PhD Scholarships in Engineering of Quantum Light Sources and System Architecture for Photonic Quantum Computing

The Quantum Light Sources Group at DTU Electro is seeking candidates for PhD Scholarships in the field of design, simulation and optical characterization of highly efficient solid-state sources of single indistinguishable photons as well as in the engineering of system architecture for photonic quantum information technology. 

The position is offered within the framework of the EU Horizon Europe MSCA Doctoral Network “A Photonic Quantum Computer (PHOTONIQC),” Grant Agreement No. 101312868, which will employ a total of 15 PhD students in seven countries working in close collaboration on distributed photonic quantum computing. You will participate in an international team of PHOTONIQC PhD students, which will construct a new generation of components including sources, circuitry and detectors, propose new photonic quantum computing protocols and finally perform experimental implementations of multi-node distributed quantum computing.

Locally, you will participate in a team with several senior researchers and Ph.D. students, which will design, fabricate and characterize quantum-dot-based single-photon sources.

Responsibilities and qualifications
The focus of the PhD1 project position is the design and numerical simulation of quantum-dot-based single-photon sources using advanced optical simulation tools. The objective of the PhD2 project is the quantum optical characterization of the devices in our state-of-the-art optical laboratory using advanced optical excitation techniques. In both projects, the overall objective is to increase the efficiency and photon indistinguishability towards unity. Finally, the PhD3 project will build system architecture for cluster state quantum computing.

The primary responsibilities of the PhD students include:

• Employ simulation techniques to analyze the single-photon source performance and propose new single-photon source designs overcoming the observed limitations (PhD1). 
• Perform optical characterization of the fabricated devices in terms of purity, efficiency and photon indistinguishability (PhD2). 
• Establish a network architecture blueprint for photonic graph state computation relating the performance of individual components to the success probability of the full computation (PhD3).
• Supervise MSc/BSc/Fagprojekt project students.
• Contribute to the development of new SPS designs.
• Document the research with scientific articles and conference contributions.

The PhD projects will take place at DTU Electro. Apart from the time at DTU there will be secondments. PhD1 project will hold 1 month secondments at Ruhr University, CNRS and 2 months at CEA. PhD2 project will hold 1 month secondments at Ruhr University and Quandela, and 2 months at CNRS. PhD3 project will hold 1 month secondments at CNRS and Quandela and 2 months at International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory. 

There will also be regular meetings with the other Ph.D. students in the Doctoral Network, including 3 training schools, 5 workshops, and a final conference.

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.

Mobility Requirement
Candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Denmark for more than 12 months in the 3 years before their recruitment date.

Applicable for all scholarships

Approval and Enrolment 
The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates 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.

Assessment
The assessment of the candidates will be made by Prof. Niels Gregersen, Assoc. Prof. Luca Vannucci, Assoc. Prof. Battulga Munkhbat and Assist. Prof. Martin A. Jacobsen.

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. Please see DTU’s salary structure for scientific staff: www.inside.dtu.dk/en/human-resources/during-employment/salary/salary-structures.

The salary is based on seniority with the minimum wage which is DKK 29.691,75 for the base salary and DKK 1.551,00 for the PhD supplement. Additionally, pension paid by DTU will be added.

The period of employment is 3 years. The starting date is 1 March 2027 (or according to mutual agreement). The position is a full-time position.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Niels Gregersen, (ngre@dtu.dk), tel.: +45 4525 3789.

You can read more about DTU Electro at www.electro.dtu.dk.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation 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 than 15 November 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

In the field “Please indicate which position(s) you would like to apply for”, please indicate which project you are applying for (title from the above list of PhD projects or individual research projects).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. 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.

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.

DTU Electro  
DTU Electro employs more than 300 skilled researchers with competencies in electrical and photonics engineering. As a department, we strive towards creating sustainable energy and a greener internet, as well as strengthening cyber security and health technology. Working with industry and public organizations is one of our top priorities to find and implement new solutions to our society. We aim to offer education, research, and innovation of the highest standard, and our focus on application-oriented research enables us to work across many engineering disciplines and research areas, such as IT and the medical and health sciences. We have a close collaboration with researchers from all over the world, just as we collaborate with industry and public authorities about the dissemination of solutions based on electrical and photonics engineering as their key enabling technologies. 

DTU – For the benefit of society since 1829
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.