PhD student in Energy and materials

Information about the department/division
Our research is about chemistry and chemical processes - it's about materials development, their use and recycling, about energy and natural resources. The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is the largest department with more than 300 employees. With the focus on sustainable processes and materials we work on fundamental questions with the latest state of the art techniques. 
The department delivers world-leading research and education as a result of close collaborations and in environment aiming personal development and creation of new knowledge. 
At the Division of Energy and Materials we focus in particular on energy generation and different aspects of material and energy related questions. The division includes two large competence centers – High Temperature Corrosion (HTC) and Competence center recycling (CCR) and advanced areas of research such as corrosion, fuel cells, oxide chemistry, theoretical modeling, biomass and waste thermal conversion, metal recycling, etc. 

Major responsibilities
The increased levels of CO2 have led to a worldwide search for fossil fuel free alternatives for heat and electricity generation. Biomass fuels are such an alternative. Even though providing an immediate solution, the biomass ash components, released during thermal conversion, introduce new challenges and can be crucial for the long term operation of the reactors. The aim of the project is to model the chemical and physical processes through which the biomass ash components interact with the materials in the reactors. For your research you will have access to both a laboratory for small scale fluidized experiments and to the Chalmers 12 MW boiler. You will be working with the latest state of the art material characterization techniques –XRD, SEM, TEM, FIB-SEM, FTIR and you will have the unique opportunity to use the newly inaugurated synchrotron lab in Lund. 

Position summary
The employment is limited to five years, where the majority of your working time will be for research and up to 20% teaching.

Qualifications
To qualify for the position you need to have MSc (or similar) in relevant field (Chemistry, Physics, Chemical, Physical or Mechanical Engineering) with significant share of courses in chemistry.  Knowledge of Swedish is beneficial but is not mandatory. Previous experience from laboratory work, electron microscopy and material characterization are highly appreciated, but not mandatory. Programming skills are also considered as beneficial for the position, but are not mandatory for application. You should have excellent written and oral knowledge in English.
As a person, you should be a highly motivated, well organized, structured and self-driven. You should have a problem solving mind-set and an excellent ability to collaborate with others.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20170090 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as pdf-files, as below:

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number) 
• 1-3 pages where you introduce yourself and present your qualifications.
• Previous research fields and main research results.
• Future goals and research focus. Are there any specific projects and research issues you are primarily interested in?

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, eg. TOEFL test results.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. The files may be compressed (zipped).

Application deadline: 27 March, 2017

For questions, please contact:
Professor Britt-Marie Steenari, Energy and Materials, email: bms@chalmers.se, phone: +46 (0)31 772 2890
Doctor Pavleta Knutsson, Energy and Material, email: pavleta.knutsson@chalmers.se, phone: +46 (0)31 772 3048


*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***