The Department of Business & Management (DBM) invites applications for one or more 3-year positions as PhD student within Consumption, Culture & Commerce. The positions are located at SDU’s Campus in Odense and are vacant from January 1st, 2027, or as agreed.

The successful candidate will be engaged in teaching in the B.Sc. Marketing and Management Anthropology programme, and in our Business Administration programmes at the bachelor and master level. Candidates are expected to be able to teach courses based on CCT, anthropological, and sociological approaches to consumption and markets and to supervise bachelor and master theses in the area of consumer research and marketing. 

The proposed PhD project should relate to and expand on the Consumption, Culture and Commerce research unit at SDU. The unit’s research focus lies on critically unpacking consumption and market phenomena by exploring the workings and vicissitudes of culture and socio-economic systems. More details to be found through this link. 

In particular, we welcome projects for cultural research on consumption and markets on topics related to global socio-technical and planetary crises, e.g. climate change, AI risks, social inequalities, biodiversity loss.

Applicants’ profile
We are looking for applicants possessing personal qualities such as curiosity, openness, and a strong desire to understand and solve societal challenges. The applicants should be able to work independently and, in consultation with their PhD supervisor, prioritize different aspects of work. Finally, the applicants are expected to have good interpersonal skills, be interested in engaging with the national and international research community, be present and take part in the daily academic and social environment in Odense.

Applicants should have a relevant master’s degree within management, economics, or related disciplines. Moreover, we expect applicants to: 

• Have good Danish and English skills, both in speaking and writing. 

• Have good communication skills. 

• Have enthusiasm and talent for academic work.  

• Be engaged, proactive, cooperative, be able to work independently, show awareness and confidence in own skills and capabilities.

As part of the PhD program, an individual education program within the field of business and management must be completed. The successful candidates will be expected to complete a three to six-month stay at a research institution abroad and, over the period of the program, to acquire experience of teaching or other types of presentation. They will also be expected to participate in the various activities within the department and – apart from the stay abroad – to be present on a daily basis.

For further information, please contact associate professor and head of research Julie Emontspool, juli@sam.sdu.dk.  
 

How to apply for this position
Employment as a PhD fellow is governed by the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described herein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

Employment of a PhD fellow can only happen after the PhD School has approved the candidate for admission. 

For more information on the department guidelines for qualification and recruitment please visit our website.

An application must include:

• Application, including the motivation for applying for this position.

• Detailed CV – if applicable, including publications and teaching experiences. Education and work history must be date, month and year specific. 

• A certified copy of your master’s degree certificate including all examination results. Alternatively, the expected date to finish the master’s degree.

• Application form, available on our web page.

• A translation of grades according to the European ECTS system obtained in BA and MSc programs. 

• A description of the proposed PhD project, including the main research question, theoretical background, and methodological approach (3 – 5 pages of 2400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography, etc.). 

On the webpage of the PhD School, you can find the guidelines for preparing your project proposal within the PhD program in Business Economics.

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English. The application, CV, and project proposal must be written in English. Use of large language models or related AI tools in any capacity must be disclosed in accordance with best academic practices.

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number), if they do – the CPR number must be crossed out. 

To qualify for the position as PhD fellow you must have obtained a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master’s degree) by the enrollment/employment date. 

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. The committee may request additional information, and if so, it is the responsibility of the candidates to provide the necessary material.

When the assessment committee has submitted its report, the candidates will receive the part of the evaluation that concerns them. The assessment report will subsequently be forwarded to the Head of Department who will assemble an appointments committee. The appointments committee will manage and complete the job interviews, should such be conducted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will receive an assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU.

Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation. 

If the application does not meet the requirements mentioned above, the faculty may reject your application without further notice. Applications received after the deadline will neither be considered nor evaluated.

Application deadline: August 13, 2026, 23:59 CET/CEST.

Applications must be submitted electronically using the link "Apply now" on our website.

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. 

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application shall be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’, Curriculum Vitae shall be uploaded as ‘Resume’. All other documents shall be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’.

We request files in pdf-format no more than 5 MB per file. All pdf-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected. 

If you experience technical problems, please contact hcm-support@sdu.dk. 

We recommend that as an international applicant, you take the time to visit Work in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial assessment, be exempted from time registration, also known as a self-organiser.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position.

Salary and employment terms
Salary is determined in accordance with the applicable collective agreement and based on objective and gender-neutral criteria, including the content of the position, responsibilities, and qualification requirements.

As an applicant, you are entitled to information about the starting salary and salary range for the position. This information will be provided during the recruitment process.

SDU does not collect information on applicants’ previous salary.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University’s researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.