PhD student position in hemicellulose recovery through oxidative chemistry

We are looking for a PhD-candidate driven to work with recovery of underutilized components of forest biomass in the interdisciplinary group of Forest products and chemical engineering and within the framework of the graduate school of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) where research work and education rely on close collaboration between Chalmers, KTH and Linköping University.
The PhD-candidate will work on developing methods for selective extraction of wood polymers (hemicelluloses) including detailed understanding of how wood components and processability ar affected by the extraction step. The work will be performed in a highly collaborative set-up within Chalmers and WWSC.

Information about the research/the project/the division
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.
An important part of the center's scientific work is separation and recovery of wood components. In this project we will work towards development of new extraction strategies for one of the most sensitive and underutilized wood components - hemicelluloses.

At the Forest Products and Chemical Engineering we have a long tradition of multidisciplinary approach to valorization of forest biomass ranging from chemistry and technology of traditional pulping processes to novel routes of separating, fractionating and functionalizing forest biomass components in the spirit of biorefinery and biomaterials development. Extensive collaborations with forest industry and Wallenberg Wood Science Center strengthen the collaborative environment and facilitate access to extensive research infrastructure.

Major responsibilities
The main part of your working time will be devoted to your research project where you will be responsible for planning, performing and evaluating your experimental work, including communication (orally and in writing) of your results. You will also be expected to contribute to teaching on the undergraduate level by leading and superivising laboratory sessions, projects and tutorials, corresponding to 10-20% of your time. Additional 20% of your time will be dedicated to courses related both to your research field and general academic skills/knowledge. 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.

Qualifications
The successful candidate need to have a Master’s degree to at least 240 higher education credits in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science or equivalent. Skills/experience in organic chemistry, biomass processing , analytic chemistry (chromatography and spectroscopy methods) as well as experience of multidisciplinary work are meritorious. Good communication skills in English and good collaboration skills are required for this project.

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 20220534 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. 

Application deadline: 15 november, 2022

For questions, please contact:
Merima Hasani, merima.hasani@chalmers.se

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



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!