The project should connect a nuanced understanding of the dynamics of technological change to wider questions of arms control and international regulation. 

The position is based at the DIIS Centre for Peace Research and will thematically be placed under one of the three pillars of the Centre, namely Arms control in a time of arms races and war. One of the questions that the Centre focuses on is how Nordic countries, including Denmark, can navigate a situation where the development of new technologies (e.g. AI and drones), along with increasing great power rivalry and competition in space, entail new types of security risks that traditional arms control models and treaties do not effectively regulate.

The successful candidate will develop an independent PhD project that speaks to the overall focus of the center and produces research relevant to Nordic and international debates on security and peace.

About the position 
AI is changing how military organizations collect information, assess threats, select targets and coordinate operations. These capabilities are currently developed faster than military doctrine, legal interpretation and oversight arrangements intended to govern their use. This raises questions about who exercises control, how responsibility is assigned, and how other states interpret capabilities whose operation is difficult to observe. Within this overall frame relevant proposals may examine:

• The relationship between the adoption of AI and the development of military doctrine
• The effects of AI-enabled decision support on military decision-making and the human role therein
• The impact of uncertainty and opacity around the current state of AI integration among militaries on escalation dynamics and arms-race dynamics
• Regulation of AI through multilateral governance mechanisms in and beyond the UN
• Human judgement and accountability in military applications of AI

About DIIS and the position
The successful candidate will be employed by DIIS in a three-year, full-time PhD position, expected to commence on 1 February 2027. The candidate will be enrolled in the PhD School at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), while their primary place of work will be the Centre for Peace Research at DIIS.

The PhD project will be jointly supervised by a senior researcher at DIIS and Professor Ingvild Bode at SDU.

At DIIS, the PhD candidate will join an inspiring and ambitious research environment committed to advancing multidisciplinary scholarship. The successful candidate is expected to engage actively in cross-disciplinary collaboration and to value insights from colleagues working with different theoretical and methodological approaches. Such exchanges across disciplinary boundaries are central to the research environment at DIIS.

We expect the candidate to:

• have obtained a master’s degree in a relevant field
• have at least received the grade of 10 (or equivalent) for the master’s thesis according to the Danish 7-point grading scale and a high weighted grade point average 
• meet the general requirements for being accepted for enrolment as a PhD candidate (see below)
• live up to the DIIS entry criteria for PhD positions https://www.diis.dk/files/media/document/diis-entry-criteria-rev-okt-24.pdf 
• communicate clearly in written and spoken English, and proficiency in Danish is an advantage.

DIIS as a workplace
We offer an attractive and inclusive workplace where our employees can develop. We consider knowledge sharing and feedback essential to creating a dynamic workplace. We expect you to participate proactively in the common efforts of the institute. We prioritize a high degree of presence but want our employees to have a good work-life balance. Therefore, we offer flexible working hours and some possibility of working from home. We are located very close to Copenhagen’s city center with excellent public transportation options.

DIIS is a diverse workplace, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply for this position regardless of their personal background. DIIS is also a workplace where we consider the environmental consequences of our activities and strive to adopt more environmentally sustainable practices both in relation to our daily business at DIIS and our global travel activities.

In the assessment, consideration will be given to the following criteria:

• The applicant has a relevant master’s degree or equivalent qualifications (corresponding to the 3 + 2 Bologna process), cf. the Danish qualifications framework for higher education
• Quality and relevance of the project description
  • Quality and relevance of the methodical and theoretical choices
  • Consistency and coherence between the research problem and the choice of method and theory
  • The realistic and feasible scope of the PhD project
• Relevance of the project for the DIIS Centre for Peace Research and DIIS in general

Contract and remuneration
The position as PhD candidate starts on 1 February 2027 and is a 3-year full-time position. Remuneration and other job conditions follow the general agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and the Danish Ministry of Finance, local collective agreements at DIIS as well as the 28 June 2019 Danish state protocol on PhD candidates. 

The standard starting salary for a PhD candidate at DIIS is 379,702,61 DKK per year excl. pensions – this may be increased depending on prior work experience after the acquisition of the master’s degree. A pension contribution of 18,07% is added to the above-mentioned salary.

Do you want to know more?
Visit http://www.diis.dk/jobs to learn more about DIIS as a workplace. Questions regarding employment and renumeration can be sent to hr@diis.dk. If you have inquiries regarding the professional focus of the position, you can contact Senior Researcher and Head of Research Unit, Mona Kanwal Sheikh at mosh@diis.dk  

The application
Deadline for applying is 23 October 2026, at 12.00 pm CET. 

Please note that we only accept applications through DIIS’ electronic recruitment system. 

Your application must include all the following documents:

1. A motivational letter
2. Curriculum Vitae 
3. Master’s diploma including grades. If you hold a master’s degree which is not within the ECTS-framework, please also provide:
   • Your bachelor diploma and bachelor grades
   • A statement clarifying the subject and length (in years) of the master’s degree
   • An English translation of your diplomas 
4. PhD project proposal (max 5 pages)
5. Publication list

DIIS is an independent public research institution for international studies. We conduct and communicate multidisciplinary research on globalisation, security, development and foreign policy and within these areas we aim to be agenda-setting in research, policy and public debate.

DIIS participates in academic networks and publish in high-ranking academic journals, always striving to excel in academic scholarship.

We continuously assess Denmark's foreign and political situation and inform the Danish media, politicians and the public about our work