PhD Stipend in LCA of emerging technologies for the blue bioeconomy

At the Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Department of Sustainability and Planning, a PhD stipend is available within the general study programme in Development and Planning. The stipend is open for appointment from Summer 2025 (Earliest 1 August and latest 1 October).
The Department of Sustainability and Planning conducts research and teaching on development and planning in a broad sense, including social science aspects as well as more technical aspects of development, and with a focus on environmental, international as well as administrative dimensions.

The PhD stipend is financed by different innovation projects on the development of new technologies to strengthen the blue bioeconomy, ranging from marine aquaculture to the valorization of microalgal biomass. 

The PhD student will join the Life Cycle Sustainability  (LCS) group and will collaborate with other international research partners. LCS brings together multiple competences within industrial ecology and sustainability science for the holistic and quantitative assessment of human systems in a life cycle perspective.

The objective of the projects will be to assess – in a life cycle perspective – the consequences of developing new methods for valorizing aquatic biomass in integrated value chains, from primary production to processing into innovative products and services. The main challenge in this assessment is answering prospective questions regarding the availability of aquatic biomass in the future and regarding the environmental performance of emerging technologies to harvest and exploit such biomass when scaled up and integrated into an industrial setting. This analysis requires the combined application of qualitative and quantitative approaches to identify and describe future technological and resource availability scenarios, to understand and quantify the impacts of new technologies, and to work extensively with uncertainty analysis.

The successful PhD candidates will be expected to:

• Perform prospective life cycle assessment of emerging technologies in the blue bioeconomy domain, specifically microalgae production
• Focus explicitly on quantitative approaches for consequential modelling and uncertainty analysis
• Produce high-level scientific publications on these topics
• Collaborate with other researchers in international consortiums  (travel to attend meetings in EU is expected)
• Carry out teaching activities.

The ideal candidate for these projects has excellent academic qualifications, a strong self-motivation, and a true interest in environmental issues related to emerging technologies. Preferably, the candidate should have an Environmental Management background, although other backgrounds like Environmental science, Sustainability science, Environmental engineering, Biology, and the like, are acceptable as well. Advanced analytical skills, quantitative skills, and system-thinking skills are key requisites for the position, as well as the capacity to plan and work autonomously. Documented experience with any project in the blue bioeconomy domain, with Life Cycle Assessment, and with programming for data science (R, python) will be considered a strong plus. Proficiency in English is a requirement, knowledge of Danish is an advantage.

To apply, please send the following documents  (in English, pdf format):

• Motivation letter  (max 1 page) outlining your qualifications and motivation to conduct this project
• Project plan  (max 2 pages) addressing your understanding of the project’s problem and expected challenges, as well as your ideas to overcome them
• CV including a list of scientific outputs  (e.g. thesis, projects, papers, etc.) and contact info for two academic references
• Copy of MSc diploma*
• Copy of Master thesis  (in any language)*
• List of exams with ECTS and grades
• Recommendation letter  (1 page)

*If you haven’t completed your Master studies at time of submission, please substitute the MSc diploma with a written statement by your supervisor specifying the expected completion date and confirming that you are expected to finish on time and send the most recent draft of your thesis.

You may obtain further information from the upcoming supervisor Associate Professor Massimo Pizzol, +45 9940 8369,  massimo@plan.aau.dk  concerning the scientific aspects of the stipend.

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of August 27, 2013 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time.

The assessment of candidates for the position will be carried out by qualified experts.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that after the application deadline, the head of the department, with the assistance of the hiring committee, will select the applicants to be assessed. All applicants will be informed whether they have been shortlisted for assessment or not.
When the hiring process is completed, a final rejection will be sent to the applicants who are not considered for the position.

For further information about stipends and salary as well as practical issues concerning the application procedure contact Helle Studsgaard Thomsen, The Doctoral School at The Technical Faculty of IT and Design, email:  hellest@adm.aau.dk

For more information of The Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design:  https://www.phd.aau.dk/tech

AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.

The hiring process at Aalborg University may include a risk assessment as a tool to identify potential risks associated with new hires, ensuring the safety, compliance, and integrity of the workplace.

Salary and terms of employment
The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities (the Appointment Order) and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish). 

Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement) (in Danish) and protocol on certain terms of employment of academic staff at universities (in Danish).