SDU Innovation and Design Engineering (IDE), part of the Department of Technology and Innovation (ITI) at the Faculty of Engineering (TEK), University of Southern Denmark (SDU), invites applications for one or more positions as Assistant Professor or Associate Professor.

We seek candidates who can strengthen IDE’s profile within one or more of the following overlapping areas:

• Product Development and Innovation
• Industrial Design Engineering, e.g., Modularisation and Platform Design
• Materials, Circularity and Sustainbility
• Tech-driven Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship

The positions are available from March 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter. Applicants must indicate clearly whether they apply for an Assistant Professor or an Associate Professor position, as assessment will follow the corresponding criteria.

To strengthen our contribution to societal and industrial challenges, we particularly welcome applicants whose work advances product development and innovation within one or more of IDE’s three strategic focus areas:

IDE’s three strategic focus areas

Design for Green Transition and Circular Economy

Including, for example:
• methods and tools for circular product design, material substitution, low-impact materials, and climate-conscious decision-making;
• modular and platform-based product architectures enabling repair, upgrading, remanufacturing, and recycling;
• design methodologies that integrate life-cycle thinking early in the innovation process.

Sustainable Industrial Engineering (including manufacturing)

Including, for example:
• development of sustainable manufacturing concepts, resource-efficient production systems, and low-emission industrial processes;
• integration of design engineering with digital tools, automation, and robotics to improve productivity and sustainability;
• methods for translating sustainability goals into actionable engineering solutions for industry.

User-driven Innovation (including health innovation)

Including, for example:
• human-centred design methods, early-stage prototyping, and user involvement in innovation processes;
• product and system innovation addressing societal needs such as health, ageing, welfare technologies, and wellbeing;
• approaches that improve usability, adoption, safety, and value creation in new technologies and services.

Together, these three focus areas support IDE’s ambition to contribute to the green transition, sustainable industrial development, and user-centred innovation across sectors — including health and welfare technologies where relevant.

What we offer

At SDU Innovation and Design Engineering, you will find:

• A dynamic and growing research unit emphasising interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and societal and industrial relevance.
• Research-based teaching, especially in the Master’s programme Product Development and Innovation (PDI), and contributions to Bachelor programmes.
• Access to modern prototyping, design, and testing facilities, with opportunities for collaboration across SDU (e.g., SDU Robotics, materials labs).
• Strong engagement with industry and societal challenges, with emphasis on developing knowledge and solutions that support the green transition, circular economy, user-driven innovation, and sustainable industrial practices.
• A collegial, knowledge-sharing environment with support for professional development and external funding efforts.

Qualification requirements for Assistant Professor

Applicants must:

• Hold a PhD in a relevant field.
• Show research potential through publications and/or manuscripts under review.
• Demonstrate ability or potential to deliver high-quality teaching and contribute to curriculum development.
• Be able to teach and supervise within product design, innovation, modularisation, platform design, materials and circularity, and related topics.
• Show motivation for collaboration with colleagues, students, and external partners, including industry.
• Have an international outlook and ambition to develop an independent research profile.

Qualification requirements for Associate Professor

Applicants must:

• Hold a PhD in a relevant field.
• Present a strong publication track record in peer-reviewed venues.
• Show success in securing external research funding and collaborating with industry or other partners.
• Have documented teaching experience, course development, and supervision at Master’s/PhD level.
• Demonstrate ability to contribute to pedagogical development within the PDI programme.
• Provide evidence of academic leadership.
• Contribute to strengthening IDE’s strategic focus areas and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

For candidates at Associate Professor level, there may be opportunities, where relevant, to pursue external starter Grant, provided their research aligns with IDE’s strategic themes and supports innovation for the green transition, sustainable industrial development, or user-driven solutions in product development including health-related innovation.

Workplace description

SDU Innovation and Design Engineering (IDE) is a research and teaching unit within the Department of Technology and Innovation at the Faculty of Engineering. We are located at SDU’s main campus in Odense, in the centre of one of Europe’s leading robotics and technology clusters.

Our mission is to advance research, education, and societal engagement in product development, innovation, and design engineering. We value interdisciplinary collaboration and work closely with industry to develop sustainable, circular, and user-centred solutions that support societal needs and technological development.

Read more: SDU Innovation and Design Engineering

Further information 

For further information about the positions, please contact Lykke Margot Ricard, Associate Professor and Head of Unit, SDU Innovation and Design Engineering, at lmr@iti.sdu.dk or +45 65 50 86 81. 

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

Application procedure

Applicants are advised to read 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 PhD degree certificates or equivalent (copy of original/official English translation). 

• Complete list of publications.

• Publications most relevant to the position (up to 5 peer-reviewed, preferably SCOPUS-indexed journals)

• Teaching Portfolio. 

• Research plan.

• A statement/documentation of other qualifications relevant to the position may also be included.

All documents must be in English and PDF format. CPR number (civil registration no.) must be crossed out. All PDF-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected.

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application shall be uploaded under ‘Cover letter’ (max. 5 MB), Curriculum Vitae shall be uploaded under ‘Resume’ (max 5 MB). All other documents shall be uploaded under ‘Miscellaneous documents’ (max 10 files of max 50 MB per file). 

The application deadline is February 1, 2026, at 11.59 PM/23.59 (CET/CEST) 

Assessment and selection process
Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied, and only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU.  Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation.

Read about the Assessment and selection process.  

Conditions of employment

Appointment as Assistant Professor is initial for a 3-year period, with a preferred start date from March 1, 2026 or as soon as possible hereafter.

Employment as an assistant professor requires a minimum PhD qualification at the time of employment. During employment, the Assistant Professor will complete the Lecturer Training Programme. Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for assistant professor as described herein. 

Appointment as Associate Professor is an open-ended position, with a preferred start date of March 1, 2026, or thereafter. 

Employment as an associate professor requires academic qualifications at PhD level as well as scientific and teaching qualifications commensurate with the position as an associate professor. Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the protocol for the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for associate professor as described herein. Further information on salary and taxation. Persons employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial evaluation, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer”.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes our staff to reflect the surrounding community and, therefore, encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position. SDU conducts research in critical technologies, which, due to the risk of unwanted knowledge transfer, are subject to a number of security measures. Therefore, based on information from open sources, background checks may be conducted on candidates for the position.

Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark. You may also visit WorkinDenmark for additional information.

Further information about The Faculty of Engineering.