PhD scholarship in Sustainability Assessment of Feedstocks for Biomanufacturing – BRIGHT

If you are motivated to guide innovation by developing novel frameworks and databases for sustainability assessment of bio-based products and by doing so to contribute to a sustainable transition you have it right here. As an internationally reputed elite university DTU is at the forefront of innovation related to the sustainable transition. At theThe Novo Nordisk Foundation Biotechnology Research Institute for the Green Transition (BRIGHT) we are specifically looking for new ways to support the sustainable production of bio-based products and that is why we need you and all your good process simulation and sustainability assessment skills.

The FoundBio PhD project a collaboration between two departments at DTU and Tec de Monterrey aiming to close a critical knowledge gap by quantifying the economic environmental and social sustainability of emerging feedstocks including CO₂ methane formic acid and methanol in comparison to traditional sources such as sugars lignocellulosic biomass and algae.

This project will pioneer the development of a high-resolution assessment framework that integrates techno-economic analysis (TEA) environmental life cycle assessment (E-LCA) and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) to evaluate the true sustainability potential of biotechnology-based products and production systems.

Responsibilities and qualifications
The project will contribute to a comprehensive cradle-to-grave understanding of biotechnology sustainability addressing current limitations in environmental impact databases such as ecoinvent and Agribalys.

The PhD candidate will:

• Quantify feedstock availability developing retrospective and prospective feedstock portfolios.
• Develop conceptual bioprocess schemes for feedstocks suitable for direct use in biotechnological production.
• Build detailed mass and energy inventories for fermentation-based systems (solid- liquid- and gas-state) to enable accurate and systematic sustainability assessments.
• Integrate assessment data into life cycle and techno-economic models to evaluate case studies relevant to both Europe and Latin America.
• Develop a clean and retrievable database for the generated region-specific inventories to be readily integrated in LCA softwares.

This development will offer a unique opportunity for international collaboration in the fields of bioprocess engineering and quantitative sustainability assessment.

Our expectations of you:

• You must have a two-year masters degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year masters degree in chemical engineering biochemical engineering environmental engineering or related disciplines.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Experience (via masters project or/and experience) with Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Bioprocess Modeling (Conceptual process simulations).
• Familiarity with sustainability databases (e.g. ecoinvent CarbonMinds) and process simulation tools (e.g. Aspen Plus SuperPro Designer BioSTEAM or similar) is an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills in English and willingness to work in an international interdisciplinary team.
• Openness to research visits and collaboration with partner institutions in Mexico.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme please see DTUs rules for the PhD education.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research education innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Your New Team - Sustainable Innovation Office
At BRIGHT you will work in the Sustainable Innovation Office with support from a supervisor team form both Denmark (Prof. Solange Mussatto leader of Biomass Conversion and Bioprocess Technology BCBT group) and Mexico (Sustainability and Climate Change Laboratory). Our focus is to guide innovation at an early stage by assessing the benefits (society economic and environmental) of developed bio-based technologies. We aim to develop computational tools that provides insights to guide the research community in DTU and beyond to assess the sustainability of bio-based products. Our work environment is informal and characterised by knowledge sharing respect trust and room for having an enjoyable time together naturally balanced with creating tangible results. Now we are just looking forward to welcoming you to the team.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

Starting date is 1^st April 2026 (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
If you would like additional information about the position please contact supervisor and Hiring Responsible Sumesh Sukumara via email.

You can read more about us at

If you are applying from abroad you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU Moving to you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar PhDrelocation to Denmark and startup Zoom seminar for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than25 January 2026 (23:59 Danish time).

Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply please open the link Apply now fill out the online application form and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae (highlighting relevant projects)
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• If you are mentioning previous experience with python code-based simulations please provide link to your repositories.

You may apply prior to obtaining your masters degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age gender disability race religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology which is subject to special rules for security and export control open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

About BRIGHT The Novo Nordisk Foundation Biotechnology Research Institute for the Green Transition
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Biotechnology Research Institute for the Green Transition (BRIGHT) is a major initiative based at DTU that aims to accelerate the development of biosolutions and strengthen the bio-based economy. BRIGHT serves as a hub for academic and industrial partners working together to unlock the potential of bioproduction. BRIGHT focuses on three main areas: Sustainable materials (Developing bio-based alternatives to fossil-derived materials) Microbial foods (Innovating food production through microbial technologies) and Microorganisms for net-zero agriculture (Creating solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture). The goal is to develop and scale innovative biosolutions within these areas ultimately creating sustainable and competitive alternatives to fossil-based products and processes that can make significant contributions to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UNs 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13500 students and 6000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive evolving and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.