Call for applications for a fully financed PhD fellowship.
PhD position in geriatric and integrated care research. Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University is seeking applications for a fully funded PhD fellowship embedded within the Department of Geriatrics, Aarhus University Hospital.
Hospital-at-Home (HaH) has emerged as an alternative to hospital admission for selected older adults with acute illness. Although Hospital-at-Home has been shown to provide safe and effective treatment, limited knowledge exists regarding the care needs of older adults with frailty receiving treatment at home and how these needs can best be addressed.
The overall aim of this PhD project is to explore and improve care practices for older adults with frailty receiving Hospital-at-Home treatment. The project focuses on understanding patients' care needs and identifying how these can be addressed. Particular attention will be paid to how care needs are experienced and addressed across healthcare sectors and how care practices can support more coordinated and patient-centred care pathways.
The project consists of four interrelated studies:
a scoping review investigating care needs and care practices among older adults with frailty receiving Hospital-at-Home treatment
observations of acute assessments and care during Hospital-at-Home trajectories
qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals from municipal care services
co-design workshops using the findings to develop recommendations for future care pathways
The project offers the opportunity to gain experience with a broad range of qualitative and participatory research methods and to contribute to the development of future models of care for older adults with complex needs.
Key responsibilities include:
conducting a literature review
conducting ethnographic observations
conducting qualitative interviews (in Danish)
analysing qualitative data
conducting co-design workshops
preparing manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals
presenting findings at national and international conferences
contributing to the academic environment of the Geriatric Research Unit
The PhD student will become part of an active and interdisciplinary research environment and will receive supervision from experienced researchers with expertise in geriatrics, frailty, integrated care and qualitative research.
Applicants must hold a master's degree in nursing or other relevant health science discipline.
Experience with qualitative methods or integrated care research, or clinical work with older adults or HaH is an advantage but not required.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to work independently and collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams are essential.
Proficiency in written and spoken English is expected.
Please submit your application via this link. Application deadline is 16 July 2026 at 23:59 CET. Preferred starting date is 1 September 2026.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please contact Associate Professor Lone Winther Lietzen, lwl@clin.au.dk or lonlie@rm.dk, for more information.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
