PhD: Green Hydrogen Digital Twin Strategies at SDU

The Department of Technology and Innovation, University of Southern Denmark in Odense (SDU), invites for applications to a three-year PhD position on the topic of Strategies and Digital Twins for Design, Operations and Maintenance of Green Hydrogen / Power-To-X plants. The starting time of the position isJanuary 1, 2026, or as soon as possible thereafter, and the location is at SDU’s main campus in Odense.

WHAT WE OFFER:
There is a double urgency to transform Europe's energy system: ending the dependence on fossil fuels and tackling the climate crisis. Green Hydrogen or Power-To-X solutions are seen as a cornerstone of DK Europe’s green transition and as main building block for reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. The PhD candidate will work actively in the project “Konkurrencedygtig PTX” funded by Fonden for Retfærdig Omstilling / EUs regional fund. The aim of the project is to contribute to bring Denmark and EU a step closer to leveling the cost of green hydrogen to fossil parity and serve a rapid increase in demand for green hydrogen and related products as Green Methanol, Ammonia or Steel for industry and transport. This is to be done via strategies for further industrialization of design, operations and maintenance of Green Hydrogen / P2X plants and value chains with an aim to significantly reduce Capital expenses (CAPEX) (Euro / MW production capacity) and operating and maintenance expenses (OPEX) (Euro/ MWH hydrogen) compared to today’s levels.

The PhD project will focus on how to design, operate and maintain / service modular, scalable and cost-competitive green hydrogen plants in a DK and international context. For this purpose, the PhD project will address one or more of the following research and innovation activities (scope to be clarified as part of the PhD project):

1. Identify and develop solutions for design and realization of green hydrogen plants applying principles of standardization, modularization as well as “reuse” of existing value chains in the renewable energy sector, to enable further industrialization of the electrolyzer and green hydrogen / PTX industry.
2. Identify and manage safety and operational/economical risks in green hydrogen / PTX plants for operating the plants more efficiently in daily operation and doing planned and predictive maintenance of electrolysis systems.
3. Identify, develop and model strategies, plans and decision support system for production planning, control, and maintenance of green hydrogen / PTX plants for selected business critical equipment (for example electrolyzers) and relevant components.
4. Investigate and model wear and / or failure patterns for selected equipment and components using actual plant data or other sources of information, also investigate options for managing supply of spare parts in a timely and cost-efficient manner.
5. Develop digital twin models of green hydrogen / PTX plants to devise strategies and plans for operations and maintenance or spare part logistics, take into account plant delivery requirements from customers and supply constraints coupled to availability and prices throughout the year for green electricity, water and carbon, nitrogen etc.
6. Assess green hydrogen / PTX plants sustainability by measuring economic and environmental impacts of solutions using various modelling and simulation/digital twin methods, with regards to cost drivers for Capital expenses (CAPEX), Operational expenses (OPEX) as well as logistical performance (delivery times / dependability), safety and GHG emissions etc. for existing and future green hydrogen / PTX plants.
7. Benchmarking green hydrogen plants / PTX sites with other industries to identify state of art methods and technologies to transfer to this domain.
8. Propose a road map going forward for industrial partners and a wider scope of Green Hydrogen / PTX facilities in Denmark and abroad with recommendations for how to adopt identified solutions, strategies and models going forward for other sites than the project’s own case sites.

The PhD candidate will...

• ...conduct research in the corresponding research area, covering the before-mentioned research activities (I. to VIII.).
• ...work closely with EOM and SDU colleagues and key stakeholders in the “Konkurrencedygtig PTX” and DK Green Hydrogen / PtX sector.
• ...publish and present research and innovation work both at international conferences and in scientific journals with high impact.
• ...assist in teaching and supervision activities in the field of Design, Operations and Maintenance of Manufacturing Systems at the sections undergraduate and graduate engineering educations.

This PhD position is fully funded.

WHAT WE EXPECT:
The successful candidate will conduct application-oriented research with a leading vendor of electrolyzer solutions and a team of industry partners in the Green Hydrogen / PTX sector. The desired candidate should hold a MSc degree in Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, Chemical Engineering or equivalent (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) and should demonstrate:

• Knowledge and experience from working with several of the following areas:
  • Design of Mechanical and Electrical Systems
  • Design for Manufacturing, Assembly and Logistics
  • Green Hydrogen and Power-To-X processes
  • Operations and Supply Chain Management
  • Lean Manufacturing Operations and Logistics
  • Production Planning and Control
  • Maintenance and Spare Parts Logistics
  • Operations Research
  • Industry 4.0 & Digitalization
  • Modelling, Simulation & Digital Twins
  • Statistics and Data Science (AI / Machine Learning)
  • Databases, Cloud Computing and Business Intelligence
  • Investment theory, ROI, TEA calculation methods
  • Sustainability of Manufacturing Operations
  • Project Management, Agile Methods, Scrum Methods
• Willingness to do applied science and support project team, industrial partners, and overall research project progress.
• Interest in longer term commitment to a growing research group within operations and supply chain management.
• Passion to work with students and to contribute to teaching / supervision of (master) students.
• Comfortability with working both independently and within an international team.
• Good written and oral communication skills.
• Fluency in English, both spoken and written.

Familiarity with or dedicated interest in exploring the domain of Green Hydrogen / PTX as well as experience with doing technology feasibility studies and quantitative and economic models in business / industrial settings will be considered as an advantage.

WORKPLACE DESCRIPTION:
SDU offers an interdisciplinary research environment with other PhD students and where research programs are developed in close collaboration with industry. The department contributes to the sustainable development within the focus area of manufacturing, circular economy, and industrial and supply chain engineering management.

The Department of Technology and Innovation is located at SDU’s main campus in Odense. As the 3rd largest city in Denmark, Odense provides the perfect combination of a historic city center with an urban field yet a close proximity to beaches and recreational areas. Its location on the beautiful island of Funen is ideal with easy access by train or highway to the bigger cities of Aarhus and Copenhagen; direct trains can take you straight to Copenhagen airport in less than 2 hours. Since 1966 the city has been a university town, and strong collaborative ties are in place between the University of Southern Denmark and the many Danish and International corporations in the region. As the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, Denmark’s famous fairytale author, the city is home to a vibrant and creative population that hosts numerous festivals and markets throughout the year.

FURTHER INFORMATION:
Further information is available from Associate Professor Yohanes Kristianto Nugruho, phone: +45 28 73 81 10, email: yknpopeedwardbilldavis@higgins.dkiti.sdu.dksmith.dk or Head of Section Niels Gorm Maly Rytter, phone: +45 29 10 37 29 email: mikaylafranklinmitchellcraigngry@iti.sdu.dkburgess-martinez.dkyork.dk.

If you experience technical problems, please contact joe32lrichardsonhcm-supportjohnsonbrittany@foster.dklang.dkcastro-perez.dksdu.dk.

Application procedure

Before applying the candidates are advised to read the Faculty information for prospective PhD students and the SDU information on how to apply.

Assessment of the candidates is based on the application material, and an application must include:

• Motivated application.
• Curriculum Vitae.
• Master’s and bachelor’s degree certificates or equivalent, including transcripts of grades (copy of original/official English translation).
• Completed TEK PhD application form for 5+3 applicants. Find the form at the Faculty website.
• Completed TEK PhD form for calculation grade point average. Find the form at the Faculty website.
• An official document describing the grading scheme of the awarding universities (if not Danish).
• Only for applicants from programmes that evaluate thesis/examination project by approved/not approved: An official written assessment of the thesis or dissertation project from the grade giving institution. The statement must clearly state that the candidate has been among the top 30 pct. in the graduation class for the study programme.
• List of publications and maximum 2 examples of relevant publications (in case you have any publications).
• References may be included, you're welcome to use the form for reference letter at the Faculty website.
• A statement/documentation of other qualifications relevant to the position may also be included.

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application shall be uploaded as ‘Cover letter’ (max. 5 MB), Curriculum Vitae shall be uploaded as ‘Resume’ (max 5 MB). All other documents shall be uploaded as ‘Miscellaneous documents’ (max 10 files of max 50 MB per file).

All documents must be in English and PDF format. CPR number (civil registration no.) must be crossed out. All PDF-files must be unlocked and allow binding and may not be password protected.

The application deadline is October 1, 2025,at 11.59 PM / 23.59 (CET/CEST)

Assessment and selection process

Applications will be assessed by an assessment committee. Shortlisting may be applied, and only shortlisted candidates will receive a written assessment. Read about shortlisting at SDU. Interviews and tests may be part of the overall evaluation.

Read about the Assessment and selection process.

Conditions of enrollment/employment

Appointment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position, and the monthly gross salary incl. pension is 36.138 DKK. If you have relevant postgraduate experience, you may be placed on a higher salary step.

The preferred start date is from January 1, 2026.

Applicants must hold a master’s degree (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) at the time of enrollment and employment. Employment is contingent on enrollment approved by the PhD School. Enrollment will be in accordance with Faculty regulations and the Danish Ministerial Order on the PhD Programme at the Universities (PhD order). Employment will be in accordance with the collective agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations for academics in the state with the associated circular on the job structure for academic staff at Danish universities and the provisions for PhD fellows as described herein as well as the Protocol on PhD fellows signed by the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). Further information about salary and conditions of employment. The person employed in the position may, based on a specific individual managerial evaluation, be exempted from time registration, also known as a “self-organizer”.

The University of Southern Denmark wishes our staff to reflect the surrounding community and therefore encourages everyone, regardless of personal background, to apply for the position. SDU conducts research in critical technologies, which, due to the risk of unwanted knowledge transfer, are subject to a number of security measures. Therefore, based on information from open sources, background checks may be conducted on candidates for the position.

Further information for international applicants about entering and working in Denmark. You may also visit WorkinDenmark for additional information.

Further information about The Faculty of Engineering.