Institute Director for DTU Sustain

Do you want to help shape society's sustainable transition?

Climate change, resource scarcity and the need for a rapid green transition continually raise demands for new knowledge and innovative technological solutions. At DTU Sustain we work every day to develop the technologies and solutions that can create a more sustainable, resilient and resource-efficient society.

We are now seeking a director of the institute who can lead an internationally leading research environment that, across many disciplines, creates knowledge with real significance for people, society and the planet.

An institute dedicated to a sustainable technological transition

DTU Sustain is among Europe’s strongest research environments within environmental and resource technology. The institute develops research-based solutions to complex challenges including circular material flows, climate adaptation, water technology, environmental chemistry and sustainability modelling. The institute's research contributes to a sustainable technological transition locally, nationally and globally.

Our ambition is not only to understand society's challenges, but through a systemic approach to create technologies and solutions that can be translated into real change. Therefore, we work closely with businesses, utilities, authorities, international organisations and universities around the world.

A strategic leadership role at the intersection of research and society

As institute director you will have overall responsibility for DTU Sustain's strategic, academic and organizational development.

You must not only ensure high quality in research, education, innovation and research-based advisory services. You must also strengthen DTU Sustain's position as an international voice for sustainable transition and create new partnerships that translate knowledge into action in society.

Your areas of responsibility include, among others

• Overall financial and personnel management
• Strategic development of the institute's core activities within research, education, research-based advisory services and innovation – in close interaction with the institute's leadership and staff
• Further development of DTU Sustain's research profile and international position, including building strong collaborations across DTU and with national and international partners
• Ensuring DTU Sustain's visibility nationally and internationally
• Recruitment and development of research and leadership talents at all levels and support for the next generation of research leaders
• Creating attractive frameworks for a diverse and inclusive working environment
• Active participation in DTU's directorate and co-responsibility for the university's overall strategic development

A central part of the role is to further develop and support the institute's leaders and staff to ensure strong collaboration across the institute's academic units. You must also contribute to continuing and strengthening the shared culture and identity that create the engagement and common direction that underpin DTU Sustain's ambitions in research, education, innovation and societal impact.

As institute director you report to DTU's rector.

Your profile – strategic vision and clear leadership

We are looking for a visionary institute director who can set a clear course for the institute and unite staff and partners around shared goals. You excel at building on the strong professional and collegial communities at the institute and in creating engagement around a common direction for DTU Sustain's continued development.

You see opportunities in complex problems and can create coherence between research, education, innovation and society's needs. At the same time, it is your ambition to foster an environment where research excellence, well-being and knowledge sharing go hand in hand.

We place particular emphasis on you being able to

• Be an internationally recognised researcher within one or more of DTU Sustain's fields
• Have solid experience with leadership in an academic environment
• Have documented results in attracting external research funding
• Have a strong national and international network
• Understand the societal and political agendas within sustainability and green transition
• You are a visible and approachable leader who through trust, involvement and development creates engagement and following. At the same time you have an eye for strengthening organizational culture, shared identity and the professional communities that create cohesion across the institute
• Can build and maintain strong relationships with authorities, companies and international partners
• Have strong communication skills and command English at a high level as well as Danish or another Scandinavian language

DTU offers you

As institute director for DTU Sustain you will take on 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 will 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 leadership, results-driven personnel leadership and strategic leadership. As institute director it is expected that you bring your personal leadership into play and achieve results through collaboration, involvement and clear direction. You can read more about DTU’s leadership role and leadership framework on our website.

Application and contact

We must receive your online application no later than 18 October 2026. Open the link "Apply now", where you fill out the application form and attach a motivated application, CV and diploma certificates.

If you would like more information about the job, you are welcome to contact the rector Anders Bjarklev, tel.: 4525 1000.

Read more about DTU Sustain at www.sustain.dtu.dk.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested regardless of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic origin are encouraged to apply for the position. Since DTU conducts research in critical technology, there are special rules for, among other things, security and export control, and an open-source background check may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Sustain - Institute for Environmental and Resource Technology - is one of the largest university institutes in Europe specializing in environmental and resource technology. The institute conducts research, development and research-based advisory services and provides education programs and services to society. We work to develop new environmentally friendly and sustainable technologies, methods and solutions and to disseminate this knowledge to society and new generations of engineers.

The institute has more than 350 employees with more than 50 nationalities, including 172 scientific staff and 85 PhD students.

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829

DTU is one of Europe’s leading technical elite universities. With research and education of international top quality we create solutions to the great societal challenges of our time and help ensure 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 translate natural science and technical science for the benefit of society. DTU has 13,800 students, 1,600 PhD students and 6,500 staff.

We work in an international environment with an inclusive, developing and informal work culture. DTU has campuses across Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities in the world.

Location

Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark

Apply Before

2026-10-18T21:59:00+00:00