PhD student position in Tellurium interactions with organics

Information about the division and the research
Chalmers University of Technology's Department of Chemistry has about 300 employees which are working within four research divisions and one administrative unit.

The division of Energy and Materials hosts the research group of Nuclear Chemistry / Industrial Materials Recycling comprising 8 senior scientists as well as 11 PhD students and postdocs, headed by two professors in Nuclear Chemistry and Industrial Materials Recycling. The research group is highly international and has a wide international network.

Besides the research on material interactions in reactors at elevated temperatures, the group is  specialized in aqueous chemistry and solvent extraction used for both recycling of materials and nuclear applications.

In the field of nuclear chemistry, there are four major research areas: 1)  novel nuclear fuels for the generation IV nuclear power systems, 2) radionuclide release from severe nuclear accidents, 3) partitioning and transmutation of spent fuel, and 4) final repository of radioactive waste. The nuclear chemistry research facilities are unique for an university in Europe, with a dedicated alpha laboratory for nuclear fuel research and a gamma lab with "hot cell" and irradiation source. In addition, there are several radiochemistry laboratories for trace-level work.

More information about the groups can be found on the webpage: https://www.chalmers.se/en/departments/chem/research/energymaterials/Pages/default.aspx



Currently we have two more PhD positions available, for more information and to apply for the other positions please follow the links below:
PhD student position in Radiolysis and nuclear fuel dissolution
PhD student position in High temperature material degradation in LEAD/BISMUTH eutectic melts

Major responsibilities
The work within this project deals with the effects of sevene nuclear reactor accidents. During a severe nuclear accident the release of several fission producs pose a hazard to the environment and humans in the short time span. Among these the most  well known is iodine for which iodine pills are distributed to the public. Other similar elements are ruthenium, molybdenium and tellurium. Previous work in our group has focused of the behavior of iodine and rujtenium as well as tellurium in the gas and liquid phase but this projects aims to establish a more complex and realistic system with the addition of the volatility enhancing materials.

There are several sources of organic material in the containment of a nuclear reactor such as paints, control rods, seals, insulators and ion exchange resins. In case of a severe nuclear reactor accident, these organic materials can potentially react with the released fission products and produce volatile compounds either in gas or liquid phase. For tellurium, the formation of organic tellurides has been proposed in literature but there is no experimental evidence of the formation presented yet. It will involve work in a chemical laboratory and you will learn how to work with radioactive substances. The aim will be to find methods to mitigate the release of these elements in case of an accident occurring

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

Qualifications
The successful candidate should have:
(1) MSc in Chemistry
(2) Expertise in experimental work in Chemistry.
(3) Good communication skills in written and spoken English
(4) Able to work independently and take responsibility for progress and quality of the project   

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

Application procedure
to apply, please go to this webpage

The application should be marked with Ref 20200601 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
• 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, 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: 25 February, 2021

For questions, please contact:
Prof. Christian Ekberg, Energy and Materials, che@chalmers.se
Prof. Teodora Retegan Vollmer, Energy and Materials, tretegan@chalmers.se