PhD Scholarships in Physics – DTU Physics

Do you want to strengthen your scientific and personal competences in physics and work in an international environment? Then this may be interesting for you. We are looking for highly motivated and skilled candidates for PhD positions at DTU Physics.

We invite you to join our international leading research environment where we encourage collaboration and knowledge-sharing to foster new ideas and solutions. We collaborate with leading research groups around the world at universities, research facilities, and private companies.

At DTU Physics, we perform research and teaching in physics areas that offer fundamental challenges and innovative potentials. We embrace projects that range from curiosity driven to projects that are closely related to solving grand challenges in society. You can read more about our research on our homepage, see links below.

The PhD position includes salary and travel grants covering the three years it takes to obtain a PhD degree at a Danish university and may commence preferably in the fall of 2025.

Your tasks
As a PhD student at DTU, your work will include:

• Learn to perform rigorous and relevant research
• Collaborate with key academic and/or industrial partners, both national and international
• Perform data analysis, write scientific articles and present your research at conferences and meetings
• Contribute to teaching and student project supervision at the department to get teaching experience

Qualifications
You have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree. The degree is in physics, engineering physics, materials science, or chemical physics.

You have a strong personal drive and collaborative skills in addition to an excellent and relevant scientific background for the PhD project.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU’s rules for the PhD education.

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made in a joint effort by the potential supervisors, head of sections and centers and the head of department.

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 appointment terms
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 3 years. The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
You can read more about DTU Physics at physics.dtu.dk . Further information may be obtained from Head of Department Jane Hvolbæk Nielsen, tel.: +45 4525 3222, e-mail: jane@fysik.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. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 16 June 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:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• Document with translation of grades to the Danish grading system (see Excel spreadsheet here)
• Statement about physics fields of interest (see below)

You are expected to acquaint yourself with the research areas at DTU Physics as listed below and formulate a statement about which of these fields have your interest. You are also welcome to refer to and/or communicate with faculty members that you would like to collaborate with.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master’s degree but cannot begin before having received it.

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.

Our research areas
At DTU Physics, we perform research in fundamental and applied physics areas and we use and develop state-of-the-art experimental and theoretical approaches. We have broad efforts in materials physics and design, quantum optics, sensing and communication, biophysics, plasma physics, and continuum physics.

Our research impacts society with new sustainable energy technologies, secure digital communication, medical technology, and new analytical methods. We use and develop basic theory, next-generation instrumentation, and software, and aim to make our data publicly accessible and usable.

More detailed descriptions of our nine research sections are listed below including links to homepages.

• 2D Materials Engineering and Physics working on fabrication, characterization and simulation/theory of 2D materials and devices, within electronics, photonics and mass transport.
• Biophysics and Fluids with a focus on fluid and soft-matter dynamics on small length scales, often with life science applications
• Computational Atomic-scale Materials Design with a focus on materials modeling and discovery with electronic structure calculations and machine learning
• Luminescence Physics and Technologies with focus on application of photonics to geosciences with the aim for example to quantify rates of Earth-surface processes
• Magnetic Materials and Neutron Scattering with focus on magnetism in nanoparticles and superconductors with the aim of designing new multifunctional materials.
• Materials Physics in Time and Space working closely with international large-scale research facilities like MAX IV, Eu-XFEL and ESS for advanced materials studies and is host for the 3D imaging center
• Plasma Physics and Fusion Energy working in international collaborations on realizing non-fossil-based energy production through fusion
• Quantum Physics and Information Technology aiming to develop and utilize quantum technology
• Surface Physics and Catalysis with a particular focus on catalyst computation, synthesis, characterization and test for sustainable energy solutions

We also have research activities in our three interdisciplinary centers relating to nuclear energy, catalysis, and visualization of atomics processes.

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.