PhD Position in Entrepreneurship, AI, and Labor Market Disruption

Are you interested in exploring the following questions?  

• How are artificial intelligence (AI) and automation reshaping individuals' transitions to entrepreneurship?
• How do individuals' skills, experience, and technological readiness influence the types of businesses they create and their subsequent performance?
• How do these patterns vary across countries and institutional contexts? 

DTU Entrepreneurship invites applications for a three-year PhD scholarship as part of an international research project entitled The New Landscape of Necessity Entrepreneurship: Understanding Entrepreneurial Transitions in an Era of AI- and Automation-Driven Labor Market Disruption.

The project investigates how AI and automation reshape entrepreneurial transitions, with particular attention to individuals who start businesses following unemployment. The PhD candidate will join an international research team involving Associate Professor Argyro (Iro) Nikiforou at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Professor Marc Gruber at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, and Professor John C. Dencker at Northeastern University, USA. Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the project combines large-scale surveys, Danish administrative registry data, and qualitative interviews across Denmark, Switzerland, and Greece.

The position offers an opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge entrepreneurship research, work with rich international datasets, and collaborate with leading scholars in the field.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Your primary responsibility will be to conduct high-quality research within the international project, with opportunities to develop your own research questions within its overall scope.

Your tasks will include: 

• Developing research questions and theoretical frameworks concerning entrepreneurship, human capital, AI, and labor market transitions.
• Applying quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate entrepreneurial transitions and outcomes.
• Collecting, managing, and analyzing quantitative data, including large-scale surveys and Danish registry data.
• Contributing to the design and implementation of surveys and qualitative interviews in collaboration with international research partners.
• Preparing research papers for submission to leading international academic journals.
• Presenting research findings at international conferences and contributing to dissemination activities targeting policymakers and other stakeholders.
• Collaborating with researchers at DTU, EPFL, Northeastern University, and other project partners. 

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a strong interest in entrepreneurship research and technological change.

We expect you to have: 

• A Master’s degree.
• A strong interest in developing quantitative research and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English communication skills.
• The ability to work independently and collaboratively in an international research environment. 

Application procedure 

To apply, please read the full job advertisement by clicking the 'Apply' button

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DTU is one of Europe's leading elite technical universities. Through research and education at an international top level, we create solutions to the major societal challenges of our time and help secure Europe's global leadership in sustainable technological development. Since Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU almost 200 years ago, our mission has remained the same: We develop and create value through the natural and technical sciences 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, stimulating, and informal work culture. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland and collaborates with the best universities around the world.