Doctoral student in Chemical Engineering - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The Department of Chemical Engineering at Lund University has a well-equipped apparatus hall which gives us the advantage of working at bench-scale in labs as well as in small pilot scale.

The main focus of the research at the department is applied research on problems of industrial relevance, but due to the nature of some of the problems studied, both applied and basic research are carried out at the department. The Department of Chemical Engineering at Lund University has a long tradition of research within the field of bioethanol production and other biorefinery related processes.

Job Assignments
You will be working in two different but related separation projects. In the STEPS (Sustainable Plastics and Transition Pathways, http://www.lth.se/steps) the task is mainly to fractionate and purify carbohydrates found in industrial waste-waters from the sugar, starch and forest industries. In the HEMIGREEN project the task is to extract and purify oligomeric galactoglucomannans either from waste liquors found in the pulping industry or from virgin softwood. Your PhD project will mainly be focused on developing membrane processes or a combination of membrane processes and other separation processes to fractionate, purify and concentrate carbobohydrates from these industrial or semi-industrial waste streams but could also include the development of steam pretreatment methods for carbohydrate extraction from wood. The research includes experiments performed in 1-100 L scale as well as associated analyses by mainly HPLC and GC to determine raw material composition and to evaluate to outcome of the fractionation process.

You will conduct research together with your supervisor, but also together with other researchers and PhD students in the research group. Furthermore, you are expected to gradually take more and more initiatives to ensure progress in your research project, especially towards the end of the PhD studies. The appointment is four years plus extension depending on the degree of departmental duties.

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Chemical Engineering if he or she has:

• a specialised project of at least 30 second-cycle credits in the subject.

Finally, the student must be judged to have the potential to complete the programme.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Basis of Assessment
Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
2. An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
3. Written and oral communication skills
4. Other experience relevant to postgraduate studies, such as professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:
Previously documented experience from experimental work with membrane filtration is a merit, as is previous experience in biomass analysis. The applicant should have a good ability to work independently as well as in groups. Furthermore, we are looking for a person who is curious, achievement-oriented, structured and persistent, and has problem-solving analytical skills and a good self-awareness. As you will be expected to teach on undergraduate level and most of our courses are given in Swedish, it counts as a merit if you can communicate in Swedish. If you do not speak Swedish you will be expected to take basic courses in Swedish, financed by the department.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment
Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Additional information
Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).