As organizations confront sustainability transitions, AI-mediated disruptions, geopolitical uncertainty, and increasingly fragile supply chains, technological expertise has become a critical resource for organizational leadership. Yet, we know little about whether and how leaders draw on technical expertise when navigating uncertainty, shaping organizational direction, responding to emerging challenges, and creating conditions for innovation and long-term transformation.

At DTU Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship, you will help build the research foundation for a new strategic initiative entitled Engineering Leadership Pathways, an educational initiative aimed at strengthening engineers' capabilities to lead technological development and organizational change in an increasingly complex world. Your research during the postdoc period will investigate how technological expertise is incorporated into top management in a changing world, characterized by high uncertainty. Through case studies of top management in established technology-intensive companies as well as board and management work in deep-tech startups and scaleups, you will generate knowledge about how technological expertise is brought into play in strategic decision-making spaces.

If you would like to contribute to knowledge creation within the emerging research and educational field of Engineering Leadership in a rapidly changing world, this position offers a unique opportunity. You will be affiliated with Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship (DTU ENT). Meanwhile, you will work closely with a parallel postdoc researcher and other senior researchers at Division of Business and Technology Studies at Department of Technology, Management and Economics (DTU MAN).

Responsibilities and qualifications
Through case studies of technology-intensive firms, the successful postdoc candidate will investigate how leadership is accomplished in practice and how technological expertise becomes (or fails to become) consequential in shaping organizational priorities, innovation trajectories, strategic direction, and responses to societal challenges. In particular, the postdoc will investigate, e.g., (1) What is technological expertise in the digital era? (2) how does technological expertise are utilized during decision making process in organizations? (3) how to develop technological expertise for non-tech leaders? (4) how does technological expertise of some leaders diffuse to other parts of the leadership in an organization?

The successful candidate is expected to contribute directly to the development of research-based teaching cases, educational materials, and new learning formats for engineering students.

You must be able to document qualifications in

• organizations and management, organization studies, technology and innovation management, entrepreneurship, business strategy, leadership, knowledge management, organizational behavior, or related fields
• qualitative research methods, case study research, interviews, fieldwork, and/or other practice-based approaches to studying organizations
• an internationally oriented research profile, documented through a PhD dissertation and/or research publications
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage productively with both academic and non-academic stakeholders
• strong analytical and academic writing skills

Furthermore, it will be considered an advantage if applicants can document

• experience conducting research in technology-intensive organizations, engineering contexts, or organizations undergoing technological transformation
• research on risk management and how organizations navigate uncertainty, complexity, and societal challenges such as sustainability transitions, geopolitical change, technological disruption, or supply-chain instability
• experience studying executive work, leadership practices, innovation processes, valuation, accounting, expertise, or the role of technologies in organizational life
• familiarity with business, leadership, or organizational case studies and translating research findings into teaching materials or other educational formats
• familiarity with digital technologies and artificial intelligence in organizational contexts
• a record of research publications of a high international standard, commensurate with the length of the applicant's academic career
• proficiency in a Scandinavian language, since interpersonal communication within the Scandinavian context plays a key role in the research tasks

As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent).

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 terms of employment
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. In addition, supplements can be negotiated in accordance with DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures.

The period of employment is 2 years. Starting date is January 1st, 2027.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.
Further information
Further information may be obtained from Professor Jason Li-Ying, DTU Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship. Email: [email protected]; Office phone: +45 45254856.

You can read more about DTU Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship at https://www.entrepreneurship.dtu.dk/

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 30 September 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:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications
• A project description of no more than 3 pages, including references

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.

DTU Entrepreneurship is a centre aiming to be a world-renowned centre of excellence for building the entrepreneurial and technology innovation capabilities of students, researchers and organizations. The centre currently employs approximately 40 people including eight faculty, 3 postdocs, and about 15 PhD students. Academic members of the centre publish in the top journals in entrepreneurship and innovation management and conduct research in the fields of start-up creation and success, entrepreneurial teams, entrepreneurship and health, corporate entrepreneurship, scaleups, digitalization, sustainability, and entrepreneurship didactics. Furthermore, researchers in the centre are characterized by a strong dedication to the implications of their research for delivering excellent entrepreneurship education. The centre offers a suite of BSc, MSc and PhD courses specializing in entrepreneurship and innovation. The centre also hosts a two-year interdisciplinary post-graduate programme on Technology Entrepreneurship since 2020. DTU Entrepreneurship has also a series of projects that focus on experimenting and translating research knowledge into practice and enhancing industrial collaboration.

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.

Location
Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Apply Before
2026-09-30T21:59:00+00:00