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

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Chemical Engineering

The latest IPCC report highlights the need for CO2 capture and storage (CCS) to meet the Paris Agreement target. Sweden, for example, has committed to achieving truly zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2045 and achieving negative emissions in the following years. Therefore, there is a need for CO2 capture units which should be deployed on a large scale.

In fact, CO2 capture units are based on an established technology for handling syngas in a closed circuit at high pressure. The application to flue gas is quite different. In fact, the latest CCS uses MEA solvents and costs >1 TWh/MT of CO2 captured, leads to pollution risks and breaks down fast/high chemical usage. Recent life cycle analyzes have shown that the total cost of MEA-CCS comes close to canceling out the benefits.

In that context, we will create a functional colloid with an (immobilized) enzyme catalyst for CCS - so-called a porous liquid. The goal is to halve the energy footprint compared to MEA and will be resistant and emission-free – thus truly sustainable. The formulation and synthesis work will be done at Stockholm University together with KTH Industrial Biotech. At the department of KTH Chemical Engineering, the work will focus on testing this new material, making a global model for use in simulation. The effort is a collaboration with DTU in Copenhagen, where the doctoral student will be spending some time, and develop a detailed kinetic and thermodynamic model for CO2 separation. This model will use true Michaelis-Menten kinetics and we will follow the procedure established at DTU in previous projects to obtain significant data and quality fitting. We will use the experimental data obtained at KTH and supplement it with dedicated experiments at DTU. Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium data will be modeled using advanced equations of state.

Supervision: Christophe Duwig is proposed to supervise the doctoral student. 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
• a degree in chemical engineering or equivalent as mentioned above
• experience in performing experiments with chemical systems
• experience in modeling using e.g. ASPEN, Matlab.

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

Selection

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.