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PhD contract in catalysis for e-fuel production (ITQ)

  • Secretario 

     – before: July 15th, 2023 –    

     Fully-funded position offered for 3 years to carry out a R&D project at the interface of nanomaterials, catalysis and sustainable energy

     The Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ) is a joint research center of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), located in the excellent and vibrant UPV Campus at the coast side in Valencia (Spain). It is considered an international reference in the area of catalysis, new materials and energy, and it hosts ca. 30 staff scientists alongside >100 PhD and postdoctoral researchers. With a long tradition of R&D and technology transfer activities in cooperation with industrial partners worldwide, ITQ is an interdisciplinary research institute which offers high-quality training and outstanding research facilities.

     The candidate would enroll in a multidisciplinary and international research team led by Dr. Gonzalo Prieto, which runs various research projects supported by national and several international research programs, it has been awarded with a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator grant, and cooperates with leading companies in the energy and chemical sectors.

     The project is framed in the context of a collective research effort, funded as part of the Horizon Europe programme. The successful candidate will be expected to interact with research partners in 9 different countries. The project aims to develop innovative catalytic routes for the direct synthesis of new higher oxygenate liquid synthetic e-fuels with outstanding properties to de-fossilize heavy-duty road and marine transport sectors. Research will entail the design and synthesis of solid catalysts, the application of advanced methods to diagnose functional nano-materials including operando spectroscopies at singular synchrotron facilities and tomographic (3D) imaging methods with nanoscale resolution, as well as the assessment of catalytic performance in slurry-phase lab-scale units coupled to analytical methods such as (2D) gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. Next to technical skills, the candidate would receive training in soft-, communication skills, etc. Following graduation, she/he shall be endowed with a versatile and competitive professional profile to play an active role in the energy transition.

  Candidate qualifications:

  • MSc degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science, or a related.
  • Good written and oral communication skills in English, which is the daily working language in line with the international orientation of the research team.

Conditions:

  • Salary ca. 26,000 €/year (brutto).
  • Full time.
  • Starting date: September-October 2023.

Contact:

     CV, academic transcript (including BSc) and motivation letter should be sent per email to Dr. Gonzalo Prieto (prieto@itq.upv.esbefore July 15th, 2023.