If you are passionate about innovation and technology and wish to contribute to developing knowledge, methods, and tools that will help companies, organisations and society, join us for a PhD project at DTU Engineering Technology. You will work at the intersection between research and industry in an application-focused environment and influence how technology succeeds in practice by focusing on technology implementation in Danish SMEs.

The PhD project will study how SMEs transition through technology implementation towards structured innovation processes, e.g. to fasten the time-to-market of new products. When SMEs become established and implement new technology, they often transition from being agile, customer centric and entrepreneurial to more structured and focused on internal processes. In doing so, they lose the startup approach, which results in longer time-to-market for new products.

The project will follow the journey of navigating the complexity of technology implementation in multiple Danish SMEs over time, and the successful candidate will define and pursue a research project within this frame. Relevant perspectives include innovation management, technology implementation, human-centred design, and organisational management. The project is expected to combine rigorous empirical research with the development and evaluation of new approaches, contributing both to academic knowledge and to the advancement of educational practices at DTU.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your overall focus will be to develop and conduct research on SMEs transitions through technology implementation towards structured innovation processes. You will contribute to both research and teaching activities within DTU Engineering Technology.

Your primary tasks will be to:

• Develop and execute an independent PhD research project within technology implementation
• Study the impact of organizational and contextual changes on technology implementation outcomes within the context of Danish SMEs
• Design and evaluate a practice-based toolset define the combinations of methods and tools for technology implementation
• Collect and analyse empirical data using qualitative and/or quantitative methods
• Publish research findings in high-quality academic journals and conferences
• Contribute to teaching, supervision, and development of courses and learning activities
• Collaborate with colleagues and partners across DTU Engineering Technology

The ideal candidate has an educational background relevant to innovation management, technology implementation or organisational management. Applicants must be fluent in English and Danish.

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.

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 Giulia Nardelli (ginar@dtu.dk).

You can read more about DTU Engineering Technology at https://engtech.dtu.dk/english.

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 9 August 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.

About DTU Engineering Technology
We work at the forefront of university-industry collaboration and develop tools and methods for technology implementation. We are organized in 8 sections all focused on technology implementation, engineering technology and engineering education within a wide range of engineering fields.

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.