Call for applications for a fully financed PhD fellowship
We are seeking a motivated applicant for a 3-year PhD project focusing on mechanisms and treatment of post-traumatic headache following mild traumatic brain injury.
The PhD student will be affiliated with the Pain and Neurorecovery Group at the University Clinic for Neurorehabilitation, Hammel Neurocenter, and the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University. The project is part of the larger Lundbeck Foundation-funded project and will be carried out in close collaboration with Professor Henrik Winther Schytz, Danish Headache Center, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, and Professor Jørgen Feldbæk Nielsen, Hammel Neurocenter. The PhD student will be supervised by Clinical Associate Professor Jan Rosner, Aarhus University.
Post-traumatic headache is a frequent and often disabling condition following mild traumatic brain injury. Despite its clinical relevance, the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood, and evidence-based treatment options are limited. The overall aim of the PhD project is to improve the understanding of clinical and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying post-traumatic headache and to contribute to the evaluation of targeted treatment.
The project will include work with an existing clinical database on determinants of post-traumatic headache, exploration of state-of-the-art neurophysiological markers related to pain processing, and participation in a national clinical trial: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of Eptinezumab in Patients with Post-Traumatic Headache Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury. The clinical trial is coordinated by the Danish Headache Center in Copenhagen, with Hammel Neurocenter serving as a national study site.
The PhD student will be involved in patient recruitment, clinical assessments, data collection, data management, analysis, and scientific dissemination. The project therefore requires close interaction with patients and clinical collaborators.
Applicants must hold a relevant master’s degree in medicine. A clinical background is required, and it will be considered an advantage if the applicant has completed KBU or has equivalent clinical experience.
As the project involves patient contact and clinical assessments in Denmark, fluency in Danish is required. Applicants must also demonstrate good English skills, both orally and in writing.
We are looking for a candidate who is clinically engaged, scientifically curious, structured, and able to work independently as well as in a multidisciplinary team.
It will be considered an advantage if the applicant can document or convincingly describe experience with one or more of the following:
Clinical work with patients with neurological disorders, headache, pain, concussion, or traumatic brain injury
Research experience, for example from a research year, master’s thesis, or previous involvement in clinical research
Experience with patient recruitment, clinical assessments, or clinical trials
Experience with data management, statistics, or scientific writing
Publication experience, including a clear description of the applicant’s own contribution
Strong organisational and time-management skills, as the position involves clinical study activities, writing, PhD courses, teaching, and collaboration across sites
Applicants are encouraged to provide contact details for their master’s thesis supervisor or another relevant academic or clinical reference.
Please submit your application via this link. Application deadline is 8 September 2026 at 23:59 CET. Preferred starting date is 1 October 2026.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please contact Clinical Associate Professor Jan Rosner, jan.rosner@clin.au.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.
