The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) Life Cycle Engineering, part of the Department of Green Technology, is offering a 3-year PhD position focused on regional energy systems, carbon management, CO2 logistics and infrastructure, and land management. The position is embedded within SDU LCE’s strategic research agenda for holistic regional net-zero transitions and is part of the Regional Energy, Carbon and Land Management initiative. The research will use Funen (Fyn), Denmark, as a case study to develop strategies supporting Denmark’s national climate neutrality goal by 2045.

The PhD project will employ a techno-economic systems approach to map and assess current land use, biomass resources, carbon capture potentials, infrastructure limitations, and emerging technologies such as Power-to-X and CCUS. The outcome will be a regional roadmap identifying bottlenecks and opportunities, guiding energy suppliers, stakeholders, policymakers, and industry in designing sustainable energy, land, and carbon management systems under real-world constraints. The candidate will contribute to ongoing EU and national projects and engage with stakeholders across academia, industry, and policy.

SDU Life Cycle Engineering is a rapidly expanding research center with a strong international profile in net-zero transition and sustainable energy systems. The center’s research extends beyond traditional energy systems to include CO2 management, land-use constraints, sustainable biomass utilization, sector coupling, and CCUS integration. SDU LCE is primarily externally funded and actively involved in strategic research projects supported by the EU, national innovation programs, private companies, and NGOs. The research group focusing on net-zero transitions, renewable integration, defossilization of energy systems, CO2 infrastructure development, biomass availability, and sector coupling is experiencing significant growth, combining techno-economic modelling, system optimization, and infrastructure planning to address decarbonization challenges at multiple scales.

The successful candidate will be based at SDU’s main campus in Odense, a vibrant international city with affordable living costs and an open Scandinavian culture. Responsibilities include conducting interdisciplinary research on regional energy, land, and carbon management for climate neutrality, analyzing policy frameworks at local, national, and EU levels, applying techno-economic modelling approaches, evaluating infrastructure needs, collaborating with local stakeholders, completing required PhD courses (30 ECTS) and a research stay abroad, publishing in high-impact journals, presenting at international conferences, and writing and defending a PhD thesis.

Applicants must hold a master’s degree or equivalent in Energy Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a related field. Desired qualifications include a strong interest in system-level thinking, solid understanding of energy systems, biomass availability, carbon management, sector coupling, and techno-economic analysis. Experience with programming tools like Python and energy system modelling tools such as PYPSA is advantageous. Candidates should be fluent in English and possess a curious, interdisciplinary mindset.

The position is a 3-year salaried PhD fellowship with a monthly gross salary including pension of 36,608 DKK. Higher salary steps are possible for relevant postgraduate experience. Employment is contingent on enrollment approved by the PhD School and will follow Danish university regulations and collective agreements. SDU encourages applications from all backgrounds and conducts research in critical technologies, subject to security measures and potential background checks.

Application materials must include a motivated application, CV, evidence of research experience and ideas, list of publications, degree certificates and transcripts, completed TEK PhD application forms, grading scheme documentation, and other relevant qualifications. All documents must be in English and PDF format. The application deadline is March 31, 2026, at 11:59 PM CET. For further information, contact Associate Professor Hossein Nami at [email protected].

For more details about SDU Life Cycle Engineering, visit www.sdu.dk/lifecycle. Apply online via this link.