Postdoc in the social and economic dynamics of offshore wind - DTU Wind

Are you passionate about driving the energy transition forward and interested in social considerations of the planning and development of renewable energy technologies? The Technical University of Denmark invites candidates to apply for a two-year postdoctoral position at the Department of Wind and Energy Systems. If you would like to contribute to our interdisciplinary endeavor of supporting the green transition of society and advance your career with an interdisciplinary focus, we can offer a vibrant and inspiring research community in social sciences embedded in an engineering environment.

The position is part of the EU-funded project SUSTAINOW, which aims to support a sustainable expansion of offshore wind energy by strengthening how environmental and social considerations are integrated into spatial planning and decision-making. We offer a rewarding and challenging position in an international research environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility. We develop talent by offering a career mentor, state-of-the-art research infrastructure, and postgraduate teacher training. You will be based in the Society, Market and Policy (SMP) section, which works towards a sustainable and just energy system by performing multi-disciplinary social science research in the technological, economic and societal nexus of renewable energy.

Your role in the SUSTAINOW project focuses on the social and economic aspects of offshore wind farms and their incorporation in novel decision-making tools to support sustainable and integrative planning processes for offshore wind farms. As a postdoc, you will work both at the intersection of society and technology as well as the interface of research and practice. You will contribute to the development of practical approaches to decision-making that help authorities, planners, developers and communities to reconcile renewable energy projects regarding their social and environmental implications. This includes the development, quantification and integration of social impact indicators into decision-support tools. In addition, there will be the opportunity to contribute to other research projects of relevance within the SMP section broadly dealing with society-technology interactions, social acceptance, and planning and development processes.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your primary tasks and responsibilities within SUSTAINOW will include:

• Collaborating with researchers and international partners involved in the SUSTAINOW project
• Qualifying the assessment of social and economic impacts, benefits and acceptance of offshore wind farms
• Developing and integrating workable qualitative and quantitative indicators for site-specific and large-scale impacts 
• Conducting fieldwork, e.g. interviews with stakeholders and focus group discussions
• Assessing the application and transferability of tools in real planning and development processes, and deriving recommendations for integration of social criteria into tendering processes for offshore wind
• Supporting the development and testing of a framework for stakeholder engagement for designing and implementing decision-support tools
• Supporting the facilitation of workshops
• Disseminating results through conferences, scientific publications and practical outputs

In addition, it is expected that the postdoc will actively participate in the academic community by supporting teaching and supervising BSc and MSc students at DTU. You will also have the opportunity to support the supervision of PhD students within the department.

Applicants must have a PhD in a relevant Social Science & Humanities discipline, e.g. Economic or Energy Geography, Planning, Transition Studies, Sociology or a related field. 

As essential qualifications, applicants are expected to:

• Have a strong academic background with emphasis on social implications of renewable energy development 
• Have proven experience with social and environmental aspects of renewable energy projects as well as sustainability indicators (particularly social)
• Be knowledgeable about social acceptance of and contestations over the expansion of renewable energy, and topics related to energy justice and stakeholder engagement
• Be familiar with strategic, spatial and project planning of renewable energy infrastructures
• Be experienced in applying qualitative research methods
• Be willing to work in an interdisciplinary research environment
• Be willing to pursue publications, grant applications and work in an interdisciplinary research environment

Having prior experience with offshore wind or marine spatial planning is an advantage, but experience from related fields is also relevant. The working language of the project and the department is English. Applicants must therefore be proficient in spoken and written English. 

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

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility. 

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. The expected starting date is 1st August 2026.  (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position. Workplace is Risø Campus in Roskilde.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information 
Further information may be obtained from Head of Section, Ulrich Elmer Hansen: (uleh@dtu.dk) or Senior researcher, David Philipp Rudolph: (dpru@dtu.dk)    

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 19 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 
• Two references

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 Wind and Energy Systems, which used to be a division of Risø National Laboratory (until 2012), has undertaken basic research, teaching and commercial activities in all aspects of wind energy since the mid-1970’s. DTU Wind and Energy Systems is now the world’s largest public research institute for wind energy and energy systems transition, with about 400 staff members. The department has four divisions: i) Materials and Components for Wind Energy, ii) Wind Turbine Technology, iii) Wind Energy Systems, and iv) Power and Energy Systems. The department is internationally recognized as being in the forefront of wind energy technology and smart energy systems research. We educate and train the next generation of engineers for a sustainable energy future. We collaborate with global leaders in industry and public authorities around the world to research and develop new technologies and services to power the green transition. 

You can read more about “the Department” at https://wind.dtu.dk/

The SMP section consists of about 20 researchers, using qualitative and quantitative methods, empirical data, interviews, case studies, financial modelling, socio-economic and policy analysis to study renewable energy project development, environmental impacts, social interactions, markets, policy, and industry processes.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829
DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students, and 6,500 employees. We work in an international environment and have an inclusive, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.