PhD scholarship in university students’ learning via digital twins of neutron scattering instruments - DTU Energy

Jobbeskrivelse

Are you passionate about how to train university students for neutron-based investigation at the European Spallation Source in Lund? Do you want to research how students learn via digital twins to replace hands-on training? Do you want to engage in a career within didactics of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education?

This PhD project is a part of the ACCESS project, Augmenting the STEM classroom by ESS digital twins. The ACCESS project is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and it is a collaboration between DTU – Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen (UCPH) and European Spallation Source. The European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund (SE) is a future large-scale research facility for neutron-based investigation of materials in a broad sense.

The aim of this PhD project is to research what university students from both DTU and UCPH learn from using digital twins of ESS instruments. What knowledge, skills, and competences do students acquire from using digital twins? How can engagement with digital twin instruments prepare students for using the actual instruments? To which extent can digital twins replace hands-on training?

The overall strategic objective of the ACCESS project is to develop even better education to train the scientists and engineers of the future. In addition to this PhD position, the ACCESS project includes three postdoctoral positions.

Responsibilities and qualifications

This PhD project will research and document students' learning outcome of engaging with digital twins of four ESS Instruments. Facilities like ESS are crucial in basic and applied STEM research to address global challenges. However, such facilities have limited capacity, and effective use is crucial. It requires conceptual knowledge, experimental skills, and scientific competences to select and analyze data from neutron instruments. This implies that students who will become users of such facilities must develop knowledge, skills, and competences in a way that is transferable from classroom to facility. Very few students get this opportunity.

ACCESS will modify existing digital twins of ESS instruments to aid university STEM students in becoming competent users of neutron facilities. The digital twins will allow students to perform virtual experiments. ACCESS will make digital twins for ESS instruments on imaging (ODIN), inelastic scattering (BIFROST), small-angle scattering (LOKI) and diffraction (DREAM).

The PhD student will be employed at DTU but will research the learning of students from both DTU and UCPH. Likewise, the PhD student will be working together with passionate teachers and educational developers from both UCPH and DTU.

As part of the PhD project, a 3-6 month stay at an international university (e.g., in Europe, USA, or Australia) is expected with the purpose of performing field studies and data analysis with one of the leading groups in the field.

Qualified applicants must have:

• A BSc in physics followed by a master’s degree in physics, engineering, material science, educational science, or similar.
• Basic knowledge of teaching and learning in higher learning, student motivation, and didactics.
• An interest in developing high-quality university teaching and education.
• Ability to work independently and plan and carry out complicated tasks.
• Good communication skills in English, both written and spoken.
• Furthermore, good communication skills in Danish, both written and spoken will be preferred.
• You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

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 DTU's 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.

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 September 2026 (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position.

Application procedure

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 6 April 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
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• A short text (max. 1 A4 page) where you outline your research vision for the investigation of student learning via digital twins of neutron scattering instruments

You may apply prior to obtaining your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.