Applied Citizen Science
PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE at University of Copenhagen
This is a specialised course where 50% of the seats are reserved for PhD students enrolled at the Faculty of SCIENCE at UCPH and 50% of the seats are reserved for PhD students at other faculties and universities. Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.
Aim and Content
The Applied Citizen Science course offers an in-depth introduction to citizen science and participatory science: the involvement of the public in scientific research. The development and application of citizen science is increasing around the world as an effective and progressive research method to address today’s societal challenges. Citizen Science is gaining interest from policy makers and funding bodies across multiple
disciplines. Students will be presented with the various applications of citizen science through interactive lectures, discussions, exercises, field, and lab activities. The course includes guest lectures from prominent citizen science experts from academic institutions,
representing fields of natural & environmental science, social science, and the humanities. By the end of course, students will have a solid foundation in the theory and practice of citizen science including inter- and transdisciplinary aspects and will apply this
knowledge by designing their own project to address a specific research question using citizen science methods.
Learning outcomes
Intended learning outcome for the students who complete the course:
Knowledge:
• Describe basic aspects of citizen science such as the history and typologies in citizen science
• Differentiate between methods in citizen science, community science, crowd sourcing, participatory science, and co-design
• Understand the benefits and current limitations of citizen science
• Explain and critique the various levels of citizen engagement from contributory to extreme citizen science
• Describe the benefits and challenges of collaborating and co-creating with citizen scientists
• Understand the technological aspects of citizen science projects and current digital tools
• Understand communication strategies that are beneficial for explaining and conveying scientific methods and research results to the public and specific audiences
• Understand biases in, and handle and analyze citizen science data
• Draw links between citizen science research, Open Science, and the UN Sustainability Goals
Skills:
• Critically review and assess citizen science approaches
• Make qualified contributions to the development of the rapidly evolving field of citizen science
• Design and apply inter- and transdisciplinary methods to meet the interests and needs of the public
Competences:
• Evaluate and discuss citizen science literature and projects
• Identify research questions relevant for citizen science and reflect on solutions
• Target specific groups of volunteers based on motivation, prerequisites, and preferences
• Apply contributory, collaborative, and co-creation methods to research
• Consider and plan for the technical aspects and digital tools for citizen science projects
• Design and implement a citizen science project including all aspects from idea/question and communication to methods development, data analyses, and assessing project impact
Target Group
PhD students from all research faculties/disciplines with projects and/or strong interests in including principles citizen science and public participation in research as part of their research tools. This course is a transdisciplinary course and thus open to students across all departments at SCIENCE and across faculties at KU and from other Danish & international universities and will be advertised extensively through newsletters and websites of professional associations and KU’s communications streams.
Recommended Academic Qualifications
Students should possess MSc or MA degrees or equivalent from recognized Universities and/or be enrolled in a PhD programme. The course will also be made available to postdocs and as specialized training/continuing education.
Research Area
Citizen and community science / participatory science - involving nonprofessional scientists in the scientific research process. Citizen Science is recognized as a key pillar in KU’s Open Science Strategy and is increasingly becoming an important and often required method to be eligible for several EU funding schemes. This course will equip students with the skills needed
to develop research in connection with the broader public.
Teaching and Learning Methods
Students will learn by participating in hands-on citizen science activities, discussing published citizen science studies, and designing and developing and peer-reviewing their own citizen science research projects.
A mixture of lectures, exercises, workshops, seminars, lab activities, and fieldwork will be included.
Type of Assessment
Students design their own citizen science project idea and present it to the instructors and students. Feedback and questions for each student project will be provided by peers and the main course instructors.
Literature
A list of literature including journal articles and book chapters will be provided based on the daily themes planned in the course. These will be used as learning materials for preparation prior to the course including chapters of the book "Citizen Science – Innovation in open science, society and policy", by Hecker et al. UCL Press.
Course coordinator
Prof. Anders P. Tøttrup, Head of Research, Head of Science & Society, SNM
Guest Lecturers
Marianne Achiam, Associate Professor, Department of Science Education (IND)
Ida Theilade, Professor, IGN
Heidi Ballard, Professor, Center for Community and Citizen Science, University of California, Davis
Dates
03 August – 07 August 2026
Expected frequency
One week course, run annually
Course location
Natural History Museum of Denmark
Requirements for signing up
Students should possess MSc or MA degrees or equivalent from recognized Universities and/or be enrolled in a PhD programme. The course will also be made available to postdocs and as specialized training/continuing education.
Course fee
• Participant fee:
• PhD student enrolled at SCIENCE: DKK 0
• PhD student from Danish PhD school Open market: DKK 0
• PhD student from Danish PhD school not Open market: DKK 3.000
• PhD student from foreign university: DKK 3.000
• Master's student from Danish university: DKK 0
• Master's student from foreign university: DKK 3.000
• Non-PhD student employed at a university (e.g., postdocs): DKK 3.000
• Non-PhD student not employed at a university (e.g., from a private company): DKK 8.400
Cancellation policy
• Cancellations made up to two weeks before the course starts are free of charge.
• Cancellations made less than two weeks before the course starts will be charged a fee of DKK 3.000
• Participants with less than 80% attendance cannot pass the course and will be charged a fee of DKK 5.000
• No-show will result in a fee of DKK 5.000
• Participants who fail to hand in any mandatory exams or assignments cannot pass the course and will be charged a fee of DKK 5.000
Course fee and participant fee
PhD courses offered at the Faculty of SCIENCE have course fees corresponding to different participant types.
In addition to the course fee, there might also be a participant fee.
If the course has a participant fee, this will apply to all participants regardless of participant
type - and in addition to the course fee.