The position
As a resident PhD fellow, you will predominantly work on your PhD thesis. You have one or more academic advisers at the university where you are enrolled. These advisers are responsible for mentoring your academic progress in collaboration with academics of the central bank.
The research unit offers an environment with a young, active, and international team of PhD economists in macroeconomics, finance, household finance and labour economics. It has good connections to academic and policy institutions both in Denmark and internationally. It hosts regular visits from internationally renowned scholars. You also benefit from the wide range of expertise of economists working in different areas of the bank and get exposure to policy discussions.
Moreover, the research unit offers an excellent data infrastructure. You can access a wide variety of microdata that the bank collects, and microdata hosted at Statistics Denmark through its general agreement with Statistics Denmark. We have extensive experience in working with microdata and strongly encourage you to use this data for your research projects.
Earlier resident PhD fellows subsequently found positions at NHH Bergen, DREAM, the Swiss National Bank, Danmarks Nationalbank, Copenhagen Business School, Copenhagen University, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.
To ensure that you benefit from the PhD fellowship, we expect you to be at the bank regularly and to participate in the Research Unit's activities. Moreover, instead of teaching at the university, you will work on research projects in collaboration with your academic advisors. The workload is comparable to the teaching workload in a Danish PhD program.
You will receive office space and a monthly stipend equivalent to the PhD stipend offered by Danish universities (currently around DKK 26,000 or EUR 3,500 per month, see the latest agreement here). Moreover, the bank provides health insurance, research funds, travel funds, covers university fees and provides computer equipment and software.
The typical duration of the fellowship is three years, conditional on the annual approval of a progress report. Past fellows that are interested in pursuing an international academic career have been able to extend their PhD thesis during a fourth year.
You have the essential prerequisites to succeed
At Danmarks Nationalbank, we are accommodating. We focus on recognition, good leadership and the ability to make your and our different competences interact. We take time for each other – when we share our knowledge, when a helping hand is needed and when we gather around common interests.
We want you to both succeed and thrive in your role as PhD therefore, we attach importance to you having the following qualifications for applying for the position:
- You have a strong background in economics, proven by excellent grades in a relevant master's program.
- It is an advantage if you have experience handling large micro datasets or relevant programming experience.
- It is also beneficial if you are internationally mobile if you plan to pursue an academic position after completing your PhD.
Since the fellowship requires regular presence at the bank, this programme targets predominantly students enrolled or wishing to enroll at a university in the Copenhagen area. Students enrolled at more distant universities should specify in their application how they plan to engage in PhD coursework and faculty mentoring while also being at the bank regularly.
The University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School welcome applications for their PhD programmes from Danmarks Nationalbank fellowship applicants. Please indicate in your application to these university programmes that you have also applied for funding to Danmarks Nationalbank.
Why is it worth applying for the job?
At Nationalbanken, you will have ample opportunity to obtain your PhD while interacting with internationally renowned scholars, policy makers, as well as skilled colleagues internally, nationally and internationally
What is special about being part of your team?
The research team is diverse in terms of nationality, age and experience. We try our best to help each other and push our research to the highest standard. Our working language is English.
Which activities in the team are worth highlighting?
Our everyday lives are largely determined by our diverse research agenda, with a high level of both inhouse and international interaction. This provides a dynamic everyday life and frequent sparring in the team and international scholars.
What is good leadership according to the line manager?
Good Ph.D. management is about setting both ambitious research goals as well as providing the guidance and support to reach those goals. We have a trusting and open dialogue, and as a PhD student, you get a great deal of responsibility and scope for your personal and professional development, supported by both your central bank researcher and your academic advisor.
Where will I work?
Danmarks Nationalbank currently has an address at Langelinie Allé 47 in Copenhagen at the seafront. While you will spend a large fraction of your time at NationalBanken, you will also be integrated at the university where you are enrolled, as well as long-term visits to top universities as part of your PhD education.
Need for further information?
For questions about the resident PhD student fellowship programme, please do not hesitate to contact Renato Faccini.
Application procedure
If you are already enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a PhD programme, please submit the following:
1. A detailed CV
2. An official transcript of the courses attended.
3. A thesis proposal, describing your research project, including its problems, details of the theoretical and empirical aspects, and a discussion on how your PhD thesis creates new knowledge.
4. A timeline for your proposed PhD studies
5. One letter of reference from an academic, ideally from your main supervisor if available.
If you are planning to enroll in a PhD programme starting on or before September 2024, please additionally submit the following:
6. Evidence of fluency in English (official test results or equivalent)
7. A detailed list of the PhD programmes where you will submit an application
8. Any additional material you will submit to the school where you apply for your PhD studies (for example, GRE or similar admission test results, previous research work, etc.)
Your reference letters or additional documents should be send directly to research_recruitment@nationalbanken.dk.
It is a prerequisite for your employment that you can present a criminal record certificate.
Deadline for application is 15 January 2025.
Worklife in Nationalbanken
Danmarks Nationalbank is one of a kind. Our tasks are to secure payments, conduct a fixed exchange rate policy and provide analysis, knowledge and recommendations for the benefit of the Danish economy. We attach great importance to your learning and ongoing development of skills and competences. We mean it when we say that your development is paramount. In fact, you are worth your weight in gold to Danmarks Nationalbank.