Doctoral student in Organic Redox Flow Batteries - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Chemical Engineering and Chemistry

The increased implementation of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind in the energy system results in an electricity production less adapted to the consumption. A solution is to store energy for shorter or longer periods in batteries. In Redox Flow Batteries (RFB), the energy is stored in tanks with redox-active solutions and not in solid materials as in conventional batteries. The design makes them particularly suitable for medium and large-scale stationary energy storage. Today's commercial RFBs are based on metal ions typically from vanadium, which is scarce, expensive and toxic. A hot research area is to find more environmentally friendly and less costly organic redox-active substances as alternatives. These must have high activity, stability and solubility in aqueous solution. In the project, various redox-active substances will be investigated by electrochemical methods both in conventional electrochemical cells and in flow batteries. In collaboration with the Department of Chemistry, there is also an opportunity to modify and synthesize new substances and employ characterization methods such as NMR, FT-IR, Raman. We are searching for a person with a deep interest in electrochemistry and batteries who also has a solid foundation in organic chemistry and synthesis. The research will mainly be carried out at the Division of Applied Electrochemistry, Department of Chemical Engineering, KTH.  

Supervision: Rakel Wreland Lindström (Professor, Division of Applied Electrochemistry). Amirreza Khataee (Assistant Professor, Division of Applied Electrochemistry) and  Helena Lundberg (Assistant Professor, Division of Organic Chemistry) are proposed to co-supervise. Decisions are made on admission.

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.Read more
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and the water.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master's degree), or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge
• solid skills in electrochemical characterization techniques and organic synthesis/ characterization.

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6, read more here

Preferred qualifications:

• good knowledge of electrochemistry
• experience in batteries, particularly redox flow batteries
• awareness of diversity and equal treatment issues

Selection

Personal characteristics

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal competency. 

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years ' time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Union representatives

You will find contact information for union representatives on KTH's website.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

You will find contact information for doctoral section on the section's website.

Application

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/entral European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process please read here.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.