Postdoc in STS and Energy - DTU Management

Do you have a background in Science & Technology Studies (STS) and want to establish your career as an academic scholar? Are you interested in conducting cutting-edge basic research on society’s engagement in energy transitions? 

If yes, we have the job for you. 

In the excellence project, ‘Good-by-Devicing – probing how value comes to matter in the energy transition: the case of energy islands’, you will become part of a vibrant and growing STS environment at DTU’s Department of Technology, Management, and Economics, the Section of Science & Technology Studies. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) and with its research agenda to understand how ‘good energy’ is constituted and contested, it forms part of the growing research community around energy studies in the Division for Technology and Business Studies. 

In the advertised postdoc position within the ERC project, you will engage with engineering science at the forefront of the energy transition, interventionist methods (e.g. workshops, digital sprints), and ethnographic fieldwork. You will be breaking new ground within STS and Valuation Studies in a larger research team led by Principal Investigator, Professor Julia Kirch Kirkegaard. This will enable you to develop a clear and unique research profile, grounded in Valuation Studies in STS, where you can position yourself by engaging in dialogue between Valuation Studies, ‘the good economy’, and/or the sociology of expertise. The project seeks to unpack how the energy transition is being not only devised, but also ‘deviced’ as ‘good’ in particular ways by networks of expertise, and how this produces valuation struggles. On this basis, we explore how the energy transition might be ‘re-deviced’ to account for other more qualitative concerns and valuations. 

By working in the ERC project, you can create your research profile that will render it possible for you to publish in leading international academic journals, serving as a foundation to establish an international research network. The ERC project is already part of – and is actively building – a growing and strong national and international research community/network. As a postdoc in the ERC project, you will have the opportunity to use these networks to strengthen and shape your own profile and career trajectory. You will also gain new experience with method development, e.g. through developing co-production workshops (digital sprints) that will break new ground for experimentation with interventionist methods in Valuation Studies.

As a postdoc in the project, you will have a high degree of independence and responsibility, while also collaborating closely with the Principal Investigator. The postdoc will also benefit from working with other members of the ERC project and its international scientific advisory board, as well as with project members of the research project ‘the Expertise of Expectations – the case of power-to-x’, which is led by the same Principal Investigator, and funded by Independent Research Fund Denmark (Sapere Aude grant). 

Responsibilities
The advertised postdoc position is the second of two postdoc positions in the ERC project. The postdoc in this announcement will take on responsibility for exploring the work of energy transition experts by diving deep into expert instruments, tools and devices that function not only as key actors in how energy islands are being orchestrated but also as sites where valuation struggles unfold. 

Responsibilities include:

• Conduct ethnographic fieldwork on the empirical case of the project (energy islands/energy hubs) with energy experts ‘in the lab’ to trace inclusion/exclusion processes of valuations and concerns (e.g. over social concerns, bio-diversity, nature, climate, security and economy) embedded in key devices such as energy scenarios, tendering criteria, feasibility studies, digital twins, control systems, and more.
• Lead at least one academic paper in an internationally high-ranking journal, and where appropriate, also collaborate with Principal Investigator (and other project members) on joint papers, and – if the postdoc has interest - also on the (co-edited) cross-project book. All papers are to be submitted to high-ranking international academic journals.
• Help organize an international conference in 2028 within the framework of the ERC-project: ‘Probing a co-productionist valuation of energy transitions’
• Help organize a digital sprint workshop to experiment with ‘re-devicing’ (in 2027).
• Lead the writing up of a state-of-the-art report, including a whitepaper with a ‘toolbox’ for industry and policymakers
• Assist with broader research dissemination and public engagement with science
• Research stay at Mines Paris Tech (two months)

Postdoc’s profile / qualifications
As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent). 

• Educational background: e.g., STS background, Anthropology of Technology, Sociology, Anthropology
• Preferably experience with the socio-material aspects of the energy transition, and interest in and/or experience with digging into technological (and often digital) tools and devices.
• Preferably acquainted with social studies of markets, valuation studies, sociology of knowledge and expertise, and ‘good economy’.
• Experience with and/or interest in public dissemination and workshops.

We offer
If you wish to pursue your career as a social scientist within Science & Technology Studies (STS) we are looking to hire a two-year post-doctoral researcher to realize the scholarly ambitions put forth in the excellence project ‘Good-by-Devicing – probing how value comes to matter in the energy transition: the case of energy islands’, funded by an ERC Starting Grant. The project traces valuation struggles in the energy transition and probes for opportune moments of intervention where energy transitions may be ‘re-deviced’ to take into account otherwise marginalized valuations and concerns. 

The successful candidate will engage with cutting-edge engineering science, interventionist methods (e.g. workshops, digital sprints), and ethnographic fieldwork, and will be breaking new ground within STS and Valuation Studies in a larger research team led by Principal Investigator, Professor Julia Kirch Kirkegaard. You will be affiliated with the Section for Science and Technology Studies led by Tanja Schneider in the Division of Technology & Business Studies led by Brit Ross Winthereik in the Department of Technology, Management and Economics.

An ERC project is an excellence grant for outstanding and groundbreaking basic research. When becoming part of this ERC project, you will be able to break new theoretical ground and develop new methods that can help you to not only define your career trajectory but also to better understand and engage with the controversies that energy transitions produce.

Apart from the external stay at Mines Paris, you will be part of a broad and strong international research network, partly through the annual scientific advisory meetings, partly through the international conference that will be held in the ERC project (jointly with the Expertise of Expectations-project), and you will also be co-developing panels for international conferences as well publications in collaboration with national and international networks (e.g. in the shape of a special issue and/or edited book volume).

The Principal Investigator offers biweekly mentoring meetings, and the division and section overall strives to make sure that postdocs receive support for their career development and plans (e.g. involvement in funding applications, courses etc.). 

You will be working in a dynamic research environment – with synergies and cross-project meetings between the two excellence grants (ERC- project and the Expertise- of Expectations-project) – and in an empirical field where many things are moving fast. This experience will – with a sound foundation in STS and great collegial collaboration – give you a unique profile and valuable experience of value within academia and beyond.

With great responsibility also comes flexibility, and while we strive to meet regularly, e.g. at diverse project meetings and 1:1-meetings, flexibility in work arrangements can be negotiated. 

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 period of employment is two years. 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information 
Further information may be obtained from Professor Julia Kirch Kirkegaard (jukk@dtu.dk) and/or Section Head Tanja Schneider (tansch@dtu.dk). 

You can read more about the Department of Technology, Management and Economics at hwww.man.dtu.dk/english/.

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 15 April 2026 (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)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications 

You may also include (not mandatory):

• Support letter from academic supervisor or collaborator

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.

DTU Management 
The Department of Technology, Management and Economics (DTU Management) conducts excellent research in the intersection between management, technology and economics. We develop solutions in close cooperation with companies and public authorities. Our research aims at strengthening welfare, productivity and sustainability within the society. A key element is the role of technology and its interaction with industry and individuals. The department strives for excellence. We won several ERC grants as principal investigator during the last two years, and are participating in many more. We transform this our research into societal impact through numerous collaborative projects. The department offers a wide range of courses and programs at bachelor, master, and PhD levels across DTU's study programs. We lead study programs at all levels, including the executive.  The department has 200 employees with around half of staff coming from abroad. 

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.