Institute Director for DTU Electro

Do you want to lead one of Europe's strongest research environments in electrical engineering and photonics?

DTU Electro is a strong institute with large academic ambitions and substantial resources. We are seeking a visionary and unifying institute director who can establish a common direction, strengthen leadership across the institute, and ensure that DTU Electro's many strengths are translated into even greater societal value.

Research and innovation for the energy, health and digital society of the future

DTU Electro is DTU's institute for electrical engineering and photonics. We develop technologies that contribute to sustainable energy, robotics, a greener internet, enhanced cybersecurity and new solutions within health technology.

The institute is characterized by strong national and international collaborations with universities, research institutions, companies and authorities, as well as substantial external research funding. At the same time, DTU Electro plays a central role in the university's education and contributes teaching to a large number of students at bachelor, diploma, master's and PhD levels. We educate the engineers and researchers of the future in technologies that will be decisive for the green and digital transition.

A strategic leadership role with impact

As institute director you will be the unifying leadership hub for DTU Electro. Today the institute rests on a solid foundation of international research excellence, significant external funding and strong collaborations. Your main task will be to bring these strengths together in a common strategic direction and ensure that the institute's resources and research investments support the ambitions that will shape DTU Electro in the coming years.

You must be able to develop and communicate a vision that creates engagement across the institute, be willing to take on a large and exciting leadership role, strengthen the coherence of the management team and position DTU Electro even more strongly as a central actor in solving the challenges of the future in health, energy, communication, digitalization and security.

In addition to the overall responsibility for research, education, innovation and research-based advisory services you will have particular responsibility for to:

• Setting an ambitious direction for the development of the institute's research, education and innovation and ensuring coherence between the institute's four core tasks
• Ensuring strategic use of the institute's research grants, investments and infrastructure
• Developing national and international collaborations with universities, companies and authorities
• Recruiting and developing research and leadership talents at all levels
• Strengthening the strategic importance of teaching and creating good frameworks for teaching development and educational quality
• Creating attractive conditions for a diverse, inclusive and international working environment
• Active participation in DTU’s directorate and contributing to the university's overall strategic development

An important part of the task will be to gather and further develop the institute's academic strengths across research areas and create the best conditions for interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation and the domestication of external research funding.

As institute director you report to DTU's rector.

Your profile – visionary research leader with strategic impact

We are seeking a leader who has a strong understanding of the university's overall mission and views research, education and innovation as mutually reinforcing activities. You have ambitions on behalf of the students and understand the importance of attractive, research-based education of high international quality.

You are a visible and inspiring leader who can create followership among some of the most skilled researchers and leaders in your field. You set a clear direction, create engagement around common goals and are able to translate visions into concrete priorities and results. You are passionate about bringing together and further developing the institute's academic strengths with a view to positioning DTU Electro among the leading international environments in electrical engineering and photonics.

We particularly emphasize that you have

• a background as an internationally recognized researcher
• strong leadership experience from a research or university environment
• experience with strategic development and prioritization in complex organizations as well as use of substantial research funds
• a proven ability to create followership, coherence and shared ambitions
• a strong national and international network
• experience with or close collaboration with industry would be an advantage.

As a person you are able to balance strategic overview with presence and engagement. You create followership through clear communication, high integrity and respect for the academic diversity that characterizes an international top research environment.

You communicate fluently in English and Danish or another Scandinavian language.

What does DTU offer you?

As institute director for DTU Electro you will have a meaningful and strategic leadership role at one of Europe’s leading technical universities. You will become part of a strong professional and managerial community and join DTU’s directorate, where you have the opportunity to actively contribute to the university's overall strategic development.

DTU works purposefully to develop and strengthen leadership at all levels. Our leadership framework rests on four cornerstones: professional leadership, resource management, results-oriented personnel management and strategic leadership. As institute director you are expected to bring your personal leadership into play and create results through collaboration, involvement and clear direction. You can read more about DTU’s leader role and leadership framework on our website .

Salary and terms of appointment

The appointment is on a permanent basis and on terms corresponding to the Circular on institute directors and deans at universities as well as the AC collective agreement.

The position is a full-time role with primary workplace at the DTU Lyngby Campus, but also Risø Campus, where part of the institute is anchored.

Application and contact

We must receive your online application no later than 25 October 2026 . Open the link "Apply now", where you fill in the application form and attach a motivated application, CV and certificates.

If you would like more information about the position, you are welcome to contact the Rector Anders O. Bjarklev at 4525 1000.

Applications received after the application deadline will not be considered.

All qualified applicants irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic origin are encouraged to apply. Since DTU works with research in critical technology, there are special rules for security and export control, and an open-source background check may be conducted for qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Electro employs more than 300 researchers and specialists in electrical engineering and photonics. We develop technologies for sustainable energy systems, a greener internet, enhanced cybersecurity and future health technology solutions. Through world-class research, education and innovation we create the knowledge and technological breakthroughs that will help shape the society of the future.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829

DTU is one of Europe’s leading technical elite universities. With research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and contribute to securing Europe’s global leading position in sustainable technology development. Since H.C. Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has been the same: We develop and utilize natural science and engineering knowledge 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, developmental and informal work culture. DTU has campuses all over Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities in the world.