Postdoctoral position in Organic Chemistry

Information about the research
We are daily surrounded by solid foams as packaging materials, isolating materials, distributers of body liquids in health care products etc. Today these materials are based on fossil raw materials and there is a wish to replace them with renewable materials, like cellulose and hemicellulose. This is the focus in a newly started project, Smart Foam, founded by FORMAS. The project will be hosted by CHALMERS University of Technology and is a part of CHALMERS' Area of Advance - Materials Science.

In Smart Foams we will recruit one post doc and two PhD students. The post doc will focus on extract and substitute hemicellulose, one of the PhD students will focus on characterization of the extracted raw materials, the foaming properties and the solid foam products and the last PhD student will develop and optimize the extrusion techniques for producing the foams. In close collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) and Gothenburg University will other parallel parts of the research project investigate the environmental effects of our approach and to look into how one can transfer the gained knowledge to Swedish industry.

The department for Chemical and biological engineering promotes research and education for sustainable development, for improved health and quality of life. The research ranges from natural science and bioscience, applied chemistry and biotechnology to chemical engineering. The department have approximately 350 employees, divided into five research divisions and one administrative unit. At Organic chemistry there are four research groups working with mechanistic studies, development of new organometallic, biopolymer modification and total synthesis. The research is carried out in close collaboration with national and international industries and universities.

Major responsibilities
We offer a post-doc position, 1+1 year, in the area of chemical modification of hemicellulose for the use in foamed biopolymers. The aim is to find chemical modifications that enhance the hydrophobic properties and that are scaleable to bench-scale. Furthermore, the aim is to establish chemical modifications to produce stiff as well as soft foams using suitable chemical and/or physical modifications of the biopolymer. The processing aspects are thus in focus as well as the physical properties of the final component. An understanding in how the molecular structure affect the properties of the material in molten as well as for the foamed material is essential in this context.

The research project will be funded by FORMAS and will be carried out in collaboration with other departments at Chalmers, the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) and Gothenburg University.

Your major responsibility as postdoc is to perform your own research in a research group. The position also includes teaching on undergraduate and master's levels as well as supervising master's and/or PhD students to a certain extent. Another important aspect involves collaboration within academia and with society at large. The position is meritorious for future research duties within academia as well as industry/the public sector.

Position summary
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of two years (1+1).

Qualifications
The candidate should be interested in both experimental and theoretical work. We believe that a suitable background is in organic chemistry. Good knowledge in synthesis, polymer science, and in the scale-up of chemical processes is an advantage. The candidate is expected to take an active part in the collaboration and take a responsible for the molecular aspects within the project.

To qualify for the position of postdoc, you must have a doctoral degree in a relevant field; the degree should generally not be older than three years. You are expected to be somewhat accustomed to teaching, and to demonstrate good potential within research and education.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in Swedish and English. If Swedish is not your native language, you should be able to teach in Swedish on undergraduate level after two years. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20130218 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically via Chalmers webpage.

Application deadline: 2013-10-10

For questions, please contact:
Professor Gunnar Westman
+46 31 772 3072





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