Copenhagen Business School invites applications for a number of vacant PhD scholarships at the Department of Strategy and Innovation. Expected starting date is 1 September 2026.
The Department of Strategy and Innovation’s (SI) research is focused on strategy, innovation, entrepreneurship and international business. The department aims to host a high-quality environment for research and teaching within the broad area of strategy. The department’s research is generally cross-disciplinary. Faculty members have backgrounds in management, economics, sociology and economic geography. The theoretical foundation for research in these areas is eclectic, combining strategy, innovation, and/or internationalization theory with insights from economics, sociology, psychology, and economic geography. The department has 45 faculty members (professors, associate professors, tenure track assistant professors), 7 administrative staff, and 30 members of staff who are hired on temporary contracts as research assistants, post docs or PhD students.
The department puts substantial emphasis on the solid application of scientific research method. The department has a pluralistic approach to research methods that includes, for example, formal theoretical models, quantitative empirical methods such as (lab and field) experiments, econometric applications to register data or survey data, as well as qualitative research methods. PhD project proposals should be based on coherent theoretical arguments and contain well-informed methodological considerations. To find out more about the department please go to https://www.cbs.dk/si.
Project topics
SI particularly invites for PhD project applications pertaining to the following broad topics, although applications that address other topics within the research scope of the department will also be considered (please indicate the number and title from the list below in your project proposal):
- Multinational firms (MNEs), labour markets, and inequality: How do global firms shape the labour market integration of marginalized groups, and how do these workers influence firm strategies? This project studies the role of MNEs in shaping labour market integration and inequality, with focus on vulnerable worker groups such as refugees. Exploiting Danish register data and quasi-experimental variation from integration policy reforms (e.g., work-permit timing, settlement rules), you will investigate how these shocks affect MNEs’ and domestic firms’ workforces and refugees’ career outcomes.
- AI adoption and careers: How does AI reshape work and businesses? Linking data on job postings with Danish administrative data, this project investigates AI’s impact on careers. By analysing firms’ adoption of AI, the project investigates the impact on skills and careers. The goal of the project is to track AI diffusion across industries and provide critical evidence for labour policy and skill development in the era of AI.
- Cluster connectivity, innovation and strategy: Specialized technology clusters such as Silicon Valley or Bangalore are central to the emergence of new technologies and in global strategies of multinational enterprises (MNEs). In turn, their development trajectories are influenced by their global connectivity: MNE pipelines and cross-border personal relationships. This project studies the antecedents and processes of cluster connectivity and associated MNE strategies and innovation outcomes. It ranks cluster connectivity in selected industries and singles out specific clusters for closer analysis, applying quantitative as well as qualitative research methods.
- Impact Investing, Syndication Dynamics, and the role of Limited Partners: The phenomenon Impact Investing (II) has significantly increased in scholarly and policy attention (e.g., the EU's SFDR plan). E-ship and finance scholarship are calling for more research to understand how II works and performs, particularly contrasting financial and impact-based returns. Among different avenues for research, the project could develop around topics such as syndication dynamics (e.g. II and classical VC investors) and/or relationship between LP and GP in impact investing. A more management (i.e., not Finance) perspective is preferred. Quantitative methods are preferred; qualitative methods are welcome too.
- Corporate Venturing (CV): New Strategies to Value Creation: Corporate-Startup interactions have reached a critical point in the e-ship and innovation literature. While their performance implications are largely positive, which mode to operate and when is still a strategic challenge (e.g., CVC vs Venture Clienting) and it calls for additional research. The project aims to possibly explore, among possible different topics, the portfolio approach to Corporate Venturing and/or the new role of Venture Clienting as emerging strategies. Quantitative methods are preferred; qualitative methods are welcome too.
- Game-theoretical modelling of topics in strategy: This proposal invites formal (game theoretical) approaches to topics in strategic management and international business (e.g., the strategic implications of CSR, efficiency versus market power, the organization of the multinational enterprise).
- Startups, Talent & Careers: How do startups shape people’s careers and how do people, in turn, shape startup success? You will study startups both as places where people work and as stepping stones to future opportunities. Possible topics include how startups hire and retain talent, and what happens to founders and early employees after they leave. The project offers opportunities to work with large-scale datasets (rich Danish register data and international job-posting data) and modern methods such as text analysis, causal inference, and experiments.
- Talent Strategy in an Age of Immigration Constraints: This project examines how firms adjust their talent strategies in response to labour shortages resulting from aging workforces and restrictive immigration policies. Using firm- and worker-level data, it examines organizational responses such as hiring, training, automation, and geographic reorganization, and their implications for performance and inequality.
- Impact Investing & Sustainable Entrepreneurship: This project examines how impact investors influence the growth and strategic direction of sustainable startups. Using investor interviews, experiments, and large-scale investment data, it examines investment decision-making, goal adherence, and collaboration with traditional investors, as well as their implications for social impact and financial performance.
This topic is based on a Sapere Aude Research Leader grant from the Independent Research Fund Denmark: - Optimizing Human-AI Interaction: Integrating Domain Knowledge into Causal AI Systems: Causal AI enhances the robustness, fairness, and explainability of artificial intelligence systems by explicitly modeling causal mechanisms and incorporating domain expertise. Situated at the intersection of artificial intelligence and strategic management, this project investigates the extent to which causal reasoning within AI systems can improve managerial decision-making. The research employs a mixed-methods design, integrating laboratory experiments with field studies conducted in collaboration with an industry partner to assess real-world impact. For the qualified applicant, a good working knowledge of causal inference methods (e.g., from econometrics or related fields) will be considered an asset. More info: https://dff.dk/en/our-funded-projects/meet-the-researchers/research-leaders/eksterne-personer-en/research-leaders-2025/paul-huenermund/
- The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship welcomes proposals in the area of entrepreneurship, including the following topics:
- How entrepreneurial ventures attract resources, namely funds, employees, and managerial teams.
- Which strategies entrepreneurial ventures use for growth and how they succeed.
- How entrepreneurial ventures ally with established firms and how they succeed.
- Creation and performance of new ventures by immigrants.
- Gender differences in engagement, strategies and success in entrepreneurship.
- The effectiveness of public policies towards entrepreneurship, and which firms benefit the most.
Methods will be empirical, mostly register data but also lab and field experiments.
A particular quality of the department is in the use of empirical methods on large-scale microdata sets, in particular the comprehensive Danish micro-data, but other sources like lab and field experiments or other types of primary data like own surveys and secondary data collected by third parties can also be used.
About the PhD program
The three-year PhD program at CBS allows you to conduct research under the supervision of CBS professors, supported by research training courses. The program is highly international, and you are expected to participate in international research conferences and to spend time abroad as a visiting PhD student.
The PhD student will be enrolled in the CBS PhD School. The selected candidates will participate in the SI PhD cohort, which is a formal research-training program. This includes a package of foundational courses within the main SI research areas and methods courses (econometrics, experiments and qualitative methods).
CBS PhD graduates are held in high esteem not only in academia and research institutions but also in government and business where their research qualifications are increasingly demanded. Recent graduates from the SI PhD program have found opportunities at institutions including Pompeu Fabra, SKEMA, KTH, Tilburg University, Leeds University Business School, the University of Utah, Stockholm School of Economics, and NOVA School of Business and Economics, Lisbon.
Qualifications
The Department will give priority to applicants with the following qualifications: high grades from their universities, an educational background in the social sciences, and fluency in English.
To be considered for the 3 years program, the candidate should have a basic training at the Master’s level (similar to the 3 + 2 Bologna process and a total of 180+120 ECTS). However, applicants who hold a one- year Master’s degree may also be considered for evaluation. PhD students who enter the PhD program with a one-year Master’s degree (60 ECTS) will be offered a 4 years program and will be considered a Master’s student for the first 2 years of the program.
General information
The PhD scholarship includes teaching obligations.
The 3-year scholarships are fully salaried positions, according to the national Danish collective agreement. The scholarship includes the tuition fees, office space, travel grants plus a salary, currently starting with per month app. DKK 31,000 (app. 4,200 euro) up to DKK 37,000 (app. 5000 euro), depending on seniority, plus a pension contribution totalling 18.07% of the base salary.
The salary level and appointment is determined by the Ministry of Taxation’s collective agreement with the Central Academic Organization.
The application
Copenhagen Business School must receive all application material, including all appendices by the application deadline. Application must be sent via the electronic recruitment system, using the link below.
The application material must include:
- Copy of diplomas and grade transcripts from Bachelor’s and Master’s level education,
- Curriculum vitae (CV),
- If relevant, a list of papers and publications,
- Sample of a written work (e.g. Master’s thesis),
- A 5-page PhD project description. This research proposal should contain a presentation of an original research question preferably pertaining to one of the projects listed above, a description of the initial theoretical framework and methodology, a presentation of the suggested empirical material as well as a work-plan.
Please find guidelines and further information on the website of the PhD School: https://www.cbs.dk/en/research/phd-programmes/admission.
Recruitment procedure
The Recruitment Committee will shortlist a number of applicants to be assessed by the Assessment Committee. All applicants will be notified of their status in the recruitment process shortly after the application deadline.
Applicants selected for assessment will be notified about the composition of the Assessment Committee and later in the process about the result of the assessment.
Once the recruitment process is completed each applicant will be notified of the outcome of their application.
To find out more about working and living in Denmark, please go to https://www.cbs.dk/en/about-cbs/job-and-career/international-employees.
Information meeting
There will be an online information meeting regarding this call on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, from 14.00-16.00 (2pm-4pm CET). There will be a presentation of the SI Department and an opportunity to ask questions. In order to get a link for the meeting, please sign up at: https://event.it/si/event/6hw2bx/token/2sn8
For further information please contact: PhD coordinator, Professor H.C. Kongsted, e-mail: hck.si@cbs.dk.
Closing date: February 20, 2026.
WE TRANSFORM SOCIETY WITH BUSINESS
CBS is a globally recognised business school with deep roots in the Nordic socio-economic model. Our faculty has a broad focus on societal challenges, and we have earned a reputation for high-quality disciplinary and interdisciplinary research and education.
We are located at Frederiksberg and have approximately 20,000 full and part-time students, 800 full-time faculty members, 200 PhD students and 700 administrative staff, and a full portfolio of bachelor, master, MBA/EMBA, PhD and executive programmes taught in English and Danish.
Our global profile carries the obligation to address critical challenges in our research and to develop the transformational capabilities of students, graduates and business leaders via our educational activities and opportunities for lifelong learning. Complex challenges call for joint action, and therefore our strategy focuses on strengthening current and starting new partnerships with other sciences, the business community, authorities and civil society.
CBS is working continuously on becoming a diverse and inclusive organisation, and we encourage all regardless of gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religious beliefs, LGBT+ identity, cultural background etc. to apply.Reach out to us if you need assistance in the application or recruitment process, if there is something we should know, or if as a person with disability you wish to make use of your preferential access.
INFORMATIONER OM STILLINGEN:
- Arbejdspladsen ligger i:
Frederiksberg Kommune
-Virksomheden tilbyder:
-Arbejdsgiver:
Copenhagen Business School, Solbjerg Plads, 2000 Frederiksberg
-Ansøgning:
Ansøgningsfrist: 20-02-2026;
Se mere her: https://job.jobnet.dk/find-job/e19f733d-b58c-4022-aa23-57316e07ddec
