DTU Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Absolute Sustainability Assessment - DTU Sustain

The Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering (DTU Sustain) at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) offers a full-time Assistant Professor (tenure track) position in Absolute Sustainability Assessment. Expected start date is second half of 2025.
The Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering (DTU Sustain) at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) offers a full-time Assistant Professor (tenure track) position in Absolute Sustainability Assessment. Expected start date is late 2025. It will be nested within the Section for Quantitative Sustainability Assessment (QSA), which also co-hosts the DTU Centre for Absolute Sustainability and hosts the DTU USEtox Research Centre.

The position aims at developing science-based solutions for addressing society’s grand environmental sustainability challenges in a team of international front-runners in quantitative, life cycle based, and absolute sustainability assessment. We have over a 16-years period been the most publishing and cited university worldwide in the research field of life cycle assessment and are co-hosting the DTU Centre for Absolute Sustainability.

The position will allow you to collaborate with researchers and stakeholders across sectors, including international top-academic institutions and experts from the public and private sectors.

The position is full-time and based at DTU Lyngby campus, just north of Copenhagen. Copenhagen is renowned around the world for its relaxed atmosphere and high quality of life.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Sustainability is a central element in DTU’s Strategy, where a strategic aim is “to develop technologies for sustainable change”. The position targets research within the field of quantitative sustainability assessment to support achieving this aim.

We hence seek highly qualified candidates with experience in one or more of the following research areas:

• Absolute environmental sustainability assessment (AESA) and related fields of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)
• Developing LCIA methods and models for calculating characterization factors.
• Quantifying Earth system’s carrying capacities or biophysical limits at local, regional and global scales
• Definition of science-based targets beyond those for climate change and allocation methods for sharing carrying capacities between relevant actors
• Prospective environmental sustainability assessment
• Building of spatiotemporally differentiated methods for impact assessment and damage modelling
• Developing science-based guidance for AESA practitioners

You will also be a core researcher in the DTU Centre for Absolute Sustainability and will work towards the development of the Centre in research collaborations across DTU. There will also be opportunities for collaboration with the DTU USEtox Research Centre, hosted in QSA.

We seek candidates with a potential for creative and independent research, willingness to collaborate and interact with other researchers, the ability to teach sustainability assessment related courses and to disseminate research in seminars, conferences and in the classroom.

As part of your activities, you are expected to:

• Conduct excellent research and developing the field within the above-mentioned research areas
• Attract external excellence and strategic funding in your research field
• Build collaborations on developing technologies for sustainable transition with academics within and outside DTU, and with private and public sector experts
• Engage actively in international network activities (e.g. UN Environment, Life Cycle Initiative)
• Teach in university courses and supervise students in their bachelor and master thesis projects

The position requires a set of interdisciplinary academic expertise along with technical and training skills to establish new research areas within absolute environmental sustainability assessment with particular focus on the impact assessment phase.

You are additionally expected to:

• Enjoy teaching at bachelor and master levels and be eager to develop your skills towards effective teaching in sustainability assessment for engineers.
• Bring strong expertise and an adequate track record in several of the research topics listed above
• Motivate colleagues, peers, and students to give the very best and create an interdisciplinary atmosphere to achieve ambitious goals.
• Be a team player in the research group and contribute to its further development.

If selected, you will be expected to develop academic visibility, and over time establish national and international research leadership within your field.

You must be responsible for the teaching of courses. DTU employs two working languages: Danish and English. You are expected to be fluent in at least one of these languages, and in time are expected to master both.

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

You will be assessed against the responsibilities and qualifications stated above and the following general criteria:

• Experience and quality of teaching
• Research experience
• Research vision and potential
• International impact and experience
• Societal impact
• Innovativeness, including commercialization and collaboration with industry
• Leadership, collaboration, and interdisciplinary skills
• Communication skills

Salary and terms of employment
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 position is part of DTU’s Tenure Track program. Read more about the program and the recruitment process here.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Head of QSA Section, Prof. Alexis Laurent (alau@dtu.dk), Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering.

You can read more about The Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering at www.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.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 30 May 2025 (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)
• Vision for teaching and research for the tenure track period
• CV including employment history, list of publications, H-index and ORCID (see http://orcid.org/)
• Teaching portfolio including documentation of teaching experience
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD)
• Research statement, including research vision, 3-5 most relevant scientific achievements, and research strategy
• 2 support letters from professional referees (e.g. former supervisors, senior collaborators)

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.

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.

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