Helix Lab Awards Three New Collaborative PhD Projects
The Helix Lab Scientific Committee has awarded three new PhD projects, which are set to begin in spring 2027. The selected projects bring together Danish universities and industrial partners in different collaborations, reflecting a growing commitment to applied research in Kalundborg. The PhD projects build on the strong network of academic and industrial partners that Helix Lab has established and continues to develop, providing an important foundation for the growing local science community. This call for the Helix Lab PhD program attracted nine applications, representing a broad range of potential research collaborations and project ideas.
The three selected projects are collaborations between DTU and Unibio, Aarhus University's Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering and Novonesis, and the University of Copenhagen's Department of Food Science and FORCE Technology. Together, they address different challenges within industrial biotechnology, wastewater treatment and process optimization.
“We are very proud of the strong interest in our PhD program, which we believe reflects the relationships we have established with universities and industrial partners. The three new Helix Lab PhD projects will bring new research expertise and competencies to Kalundborg, while creating even closer connections between academic research and the needs of local industry,” says Anette Birck, director at Helix Lab.
PhD projects strengthen local research community
Each PhD project is a collaboration between a university and an industrial partner in Kalundborg, with the students spending approximately half their time in Kalundborg, at their industry partner and/or at Helix Lab, and the other half at their university. To accommodate the PhD students and introduce them to Kalundborg, Helix Lab has created a PhD network for all PhD students who work with local companies and organizations, including those at Campus Kalundborg.
The hope is that their presence and shared activities in Kalundborg will foster connections across institutions, encourage knowledge-sharing and create a stronger sense of community among researchers in the area.
“We see the PhD program as an important addition to the collaborations already established through the Helix Lab MSc Fellows Program, providing an opportunity to develop and anchor longer-term research activities in Kalundborg,” says Kresten Kromphardt, Senior Scientific Consultant at Helix Lab.
About the Helix Lab PhD projects
The three new Helix Lab PhD projects cover different areas of applied research:
BioMem, a collaboration between DTU Sustain and Unibio, will develop advanced membrane materials and process designs for biomass fractionation and water reuse. The project will investigate new membrane technologies as an alternative to centrifugation, as well as the recovery of soft water and nucleic acids using ceramic filters.
Investigating activated sludge flocculation through microbial ecology and sulfur chemistry, developed by Aarhus University's Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering and Novonesis, will explore the chemical and ecological factors influencing flocculation in activated sludge, with the aim of better understanding, predicting and controlling the process.
BioClean, a collaboration between the University of Copenhagen's Department of Food Science and FORCE Technology, will develop a testing platform and investigate new technologies for cleaning-in-place (CIP), including the use of electricity to improve cleaning against biofilms. The overall ambition is to reduce energy and water consumption in industrial cleaning processes.
The next call for applications to the Helix Lab PhD program has a deadline of 1 September 2027. The ambition is to award another three collaborative PhD projects in a year's time, allowing the program and the local research environment to grow further.