The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Southern Denmark invites applications for one or more 3-year positions as a PhD student in the area of Reliability of High Voltage Polymer Electrolytic Capacitors. The position is located at the Centre for Industrial Electronics (CIE) in Sønderborg. The preferred starting date is September 1, 2025. 

Sønderborg is an international campus with students from more than 60 nationalities. The Faculty of Engineering is represented by the Department of mechanical and electrical engineering (DME). CIE is embedded in a powerhouse in electronics, which includes researchers and developers at universities and industries on both sides of the Danish-German border. CIE is a initiative striving for high quality and great impact of its research, innovation and education. Central to achieving this objective is access to state-of-the-art facilities and close collaborations with industries.

The task portfolio of the PhD will be linked to the capacitor group at CIE.

The aim of the position is to build strong knowledge and competencies within the field of electrochemical storage device design, simulation and testing.

Job description 

• You will conduct research in the field of modern high voltage polymer electrolytic capacitors, develop models for lifetime prediction, methods to predict and test for reliability, understand physics of failures at elevated temperature. Research should be validated by theoretical, modelling, and experimental methods. 
• You will participate in planning, execution, and documentation of projects with industrial partners.
• You will be involved in the daily supervision of master and bachelor students.
• You will publish and present your work both at international conferences and in scientific journals with high impact.
• You will assist in teaching activities. 

Profile and requirements 

• You have a master’s degree in Power Electronics, Physics, Chemistry, or related fields.
• You are a team player and have strong communication skills.
• You are interested in a longer-term commitment in a growing research group and you are willing to work in close cooperation with industry.
• You are fluent in English, both spoken and written.

Further information is available Professor Thomas Ebel, Head of CIE, phone: +45 6550 1288, email: ebel@sdu.dk. 

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 TEK PhD form for calculation grade point average. Find the form at the Faculty website. 
• An official document describing the grading scheme of the awarding universities (if not Danish). 
• Only for applicants from programmes that evaluate thesis/examination project by approved/not approved: An official written assessment of the thesis or dissertation project from the grade giving institution. The statement must clearly state that the candidate has been among the top 30 pct. in the graduation class for the study programme.
• List of publications and maximum 2 examples of relevant publications (in case you have any publications).
• References may be included, you're welcome to use the form for reference letter at the Faculty website.
• A statement/documentation of other qualifications relevant to the position may also be included.

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

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.

The application deadline is June 29, 2025, 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 enrollment/employment

Appointment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position, and the monthly gross salary incl. pension is 36.138DKR. If you have relevant postgraduate experience, you may be placed on a higher salary step.

Applicants must hold a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) at the time of enrollment and employment. Employment is contingent on enrollment approved by the PhD School. Enrollment will be in accordance with Faculty regulations and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities (PhD order). 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 job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described herein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). Further information about salary and conditions of employment.The person 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.