PhD Course in Obesity: Causes and Consequences – Behaviour, Society, and Genes University of Copenhagen in Denmark

PhD course opportunity at the University of Copenhagen: Obesity: Causes and Consequences – Interplay Between Behaviour, Society, and Genes.

This is a 5-day PhD course taking place from 22–26 June 2026 at Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen. The course is organised by the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, with the Parker Institute and related departments involved in the teaching.

The course explores obesity from multiple angles: epidemiology, nutrition, public health, behaviour, biology, genes, and the environment. It covers whether obesity is a disease, the epidemiology of obesity across the life course, appetite regulation, energy expenditure, the complexity of causes, health consequences, and approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and management.

Confirmed speakers include leading Danish and international experts such as Boyd Swinburn, Melissa Bateson, David Burgner, Stephen Simpson, Sten Madsbad, Jennifer Lyn Baker, Kirstine Nyvold Bojsen-Møller, Henning Bliddal, Rasmus Køster-Rasmussen, and Berit L. Heitmann.

Eligibility: PhD students with basic knowledge in epidemiology, medicine, and/or nutrition. The course is taught in English and is relevant to all graduate programmes at UCPH’s Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences.

Funding/fees: The course fee is 10,200 DKK. It is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School) and for PhD students from NorDoc member faculties. Other participants must pay the fee.

Application deadline: 1 June 2026. Seats are limited, and applicants from outside Danish universities may be placed on a waiting list until the deadline.

How to apply: Register via the course system and review the enrolment rules on the course page. PhD students should ensure their principal supervisor agrees to the participation. Contact Fanney Thorsteinsdottir for questions.