PhD student position in Cellulose modification

You will be enrolled in the PhD student school of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) and closely collaborate with researchers at the participating universities, Chalmers, Linköping and KTH. The goal of your research will be to develop new scalable synthetic methodologies for controlled chemical modification on the macro and microfiber level of the cellulose.
In this work you are expected to develop detailed understanding and skills to characterize the cellulose derivatives from molecular level over multiple length scales up to material characterization. Further, you will develop and use THz-spectroscopy as characterization methodology for the produced cellulose derivatives. You will work closely with several postdocs and PhD students in our group, as well as with several external collaborators, especially within WWSC.

Information about the the project
Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) is a research center striving for scientific excellence with a focus on new materials from trees. The center creates knowledge and builds competence for an innovative and sustainable future value creation from forest raw materials. WWSC is a multidisciplinary collaboration between KTH, Chalmers, and Linköping University. The base is a donation from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the forest industry is supporting WWSC via the national platform Treesearch. you will be placed at the Division of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

Major responsibilities
The main part of the working time shall be devoted to the research project. As a PhD your are expected to work independently, formulate own ideas and discuss them with colleagues and the research team. During your education as a PhD student, you will apart from performing your research project be involved in teaching and reading courses. From a research perspective you will communicate results by publishing articles in relevant peer-reviewed international scientific journals and by participating to national and international meetings and conferences. Within the daily work as a PhD student, our ambition is that you find variation, interact and collaborate with colleagues at Chalmers and associated groups within the WWSC and Treesearch community.
As a member of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center you will also have the opportunity to participate in the Wallenberg Wood Science Center Academy courses and activities, which take place at different locations in Sweden and the Nordic Countries.

Your major responsibilities are to pursue your own doctoral studies. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing. The position generally also includes teaching on Chalmers' undergraduate level or performing other duties corresponding to 20 per cent of working hours.

Qualifications
The successful candidate will be devoted to complex research questions and able to interpret obtained data both from a fundamental perspective but also from a interdisciplinary perspective. Since the project is a part of a larger research consortium it is important to have skills to communicate, support and be able to adapt knowledge from other fields into the own research projects. Thus, the candidate is expected to create new networks and inform and update the research group on regular basis. An experience from organic synthesis and molecular characterization as well as good knowledge on material characterization is considered as merits.

To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field such as chemistry, chemical engineering, material science or physics.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20220532 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

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
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

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

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 



Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!