Doctoral student in Chemical Engineering with focus on new reactor solutions for lignin conversion - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Subject description
The doctoral position will be addressing the oxidative conversion of lignin into useful chemicals and fuels, and will be investigating reaction conditions and reactor designs for improved yields from technical lignins.

Work duties
Within the project, there will be significant effort spent on testing different catalyst formulations, as well as analysing lignin products. The characterization will be performed at the Department of Chemical Engineering, hosting the fine particle analysis centre, as well as at other departments at Lund University. In addition, synchrotron beam time for performing experiments and characterization using large infrastructure are regularly applied for in the research group and may be used in the project, if applicable. The laboratory facilities dedicated to the experimental work to be performed in the project have recently been renovated, and equipped with necessary equipment. There will also be resources available for designing and constructing new reactor designs for testing and evaluation.

The research will be conducted together with your supervisors, but also together with other researchers and PhD students in the Innovative Process Design group at the Department of Chemical Engineering, as well as the Lignin research group at Lund University (www.lignin.lu.se). 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 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 can 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 the applicant:

• 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.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Assessment criteria
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. Assessed ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
3. Written and oral communication skills
4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other assessment criteria:

• Previously documented experience from experimental work within the field of catalyis.
• Previous experience in biomass conversion.
• Industrial experience.
• Good ability to work independently as well as in groups.
• We are looking for a person who is:
• curious,
• achievement-oriented,
• structured and persistent,
• 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.

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 4.5 years (including 10% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply
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.). You are also asked to answer the job specific questions.