2 PhD Positions in Business Administration, Entrepreneurship

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world's top 100 universities. The University has around 46 000 students and 8 500 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition. 

Lund University School of Economics and Management is one of eight faculties within Lund University. More than 4 000 students and 450 researchers, teachers and other staff are engaged here in training and research in business administration, economic history, business law, informatics, economics, statistics and research policy. 

The doctoral thesis projects will be conducted under the auspices of the Sten K. Johnson Centre for Entrepreneurship. The Centre (SKJCE) is an active, internationally recognized arena for high-impact entrepreneurship education and research. SKJCE conducts research in areas such as entrepreneurial learning and education, academic entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ownership and finance, social entrepreneurship and immigrant entrepreneurship. 

We announce two four-year, full-time PhD candidate positions in entrepreneurship at the Department of Business Administration, Lund University School of Economics and Management, Lund. The PhD students will receive a scholarship for the first year and be employed at the department the remaining three years. 

The PhD students will start in spring 2027, date to be agreed. 

Subject area 

We are looking for two PhD students in Entrepreneurship. Both positions are anchored in entrepreneurship research, and each is connected to one of the two projects described below. 

The first position is connected to the project “AI and entrepreneurial learning”. In this project, we take a particular interest in how entrepreneurs’ use of generative AI shapes the ways they learn from experience as they develop their ventures. Research on entrepreneurial learning has largely treated the transformation of experience into knowledge as a process taking place within the entrepreneur, who reflects, interprets feedback and decides how to act. Generative AI unsettles this assumption, as parts of reflection and sense-making are increasingly performed together with, or delegated to, a machine. This may broaden and accelerate learning, but it may also substitute speed for understanding. The project builds on and seeks to extend research on entrepreneurial learning and cognition, and aims to identify the mechanisms through which AI enables, constrains or reshapes how entrepreneurs transform experience into knowledge. Questions relevant to the project include, for example: How does AI change the ways entrepreneurs reflect on and make sense of their experiences? Under what conditions does acting on AI-generated input and feedback deepen entrepreneurs’ understanding, and when does it merely speed up action? What tensions arise when parts of the learning process are delegated to AI, and how do they challenge established theories of entrepreneurial learning? 

The second position is connected to the project “Under the radar: AI-driven ventures and the changing organisation of innovation in the life sciences”. In this project, we take a particular interest in AI-driven ventures in the life sciences that emerge and develop largely out of public view before they challenge much larger established firms. Such ventures are more than a technical or commercial phenomenon. They raise questions about how entrepreneurs pursue opportunities in knowledge-intensive and highly regulated settings, what established firms can and cannot see, and where new knowledge is created and who controls it. The project builds on and seeks to extend research on new venture emergence, science- and technology-based entrepreneurship, and the dynamics between new ventures and incumbents. Questions relevant to the project include, for example: How do AI-driven ventures in the life sciences emerge, organise and build legitimacy before they become visible to established actors? How do established life-science firms detect, interpret and respond to them? How does AI change where new knowledge is created and who holds it, and what does this imply for entrepreneurial opportunities: are they genuinely novel or mainly faster variations of what already exists? How do regulation and ethical concerns shape which AI-driven ventures and innovations reach patients? 

We welcome candidates with an interest in the questions outlined above. Applicants are encouraged to develop their own research questions, theoretical perspectives and methods within these broader themes. The PhD projects can be pursued using qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods designs. The positions are connected to ongoing research at the Department and the PhD students will be embedded in a network of researchers in Sweden and abroad. 

Work duties  

Regulations concerning appointment as a PhD student can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 5, 1–7 §§ and SFS 1998:80. For appointment to the position, you are required to be eligible for admission to the PhD (PhD) programme in Business Administration.

The PhD programme in Business Administration at Lund University is a four-year programme consisting of two parts: a course package comprising 90 ECTS credits, and a PhD thesis comprising 150 ECTS credits. The main task is therefore to devote yourself to your research project and participation in postgraduate courses.

As a PhD student you will mainly be working with your research project, but you can also be given more general tasks at the department, e.g. teaching, research or administrative work, in accordance with the regulations in SFS 1998:80. 

Eligibility/Entry requirements 

Admission requirements for the PhD programme:

• General admission requirements: A master’s degree, and 240 completed ECTS credits of university studies. A person may also meet the general entry requirements if he/she has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.
• Specific admission requirements: At least 90 completed ECTS credits in a subject relevant to the research studies, including a degree project relevant to the research studies, equivalent to at least 15 credits. A person may also meet the specific entry requirements if he/she has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. 

Requirements for the PhD posistion:

• Very high proficiency in English, in speech and writing.
• Ability to work independently. 

Meritous for the PhD posistion:

• Courses/modules in entrepreneurship. 

Basis of assessment

The applicants will be assessed on the basis of their prospects of meeting the requirements for a doctoral degree (PhD) in Business Administration. Particular emphasis will be placed on the following:

• Academic results, particularly on the master’s level.
• Bachelor’s and master’s theses (with special importance attached to the master’s thesis).
• Relevance and viability of the research plan.
• Other results and distinctions which attest to the applicant’s ability to profit from the PhD programme.
• Other knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis work and the subject of the programme. These can be demonstrated through the attached documents and/or a possible interview. 

Decisions on admission to the PhD programme are made by the Head of department after consultation with the Director of the PhD programme and, if necessary, additional co-assessors with special expertise in the applicant’s intended thesis area. 

Application procedure 

The application is to contain the following documents:

• A complete application form, found at: https://www.lusem.lu.se/organisation/department-business-administration/doctoral-studies-business-administration
• Letter of introduction (max 800 words), which contains a presentation of yourself and your qualifications as well as a brief explanation of why you are interested in the PhD programme at the Department of Business Administration.
• Curriculum Vitae (2 pages)
• Research plan of no more than 5 pages (max 2,000 words) stating the topic to be investigated, its positioning within entrepreneurship research, and the sources of data and methodology the candidate aims to use. The topic should be specific and clearly located within one of the two projects listed in the subject area section (see above). Please indicate which project the plan addresses.
• Degree certificates of your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees
• A copy of your Master’s thesis
• An executive summary (500 words) of your Master’s thesis
• The names and contact information of two references, preferably active in academia.
• Copies of certificates and copies of any other documents that you wish to include in your application. 

All submitted documents must be attested as to their authenticity. 

Your application should be written in English and sent as one pdf file to: application@fek.lu.se. 

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard equality, equal opportunities and diversity as a strength and an asset. 

Last day for applying is: 2026-12-01 

For further information please contact: 

Diamanto Politis, Professor

diamanto.politis@fek.lu.se  

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