Marie Curie PhD scholarship in rural sociology and entrepreneurship at the Department of Political Science and Public Management

The Centre for Rural Research at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, University of Southern Denmark in Esbjerg invites applications for a 3-year PhD scholarship as of April 1, 2026, or as agreed. 

Be part of a large-scale international project 

We are looking for a talented and motivated PhD student for the EPHEMERAL research project. EPHEMERAL – Entrepreneurship and Place: How Entrepreneurs Manage Evolving Relationships Across the Life-cycle is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) funded under Horizon Europe. The project aims to train a new generation of researchers to advance rural development theory and practice through entrepreneurship.

EPHEMERAL explores how entrepreneurs shape rural places over time, considering life-cycle dynamics, evolving local contexts, and structural societal changes. The network includes five European universities and several non-academic partners, offering interdisciplinary supervision and training with a focus on rural entrepreneurship and development.

As part of the project you will participate in the research network, working with other PhD candidates and senior scholars across Europe. This includes participation in six international training weeks, and international secondments with academic and non-academic partners.

The PhD position will focus on the topic of "Developing locally integrated models for sustainable energy investments in rural areas". 

The sustainable transition of Europe's energy infrastructure involves large investments in new infrastructure, such as land-consuming wind power, solar, or power-to-X facilities. Much of this will take place in rural areas, severely impacting landscapes, infrastructures, and amenities – and potentially creating new opportunities and challenges for rural entrepreneurs. The project comprises three major objectives: (1) Identify and explain the emergence of locally integrated models of sustainable energy investments in rural areas in Denmark; (2) Identify and explain the social mechanisms and networks that enable and hinder the emergence and stabilisation of these models. (3) Co-create, with local and outside stakeholders, templates that support the dissemination and scaling of models for sustainable energy investments in rural areas in Europe.

Your contribution to the project  

This position offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of entrepreneurship, sociology, and rural development in an international and interdisciplinary research project. As our new PhD student, you will play a central role in: 

• Collecting qualitative data from new and emergent political movements in rural areas.
• Analysing the data and developing excellent and impactful research published in leading international journals.  
• Preparing comprehensive analysis reports and contributing to high-impact research publications. 
• Participating in dissemination activities to share findings with academic, industry, and public audiences. 

When preparing your project proposal, you are strongly advised to consult the general guidelines for preparing a project proposal at the PhD School's webpage.  

Who are we looking for

We are looking for applicants possessing personal qualities such as curiosity and a strong desire to understand and solve societal challenges. You should be able to work independently and, in consultation with your PhD supervisor, prioritize the different aspects of your work. Finally, you are expected to have good interpersonal skills, be interested in engaging with the national and international research community (your supervisor and the department will support you in this), be present and take part in the daily academic and social environments in Esbjerg.

Applications are invited from applicants with a relevant master's degree within social sciences (e.g. business, political science, sociology or related disciplines). Moreover, we expect applicants to: 

• Have good English skills, both in speaking and writing. 
• Have good communication skills. 
• Have enthusiasm and talent for academic work.  
• Be interested in interdisciplinary and stakeholder-engaged research. 
• Have experience with collecting and analysing qualitative data.
• Be engaged, proactive, cooperative, be able to work independently, show awareness and confidence in own skills and capabilities.

The position is part of the EPHEMERAL MSCA-DN and follows the MSCA mobility and eligibility rules. This means that you must not have resided or carried out main activity in Denmark for more than 12 months within the last 36 months (MSCA mobility rule).

About the Research Environment

As a PhD candidate, you will be based at Campus Esbjerg as a member of the Danish Centre for Rural Research. The Danish Centre for Rural Research, located at SDU's campus in Esbjerg, has a strong national and international profile within rural research. The Centre collaborates widely with other professional environments and actors in rural areas to shed light on complex issues, providing decision-makers with knowledge of what the good life in the countryside is, and what factors are important for it to be created and maintained. The Centre's research is application-oriented for the benefit of people living and working in rural areas. The research environment is problem-driven and embraces theoretical and methodological diversity and multidisciplinarity. 

The Department of Political Science and Public Management fosters a stimulating and inspiring environment for both faculty members and students. The department's ambition is therefore to recruit, develop, and retain talented scholars committed to both academic excellence and departmental development. Furthermore, the department wishes our staff to reflect the diversity of society and, thus, welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background. For more information about the department organization, research, and teaching, please visit the department's website. 

Requirements and programme structure  

As a PhD Student you will follow an individual PhD plan including course work, conference participation, and knowledge dissemination and/or teaching. PhD Students typically spend three-six months in another research institution abroad. The scholarship carries a monthly salary including pension plus office facilities and financial support for conference travels and research visits abroad. 

Appointment as a PhD fellow is a 3-year salaried position. Applicants must hold a master's degree (equivalent to a Danish master's degree) at the time of enrollment and employment. Employment of a PhD fellow can only take place after the PhD School under the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences has approved the candidate for admission. 

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.

For a detailed description of the entry criteria and a job description for a PhD fellowship, as well as a descriptions of the assessment and hiring processes at the Department of Political Science and Public Management, please consult the department's Scholarly Qualification Matrix – REEAD.

Contact information 

Further information about this position and its academic expectations is available from Professor Egon Bjørnshave Noe,  

For further information about the PhD program, please contact PhD coordinator, associate professor Romana Careja,  

Application and assessment process 

An application must include: 

• Application form 
• A project proposal, max 5 pages of 2400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography etc. The total length in characters including spaces of the project description must be stated on the first page of the project description 
• An abstract for the above project description of no more than 250 words 
• Detailed CV 
• A summary of your master thesis including information on the research question, motivation, employed research method, and key findings (max 1 page of 2,400 characters each, including spaces, notes, appendices, bibliography etc.) 
• A certified copy of your master's degree certificate including all examination results.
• Information on experience with teaching, dissemination, or scientific publication, if applicable 

All documents in other languages than Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English, or German must be translated into English. The project proposal, project abstract, and CV must be written in English. Use of large language models or related AI tools in any capacity must be disclosed in accordance with best academic practices. 

Documents should not contain a CPR number (civil registration number) – in this case, the CPR number must be crossed out.

The application deadline is 6 January 2026, at 11.59 PM / CET/CEST).

Applicants are encouraged to read the information "How to apply" before applying. If you experience technical problems when uploading the application, please contact hcm- 

UPLOAD GUIDE: Motivated application should be uploaded as 'Cover letter', Curriculum Vitae should be uploaded as 'Resume'. All other documents should be uploaded as 'Miscellaneous documents'. 

The assessment and evaluation process

If you do not adhere to the above-mentioned specifications, your application can be rejected without further assessment. The department reserves the right to arrive at a decision solely based on the material submitted.

Shortlisting may be used in the assessment process. Read about shortlisting at SDU.  

Applications will be assessed by a committee. When the assessment committee has submitted its report, you will be emailed the part of the evaluation that concerns yourself, and you will know if you are deemed qualified for the position or not. The assessment report is subsequently forwarded to the Head of Department who assembles an appointment committee and determines if one or more of the qualified applicants should be invited to a job interview. The appointment committee will manage and complete job interviews and advise the Head of Department on which candidate should be offered appointment.

We recommend that as an international applicant, you take the time to visit Work in Denmark where you will find information and facts about moving to, working and living in Denmark, as well as the International Staff Office at SDU.

About SDU

The University of Southern Denmark was established to create value for and with society. Whether our contributions come in the form of excellent research, innovative solutions, education or learning, we must make a positive difference to society and contribute to a sustainable future. We do this by cultivating talents and creating the best environments for research and learning. It is therefore crucial that SDU retains, develops and recruits talent. At the same time, we need to ensure consistently high quality in all our activities – and we can only do that with the right people. The University's researchers, lecturers, students, managers and technical/administrative staff are the foundation of our success.