Job Description

Are you passionate about designing sustainable business ecosystems that enable the green transition? Do you want to explore how regional actors, resources, and infrastructures can be connected into circular value chains for bioeconomy and hydrogen systems? Are you interested in shaping the next generation of business ecosystems, potentially moving beyond sustainability towards regeneration?

If so, this Postdoctoral position at DTU Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship (DTU Entrepreneurship) may be the right opportunity for you.

At DTU Entrepreneurship, we are committed to driving innovation and enabling positive social and economic transformation. We pursue evidence-based research and foster entrepreneurial capability development across education, industry, government, and civil society.

This Postdoc position is embedded in a collaborative regional project focusing on brown biorefining and hydrogen systems in Southern Jutland, aiming to design and assess integrated, circular value chains linking biomass resources, conversion technologies, and energy infrastructures. The project is carried out in collaboration with regional partners and supported by the Danish Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen).

The Postdoc will investigate how regional actors, resources, and infrastructures can be coordinated into viable and scalable industrial ecosystems. Key research themes include:

• Sustainable business ecosystems and industrial symbiosis
• Circular value chain design for bio-based and hydrogen systems
• Regional innovation systems and ecosystem governance
• Techno-economic and spatial integration of energy and biomass systems
• Stakeholder coordination and ecosystem orchestration

In addition, the Postdoc will have the opportunity to explore emerging perspectives on regenerative systems, examining how industrial ecosystems may evolve beyond sustainability to support the restoration and enhancement of socio-ecological systems.

Responsibilities and qualifications

The Postdoc will conduct empirical studies, analyze qualitative and quantitative data, and disseminate findings in leading international journals. The position therefore requires strong methodological competences, excellent communication skills, and a solid analytical mindset, with the ability to work across disciplines and engage with real-world industrial and technological systems.

We are seeking a candidate with the following qualifications:

• A strong academic record, with foundational knowledge in innovation, sustainability transitions, industrial systems, entrepreneurship, management, or related fields, and familiarity with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods
• Curiosity and motivation to explore how business ecosystems and industrial symbiosis can support circular value chains and the green transition
• An interest in understanding how regional actors, infrastructures, and resources can be coordinated into sustainable, and potentially regenerative, industrial systems
• A willingness to engage with the chemical and technological dimensions of the project, including biomass conversion processes, brown biorefining, and hydrogen systems, and to integrate these aspects into system-level and ecosystem analyses
• A genuine, long-term interest in pursuing an academic research career in sustainability, business ecosystems, or energy transition
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• The ability to work independently while also thriving in an interdisciplinary and international research environment

In addition, the following qualifications would be considered an advantage:

• A strong academic background and/or practical interest in sustainable business ecosystems, circular economy, industrial decarbonisation, or bio-based production systems
• Experience with scientific writing and dissemination of research results
• Experience with stakeholder engagement, interviews, or collaboration across industry, public actors, and research institutions
• Familiarity with system analysis, spatial mapping, or techno-economic assessment methods
• Exposure to, or experience working with, chemical, energy, or process engineering domains related to biomass processing, refining, or hydrogen production

As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field, such as innovation studies, entrepreneurship, sustainability transitions, industrial engineering, energy systems, environmental sciences, or a related discipline.

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 terms of employment

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 2,5 years. The starting date is 1 September 2026 (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here

Further information

Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Francesco Rosati (frro@dtu.dk).

You can read more about DTU Entrepreneurship at www.entrepreneurship.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

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 31 July 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:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications

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 Entrepreneurship is amongst the leading international entities in technology entrepreneurship and helps develop an entrepreneurial culture across DTU. As part of a dynamic and evolving ecosystem, we combine practice-oriented education and research in entrepreneurship with real start-up opportunities from all DTU departments. With rigorous research at its core, the Centre builds the entrepreneurial capabilities of students, industry leaders, academics and policymakers to address unsolved problems, and together create new knowledge, methodologies and initiatives. We enable ethically minded entrepreneurs to build solutions that benefit people, society and the world. The Centre experiments with new entrepreneurial methodologies and activities to push boundaries within research and education.

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.