The Center for Integrative Innovation Management (C*I2M) at the Department of Business & Management (DBM) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) invites applications for one or more 2-year Postdoctoral positions (with possibility for a 1-year extension). The PostDoc will teach e.g. within project management, innovation management, and organization and contribute research time to one of the following projects:

• “Anticipating STRAtegic Long-term challenges” (ASTRAL) headed by Professor Patricia Wolf,
• “Exnovation in Manufacturing: Revealing the Hidden Agent of Change” (Ex-Man) headed by Associate Professor Martin Kalthaus.

The positions are located at SDU’s Campus in Odense and are vacant from 1st of January 2026 or as agreed.
The positions are embedded within the Center for Integrative Innovation Management (CI2M). The research in CI2M is cross-disciplinary integrating management, marketing, and technology. We seek to understand and promote insights of innovation from the initial idea to the fully commercialized or implemented innovation. The center is currently hiring a number of younger researchers for various projects ensuring a vibrant research environment.

APPLICANTS’ PROFILE

We are looking for applicants with a PhD in the relevant field of innovation management, business and, economics, or adjacent disciplines with a strong or promising publication track. Moreover, we expect applicants to:

• Have excellent English skills, both in speaking and writing. Danish or German would be an asset.
• Have excellent communication skills.
• Have sound knowledge in innovation management or related fields
• Have experience in conceptual research and theory building.
• Have command of quantitative or qualitative research methods and related software.
• Preferably first teaching experience at the undergraduate or graduate level.
• Be engaged, cooperative, and able to work independently.

The successful candidate will be expected to participate in the various activities within the Center and department and to be present on a daily basis.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Applicants should indicate in their application and research proposal which one of the following projects they would address:

PROJECT DESCRIPTION ASTRAL

The ASTRAL project conceptualizes, enabling them to address major challenges such as climate change or digitization. In particular, ASTRAL investigates how universities can train high-tech SMEs in long-term foresight and strategy development for a sustainable future. This involves engaging in responsible innovation and basing strategy on a positive root narrative of a sustainable future. The project aims to broaden our understanding of what positive futures are imagined by actors in SMEs, and to develop a training that can be used by higher education institutions to guide them in the process of developing a sustainable long-term strategy towards a desirable future. This European project includes further Higher Education Institutions, VETs and industry partners from Germany, Spain, France and The Netherlands.

The Post Docs will be involved in all parts and activities of the research projects. The workload will be geared towards

• participation in coordination activities,
• data collection and data analysis,
• learning/ training material development
• participation in the design and conduction of events with the project stakeholders,
• outreach, dissemination and publication of project results,
• evaluation of the effectiveness and impact of the project output.

For further information, please contact Professor Patricia Wolf pawo@sam.sdu.dk.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: EX-MAN

The Ex-Man project seeks to understand the exnovation process in manufacturing firms. Exnovation is the process of how old technologies, artefacts, or practices in an organization get removed to make space for the introduction of new technologies and innovations. The project will provide novel insights on how to manage and strategically conduct exnovation and to understand the underlying mechanisms, barriers, and facilitators of phasing out old innovations and its influence on firm performance and innovativeness. Theoretically, the project draws on innovation management, economics of innovation, technology management, organizational learning, and strategy. The positions offer a unique opportunity to explore a novel phenomenon in innovation research and to contribute groundbreaking new insights.

The applicants’ role will be to conceptualize the exnovation process from a theoretical point of view and conduct empirical analysis. In particular:

• Developing a theoretical framework for exnovation that guides empirical research.
• Conducting, analyzing, and interpreting firm and stakeholder interviews.
• Designing novel survey items and conducting econometric analyses using survey data.
• Writing comprehensive analysis reports and high-impact research publications.
• Participating in dissemination activities to share findings with academic, industry, and public audiences.
• Teaching in the broader field of innovation management.

For further information, please contact associate professor Martin Kalthaus mkalth@sam.sdu.dk.
For questions concerning the Center for Integrative Innovation Management, contact Professor Mette Praest Knudsen mpk@sam.sdu.dk.

• Developing a theoretical framework for exnovation that guides empirical research.
• Conducting, analyzing, and interpreting firm and stakeholder interviews.
• Designing novel survey items and conducting econometric analyses using survey data.
• Writing comprehensive analysis reports and high-impact research publications.
• Participating in dissemination activities to share findings with academic, industry, and public audiences.
• Teaching in the broader field of innovation management