Doctoral student, redox flow batteries for stationary energy storage - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Chemical Science and Engineering

The project focuses on electrochemical characterization of new membranes for redox flow batteries (RFB). RFBs are suitable for large-scale energy storage in combination with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, as RFBs generally have good scalability, long service life and can be obtained at a lower price than lithium-ion batteries. In the project, in particular a hybrid cell will be studied which is based on a manganese electrolyte on the positive electrode and a reversible hydrogen electrode on the negative electrode. By using abundant manganese instead of vanadium, the cell can be significantly cheaper than traditional vanadium flow batteries. This technology is new and more research is needed to optimize the cell. Membranes specially designed for RFB will be developed at Lund University. At KTH, these will be evaluated and compared with commercially available membranes. Performance factors such as ionic conductivity, water and ion permeability, and durability will be studied using electrochemical techniques and other available physical methods. The project, which is funded by the Swedish Batterifonden via the Swedish Energy Agency, will be carried out in collaboration with Lund University and Imperial College London.

Supervision: The doctoral student will be supervised by Prof Rakel Wreland Lindström and Dr Amirreza Khataee at Dept. Applied Electrochemistry, Dept. Chemical Engineering, KTH. 

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),
• 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.

The applicant should have a Master of Science or Engineer degree in chemical engineering, inorganic or physical chemistry, energy engineering or engineering physics (engineering science), or a related field. Good background knowledge in electrochemistry is an advantage but not a must.

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
• analyse 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.
• 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.