PhD scholarship in Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment - DTU Sustain

A 3-year PhD Student position is available for the dedicated researcher who wants to pursue a front runner research career in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and absolute environmental assessment (AESA). The position is offered at Section for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment of the Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering (DTU Sustain). The section spearheads development of methods and application of life cycle impact assessment and sustainability assessment.

The PhD project is a part of an EU-horizon project CheMatSustain (Implementing innovative methods for safety and sustainability assessments of chemicals and materials particularly at nano level in the European Union). The overall aim of the EU project is to develop new approaches to reliably assess the safety and sustainability of novel entities like nanomaterials. The project is coordinated by the Hamburg University of Applied Science and involves several academic partners. DTU will contribute to the development of complementary use of risk assessment and life cycle assessment and development of Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment (AESA) of novel entities, where the PhD project will focus on the latter. 

Responsibilities and qualifications
The successful candidate will develop AESA for novel entities, specifically new chemicals and nanomaterials, aiming to assess the overall absolute sustainability of the chemical/materials life cycle and to define the planetary boundaries for chemical pollution/novel entities. 

The main tasks involve:

• update the quantification of chemical pressure on the environment, 
• determine the resilience of the ecosystems to withstand chemical pressures (i.e., carrying capacity) at their respective scales 
• derive the safe operating space 
• Develop and integration of new characterization factors into a AESA framework and apply this to a number of case studies

These tasks require ability to collect and handle big data as well as knowledge of environmental toxicology and life cycle assessment

Additionally, the candidate is expected to participate in the department’s teaching activities.

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 position is a full-time position. Expected PhD start is 1 November 2024. The workplace will be at DTU Lyngby Campus. Limited number of travels to Chematsustain project meetings, held outside Denmark, cannot be ruled out. 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 http://www.dtu.dk/english/about/job-and-career/working-at-dtu/career-paths.

Further information  
Further information may be obtained from associate professor Stig Irving Olsen, e-mail [email protected]  

You can read more about the DTU Sustain department at https://sustain.dtu.dk/en

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 15 August 2024 (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, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

The Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering (DTU Sustain) is one of the largest university departments specializing in environmental and resource engineering in Europe. The department conducts research, development & scientific advice and provides educational programs and service to society. We are working to develop new environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies, methods and solutions, and to disseminate this knowledge to society and future generations of engineers. The department has approximately 300 employees from more than 30 nationalities.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.