Job Description

If you are looking for the combination of research in a PhD position while working closely with industry in highly relevant manufacturing, here is an open position at the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark – DTU. The PhD project is part of MADE REACT (Resilient manufacturing systems through AI-powered and digitally Connected Technologies), which is a national collaboration involving 24 leading companies, four Danish universities, and three research and technology organizations.

This PhD project is a collaboration with the Danish company Steel Products and will be focused on specific brass components for the defence industry, manufactured by a combination of multiple metal forming steps and heat treatment steps. The project will involve selection and installation of sensors to obtain critical process information from the production environment at Steel Products. Process modelling of the manufacturing processes shall be established by a combination of physics-based numerical simulation and data-driven modelling, which in combination will assist in process optimization and ultimately process adjustments along the process chain.

The position is to be filled 1 December, 2026 or according to mutual agreement.

Responsibilities and qualifications

The PhD project will explore the synergies between numerical simulations and physically measured data to enhance the understanding of a process chain involving multiple forming steps and heat treatments. The sequence and severity of the forming and heat treatment steps are critical for balancing productivity, process robustness, and the final part properties. The production environment and variations in production conditions shall be considered. After having established a fundamental understanding of the process, statistics and data analytics shall be applied to link the different conditions and suggest optimization and adjustments in the process chain.

Your primary tasks in the PhD project will be to:

• Identify relevant material and process parameters for characterization of the critical steps in the process chain.
• Reveal the materials’ internal structure by means of microscopic, diffraction-based analysis and materials testing, and relate it to the applied processing.
• Establish a numerical model to simulate selected metal forming steps.
• Design experimental measurements and assist in the integration of sensors in production.
• Acquire measured data, apply necessary filtering and selection of data features to be stored.
• Couple the numerical model and the measured input data to establish a model that can predict the outcome in terms of process feasibility, part geometry and part properties.
• Suggest process improvements based on the model with the aim of enhancing process robustness.
• Suggest inline process parameter changes that might be implemented in the process chain for adjustable manufacturing to improve robustness further.

Your tasks as an academic employee will also include:

• Assistance in teaching.
• Supervision of BSc and MSc student projects.
• Dissemination of research results in scientific journals and conferences.

Qualifications:

• Good understanding of manufacturing from both a theoretical and practical point of view. Especially metal forming and heat treatment are important aspects.
• Good understanding of engineering of the materials’ internal structure and associated mechanical properties, for example by heat treatment.
• Experience with experimental work, data acquisition and statistical methods.
• Experience with numerical simulations (FEM).
• Due to the nature of the project, the successful candidate must be eligible for security clearance.

You will work in a research team combining manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, experimental methods and analytical/numerical modeling. A longer period at a university outside Denmark is part of the PhD project. Experimental work will partly be carried out with the industrial partner, and visits and presentations to Danish industry are also generally expected.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education

Assessment

The assessment of the applicants will be made by Associate Professor Chris Valentin Nielsen, Postdoc Alexander Barlo, and Associate Professor Karen Pantleon.

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Chris Valentin Nielsen, cvni@dtu.dk, Postdoc Alexander Barlo, abkba@dtu.dk, and Associate Professor Karen Pantleon, kapa@dtu.dk

You can read more about Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at www.construct.dtu.dk/

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “ PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 13 September 2026 (23:59 Danish time)

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Civil and Mechanical Engineering (DTU Construct) develops and utilizes science and technical knowledge for the benefit of society and the sustainable development. We undertake research, education, innovation, and scientific advice of the highest quality within building design and processes, building construction and safety, building energy and services, solid mechanics, fluid mechanic, coastal and maritime engineering, materials technology, manufacturing engineering, engineering design and thermal energy systems.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829
DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.