The Department of Social Sciences and Business, Roskilde University, invites applications for a position as PhD fellow on the project on Institutional Investor Active Ownership from 1st of October 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter. The position as PhD is limited to a period of 3 years.
The PhD project
In the face of pressure to invest responsibly and with impact, fund managers of pension funds and other institutional investors must decide whether to remain passive investors, engage actively with corporate managers to influence their behavior, or instead divest their holdings in firms and industries that do not contribute to greater responsibility and the green transition. With this project, the PhD student will conduct research closely working together with supervisors, with aims to (1) more systematically document, (2) in a wider set of institutional investors, (3) in a comparative European and Chinese context, (4) across investments in multiple industries, both what engagement strategies are being pursued, and with what impact. They will also attempt to extend the analysis to private non-listed companies, that similarly deal with institutional investors. Finally, they will measure impact both qualitatively and quantitatively.
The project is co-financed by the Sino-Danish Centre (SDC) and is a double degree PhD program from Roskilde University and the prestigious University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. As a PhD fellow, you will have supervisors at both universities. As such, this is a great opportunity for someone wanting to embark on an academic career.
The project will be supervised by Professor (mso) Kristian J. Sund (RUC), with co-supervisors Assoc. Professor Johannes K. Dreyer (RUC) and Professor Jiang Yu (UCAS).
The Doctoral School and research environment
You will be enrolled as a PhD fellow at the Doctoral School of Social Sciences and Business with approximately 47 PhD fellows from all over the world.
The Doctoral School of Social Sciences & Business provides PhD training and research within an interdisciplinary, international, and professional environment. It is part of a dynamic community of researchers who share a commitment to understanding society in diverse contexts of change and global engagement. Researchers come from all over the world and engage in topics that are geographically, theoretically and methodologically diverse. The Doctoral School has one PhD programme. The programme offers work-in-progress seminars, thematic professional development seminars, feedback and social activities for enrolled PhD fellows. As a PhD fellow you will be associated with the Section for Business and Management and the research group on Risk, Uncertainty, & Opportunity (RUNOP).
You will also be enrolled as a PhD student at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Responsibilities and tasks
As a PhD fellow you are trained at an international level to undertake research. You are responsible for carrying out independent research under supervision and receiving constructive feedback in the PhD program to finish your PhD thesis. During your employment you are required to take 30 ECTS of coursework, and gain experience in teaching and supervision. You are also required to have a research exchange during your PhD enrollment. The research change can take place at foreign or local universities or research institutions.
For more information, see chapter 3, Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. Read more on what it entails to be a PhD Fellow at Roskilde University.
As this is a double degree with UCAS, you will also be expected to teach quantitative research methods to master’s degree students at the Sino-Danish Centre (SDC) in China or online, and you will have a mandatory stay of 12 months in Beijing (that can be split in 2 stays of 6 months each), working at the Sino-Danish Centre (SDC), and hosted by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS). You will conduct further teaching and supervision work at Roskilde University.
Qualifications
You must hold a master’s degree or equivalent within management, economics, or an equivalent discipline, preferably having completed relevant courses in strategy and/or finance.
Qualifications within the following areas are required:
- High proficiency in English, both written and oral
- Relevant MSc or MA degree with high grades
- Knowledge of statistics, as demonstrated by having completed one or more statistics courses at undergraduate or graduate levels
- Willingness to travel and live for a period of at least 12 months in Beijing (please state this clearly in your cover letter)
You are required to be enterprising and to possess good communication skills and to be a visible, involved participant in the Department’s daily activities, in addition to being willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration across the department.
Applications are invited from both inside and outside Denmark. Please note that Chinese citizens including citizens from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao are not eligible for this position.
Assessment
In the assessment regarding employment consideration will be given to:
In the assessment regarding enrollment consideration will also be given to the following criteria:
- Educational skills and any further professional qualifications within the social sciences.
- Grades at a social science master’s program or equivalent.
- Quality and relevance of the project description.
- Quality and relevance of the methodical and theoretical choices.
- Consistency and coherence between the problem and the choice of method and theory.
- If the PhD project seem realistic and feasible.
- Ability to complete the PhD project.
- Relevance of the project to the profile of the Doctoral School.
- Your project description shall be no more than 5 pages (excluding references).
Questions
For further information about the position, please contact Kristian Sund (+4546742198 or sund@ruc.dk). For technical or administrative questions, please contact the PhD Coordinator Hanne Vang Hansen (ise-phdadmin@ruc.dk).
Terms of employment
The employment is full time, 37 hours per week and you will refer to the Head of Department.
The position will be filled according to the Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC) and Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities.
Application procedure
After the deadline for applications the Head of Department will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee including the chairperson of the assessment committee.
Shortly after the application deadline all applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for assessment.
The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the composition of the committee and - later on - their assessment.
Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.
Application
To apply for the position go to www.ruc.dk/en/job/
Only applications in English are accepted.
Applications must include:
1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Documentation of education including grades from Master’s programme or equivalent. If you master degree is not awarded within the ECTS frame, please provide us with:
Your bachelor diploma and grades.
An official English translation of diplomas
A description of the master programme including the official duration (in years).
4. Your description of the PhD project (max 5 pages)
5. Your time schedule of the PhD project
6. If applicable: Documentation for any research experience, work experience or publications.
Please submit your application no later than June 15, 2026.
Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration.
Roskilde University wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.
The hiring process at Roskilde 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.