PhD Scholarship in Product Assembly and Smart Manufacturing

SDU Innovation and Design Engineering (IDE) as part of the Department of Technology and Innovation (ITI), Faculty of Engineering (TEK) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites candidates to apply for one or more fully funded 3-year PhD position.

The (IDE) Research Unit

SDU Innovation and Design Engineering is a young, dynamic, and growing research unit. Research-based teaching plays a considerable part in our identity, and we run three educational programmes. In our approach to working with society, industry, and policymakers, we are a team-oriented, knowledge-sharing, and outgoing research unit. We strive to push the boundaries of disciplines and continually seek to be the best version of ourselves, creating value both within and for society.  

Project context 

The scholarship is a collaborative effort focusing on industrial design and optimisation of product assembly, quality inspection, and assembly process optimisation. It is expected to be a cross-disciplinary collaboration between SDU Innovation and Design Engineering, SDU Robotic Engineers, and Danish manufacturers. 

The PhD candidate’s research focuses on analysing assembly work processes and robotic tasks from a manufacturing perspective to optimise product assembly. The candidate will gain theoretical knowledge and practical product assembly and quality management. 

The position is available as of 1 August 2025, or as soon as possible thereafter. The workplace is the SDU Campus Odense in Denmark, with some travel required within Denmark. Mastering the Danish language at a proficiency level is a requirement.

Qualifications
The successful candidate holds a Master of Science in Engineering Science, preferably focusing on Innovation and Product Development, with excellent CAD skills and can collaborate in cross-disciplinary teams. The preferred candidate has a strong interest in advanced manufacturing of mechanical and electrical products and competencies in applying life cycle assessment (LCA) data to derive decision support relevant to industry and/or academia.

Required qualifications: 

• A Master of Science degree, preferably with a focus on Engineering Product Development and Innovation or similar (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) 
• A strong motivation for advanced manufacturing and the ability to develop relevant theories and methodologies.
• Strong competencies in product assembly/disassembly, manufacturing, modularisation and platform design. 
• Experience with Digital Advanced Product Modelling using CAD design, simulations, and mathematics.
• A strong motivation for collaborative projects within academia and industry
• Proficiency in Danish is required due to collaboration with Danish Industry.
• Proficiency in English, either demonstrated through formal education or a Master's degree conducted in English.

Preferred qualifications:

• Specialised understanding of product development and quality testing
• Experience with statistics, energy consumption analysis, and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
• An interest in working together with robotic engineers and safety specialist in robotic control systems

Contact information

Further information about this position is available from the Head of Unit, SDU Innovation and Design Engineering, Associate Professor, Lykke Margot Ricard, e-mail: Lmri@iti.sdu.dk, phone: (+45) 65 50 86 81.

If you experience technical problems, please contact hcm-support@sdu.dk. 

Application procedure

Before applying the candidates are advised to read the Faculty information for prospective PhD students and the SDU information on how to apply.

Assessment of the candidates is based on the application material, and an application must include: 

• Motivated application. 
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Master’s and bachelor’s degree certificates or equivalent, including transcripts of grades (copy of original/official English translation).  
• Completed TEK PhD application form for 5+3 applicants. Find the form at the Faculty website.
• Completed