PhD positions in Innovation Management

The Department of Business & Management (DBM) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites applications for one or more 3-year PhD positions within the Carlsberg Foundation project Exnovation in Manufacturing: Revealing the Hidden Agent of Change (Ex-Man) under the supervision of Martin Kalthaus. The positions are located at SDU’s Campus in Odense and are vacant from 1st May 2025 or as agreed. 

Job description

The Ex-Man project seeks to understand the exnovation process in manufacturing firms. Exnovation is the process of how old technologies, artefacts, or practices in an organization get removed to make space for the introduction of new technologies and innovations. The project will provide novel insights on how to manage and strategically conduct exnovation and to understand the underlying mechanisms, barriers, and facilitators of phasing out old innovations and its influence on firm performance and innovativeness. The project will collect and utilize qualitative case studies and quantitative survey data from the manufacturing sector in Denmark, Germany, and Slovenia. Theoretically, the project draws on innovation management, economics of innovation, technology management, organizational learning, and strategy. 

The positions offer a unique opportunity to explore a novel phenomenon in innovation research and to contribute groundbreaking new insights. The applicants’ role will be to explore the phenomena of exnovation from a quantitative or qualitative perspective, depending on their core competencies. In particular: 

• Conducting, analyzing, and interpreting firm and stakeholder interviews in Denmark, Germany, and Slovenia.
• Design novel survey items and conducting econometric modeling to estimate the effect of exnovation practices on, e.g., firm performance. 
• Preparing comprehensive analysis reports and contributing to high-impact research publications. 
• Participating in dissemination activities to share findings with academic, industry, and public audiences.
   

The project is embedded in the Center for Integrative Innovation Management (C*I2M). The research in C*I2M is cross-disciplinary integrating management, marketing, and technology. We seek to understand and promote insights of innovation from the initial idea to the fully commercialized or implemented innovation. The center is currently hiring a number of young researchers for various projects ensuring a vibrant research environment. 

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 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 (the applicants will have access to a wide networks of national and international partners, such as the Danish Research Unit for Industrial Dynamics DRUID, the members of the European Manufacturing Survey, and many more), be present and take part in the daily academic and social environments in Odense.

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

• Have good English skills, both in speaking and writing. Danish, German, or Slovenian would be an asset.
• Have good communication skills. 
• Have enthusiasm and talent for academic work.  
• Have sound knowledge in quantitative or qualitative research methods and are familiar with using software such as R, Stata, NVivo or the like.  
• Be engaged, proactive, cooperative, be able to work independently, showing 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. S/he 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 Martin Kalthaus [email protected]. 

How to apply for this position

The appointment takes place in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the Danish state with the associated circular on the protocol on job structure for academic staff at universities and the provisions for the position of PHD fellow as described herein.  

Employment as a paid PhD fellow takes place in accordance with the circular of 20 December 2021 on the collective agreement for academics in the state – appendix 5, protocol on PhD fellowships.

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

An application must include:

• Application, including the motivation for working on the Ex-Man project.
• Detailed CV – if applicable, including publications and teaching experiences. Education and work history must be 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.). The applicants should esp. highlight how they can bring in their quantitative or qualitative competencies 

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

All non-Danish documents must be translated into English or German. 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. 

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 and tests may be used in the assessment process.

Applications that are incomplete with regard to the above requirements may be rejected without any substantive evaluation.

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

Deadline for applications is: February 13, 2025, 23.59 CET.

The application and CV must not exceed 10 MB.

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