Postdoctoral position in Chemical Engineering

At the division of Forest Products and Chemical Engineering, we are working with projects related to new products and processes that are steps towards a biorefinery as well as with projects aiming to improve the understanding of the present processes in the forest based industry. The details of the departmental research activities may be found at Forest Products and Chemical Engineering

When working towards a bio based society, replacing the use of fossil raw materials with renewable resources is a vital process. Central to this process is the development of a biorefinery to replace today’s oil based refineries. The development of such wood based biorefinery is at the heart of our research group: forest products and chemical engineering and this project is also a part of the Wallenberg Wood Science Centre that is a research centre with a focus on new materials from trees. For this future biorefinery, membrane separations can be expected to be one of the most important operations and to ensure that it can be properly dimensioned and optimised a good understanding of the fundamental mechanisms involved is required.

Information about the project
The focus of this post-doc project is to use a novel method to investigate and characterise fouling behaviour during crossflow micro- and ultra-filtration for streams of wood constituents relevant to the biorefinery concept. The project will include the use of a unique newly developed test rig using a fluid dynamic gauging (FDG) probe. The method can be used to investigate thickness and cohesive strengths of very thin cake fouling layers formed during cross-flow filtrations. The use of FDG in investigation of membrane fouling behaviour is an emerging method and still in development, something that this project will contribute towards. The position will involve experimental work and method development, as well as modelling efforts. This is in many respects a hands-on role, which will require an innovative and creative approach to laboratory test studies.

Position summary
The selected post-doc will get a two-year scholarship. Hence the applicant must not have lived in Sweden for the past three years. Scholarship holders who are in receipt of scholarships to finance their individual education/research while at Chalmers are not regarded as staff and are not eligible for benefits available to staff. The position is limited to a maximum of two years (1+1).

Qualifications
Ph. D. in chemical engineering or similar in addition to the required skills and experience. To qualify for the position of post-doc, you must have a doctoral degree earned no earlier than 2 years prior to the application deadline. The candidate must be skilled in chemical engineering laboratory work, both practical as well as theoretical experience of membrane separation/filtration is advantageous. Previous experience of construction/modification of laboratory scale test rigs and work with Arduino boards and basic wiring is also a merit. Experience of chemical engineering modelling work is required. To be successful you also need to be highly motivated and enjoy practical and theoretical problem solving. User knowledge of Labview and Matlab is a merit and good proficiency in English is required.

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 20160198 and written in English.
To submit your application, please go to: Vacancies

Application deadline: June 4, 2016

For questions, please contact:
Professor Hans Theliander, division of Forest Products and Chemical Engineering, hanst@chalmers.se,+46 31 772 29 92
Assistant Professor Tuve Mattsson, division of Forest Products and Chemical Engineering, tuve.mattsson@chalmers.se, +46 31 772 31 02

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