项目介绍

2024年12月28日

The research group of Prof. Michiel Dusselier is looking for a motivated student to start a PhD taking part in a research program together with a consortium (KU Leuven and UAntwerp) dedicated to tailored carbon based bifunctional catalysts

Website van de eenheid

Project

The available position is for a PhD researcher at the Center for Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering (CSCE) within the faculty of Bioscience Engineering at KU Leuven, Belgium. The duration of the position spans 4 years, subject to a positive evaluation at the 9-month mark, with contracts renewed annually. 

In this role, the doctorate student will delve into the close collaboration with the Prof. Defeyter group (https://defeytergroup.org/), Prof. Harvey (https://jeremyharveygroup.wordpress.com/) and the group of Prof. Maes (https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/research-groups/orsy/), where he/she will be responsible for the catalytic experiments on tailored carbon materials. The advantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis will be combined by developing novel bifunctional heterogeneous systems, including one part of the catalysts grafted to and a complementary part physisorbed to a graphene surface. We will search for control of the organization of the graphene layer for in-depth bottom-up catalyst design and investigation of the properties of the formed structures. The robustness of the assembly should enable efficient catalysis of reactions of importance in the context of biobased chemicals, likely deoxydehydration (DODH) and frustrated lewis pair hydrogenation (FLP).

Communication will be a vital aspect of this role. The successful candidate will be expected to effectively communicate their work through papers and presentations, both internally and externally. Additionally, training will be provided to enhance these communication skills.
Beyond the research responsibilities, the selected candidate will also take on supplementary roles, including teaching and conducting seminars for students (partial requirements necessary for receiving the PhD degree).

Profile

• The candidate should hold a Master’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related fields.• Familiarity with the field of (heterogeneous) catalysis or organocatalysis is a must have.• Familiarity with carbon materials, DODH or FLP is highly desirable.• Practical experience with standard characterization tools (e.g., GC, XRD, TGA, TPD, FTIR, etc.) is a definite advantage.• The candidate should demonstrate a strong interest and enthusiasm for mechanistic studies and fundamental research.• The ability to work autonomously as well as collaboratively within a highly engaged and ambitious research team is crucial.• Proficiency in spoken and written English is essential. If the candidate’s Master’s degree was not obtained from an English or Dutch-taught program in a country where English or Dutch is an official language, an official test result indicating B2-level proficiency in English or Dutch is required. 
For English proficiency, acceptable documentation includes:o IELTS: Overall score of at least 7, with no subscores below 6.5.o TOEFL: Minimum score of 94, with no subscores below 22o Other on a case by case basis.

Offer

We are offering a PhD position in an intellectually challenging environment of young and dynamic researchers. KU Leuven is a research-intensive, internationally oriented university that focus on fundamental as well as applied scientific research. 

Interested?

For specific questions or more information, please contact Dr. Gleb Ivanushkin, BUT, importantly, use the online KU Leuven application LINK. 

You can apply for this job no later than February 26, 2025 via the online application tool

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