Saturday, November 15, 2008

PhD Scholarship in Road-mapping for Design and Innovation, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

Applicants are invited for a PhD scholarship at the Department of Management Engineering, the Technical University of Denmark for appointment 1 January 2009.
The aim of the project is to analyse road-mapping methods, their contexts and their use as a strategy tool in industrial product development and in public governance of strategic research. A critical analysis of the assumptions and theoretical foundation of road-mapping methods will also be part of the research. Road-mapping is seen as a strategic management tool in strategic research, design and innovation activities.


Description of the project
Road-mapping has gained international recognition as part of a broader discussion of R&D management and governance of strategic research. Road-mapping has been developed as a management tool for aligning strategic research, product development and marketing activities. As such it can be used in different contexts for making decision about research strategies and putting priorities on product development, design ideas and investments in innovation.

Much of the scientific literature on road-mapping is rather descriptive and focused on practical use and experiences. There is a need for developing the theoretical foundations as well as the methodology used in road-mapping. Theoretical contributions can be found in the fields of strategic management (with emphasis on learning, decisions and strategising) and innovation economics (with emphasis on path dependencies, clustering of innovations, and trajectories). Also the field of sociology of knowledge and technology might offer relevant contributions with emphasis on the flexibility of interpretations, the building of semiotic networks, and the focus on co-production offers relevant insights into the innovation process.

Required skills
Successful candidates must hold an MSc degree in engineering or social sciences with a relevant specialisation.

We are looking for a colleague who possesses the following skills:
* Knowledge of technological foresight and innovation processes within the perspective of innovation economics and the sociology of technology and knowledge
* An interest in working scientifically with research planning, innovation management and the analysis and improvement of methods for road-mapping and related types of methods
* Proficiency in oral and written English is needed
* Experience with interdisciplinary research and project teams is valued

Conditions and terms
The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The position is available for a period of three years.

The PhD project is part of the doctoral studies program in Design and Innovation hosted at the Department of Management Engineering and will be enrolled at the PhD school at this department.

For further information about the requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please visit: www.dtu.dk/English/education/Phd_Education.aspx.

Application
Applications must include curriculum vitae, examination certificate, references (contact details for at least two reference persons that we may contact for further inquires) and a cover letter outlining the motivation for the PhD study and for this particular project as well as a possible starting date.

We need your online application no later than 17 November 2008 at 12.00 noon. Apply online at www.dtu.dk/vacancy - open the link "apply online" fill out the form and attach the above mentioned documents. Material received after the deadline will not be taken into account.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

Further information
For further information, please contact Professor Ulrik Jørgensen, phone +45 4525 6075, uj@ipl.dtu.dk or Section Manager Per Dannemand Andersen, phone +45 4677 5108, per.dannemand@risoe.dk

Deadline: 17 November 2008