Ph.D. student position: Nanocatalyst for Electrochemical Ammonia Synthesis

Organisation/Company

New Technologies – Research Centre University of West Bohemia

Department

RESEARCH OF ADVANCED MATERIALS (RAM)

Research Field

Chemistry » Physical chemistry
Chemistry » Inorganic chemistry
Chemistry » Heterogeneous catalysis

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Czech Republic

Application Deadline

30 Apr 2024 – 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

40

Offer Starting Date

1 Jun 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

European Union / Next Generation EU

Reference Number

CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004572

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

The New Technology – Research Centre (NTC) of the University of West Bohemia (UWB, Plzen, Czech Republic) is looking for a PhD candidate.

Research Area: Materials Chemistry and Electrocatalysis

The successful candidate will be at the forefront of cutting-edge research involving development of next generation catalytic materials for electrochemical conversion of nitrate to ammonia. The primary focus will encompass the investigation of catalytic properties of newly synthesised nanomaterials, with a particular emphasis on understanding phenomena such as role of defects, geometry (0D,1D,2D) for nitrogen electrocatalysis, influence of reaction parameters such as nitrate species concentration on kinetics and selectivity of electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction. The candidate will also contribute to the study on structure-activity correlation by surface sensitive quasi in-situ/in-operando spectroscopic methods to identify the active sites of the novel nanocatalysts prepared for direct application in membrane based electrochemical energy devices.

Collaborative Opportunities:

The selected candidate may actively participate in interdisciplinary collaborations with leading researchers in Czech Republic and Israel, working alongside experts in materials chemistry, electrocatalysis and specialists in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This research initiative offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the forefront of electrochemical energy storage and conversion and will shape the mechanistic understanding of electrochemical ammonia synthesis.

Research Group:

The Renewable Energy (RE EN) research division at New Technologies Research Center develop methods, innovative catalytic materials and lab scale flow cells for studying electrochemical processes for direct application in membrane based energy storage and conversion devices such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries and electrolyzers. In specific, the research group is developing fuel cell technology that can generate electricity using new types of fuels such as dimethyl ether, ammonia and electrochemically driven regenerative systems to convert the fuel cell anode exhaust products such as carbon dioxide and nitrogenous species to fuels and value added chemicals. RE EN has strong expertise in the preparation, characterization and performance assessment of nanostructured catalytic electrode materials for direct dimethyl ether polymer electrolyte fuel cells, hydrogen fuel cells, urea and ammonia generators.

Requirements

Research Field

Chemistry » Physical chemistry

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Qualification Requirements:

• Master’s thesis grade equivalent of 85 (GPA of 3.3) or higher from an accredited academic institution
• A strong background in chemistry / chemical / electrochemical engineering is highly desirable.
• Experimental skills on synthesis and physicochemical chaaracterization of 2D materials/metal oxide/multimetallic alloy nanoparticles will be advantageous.

Specific Requirements

Requested form of a candidate´s application:

• structured curriculum vitae
• motivation letter
• list of subject and grades from Bachelor’s and Master’s Studies
• copies of the documents proving achieved education (Master degree or its equivalent),
• copies of documents proving the achieved level of the English language (if applicable)
• name and abstract of Master’s thesis
• contact information of at least one professional reference

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Research Field

Chemistry » Physical chemistry

Years of Research Experience

None

Internal Application form(s) needed
NTC_PhD_student_Palan_19.3.2024.pdf
English
(579.8 KB – PDF)
Download
Additional Information
Benefits

The position can be held by a candidate working full-time or part-time.

Salary proposed: 45 000 CZK (~ 1800 EUR or 1950 $) gross monthly wage.

Eligibility criteria

Qualification Requirements:

• Master’s thesis grade equivalent of 85 (GPA of 3.3) or higher from an accredited academic institution
• A strong background in condensed chemistry / chemical/electrochemical engineering is highly desirable.

Experimental skills on synthesis and physicochemical chaaracterization of 2D materials/metal oxide/multimetallic alloy nanoparticles will be advantageous

Selection process

Expected commencement of work: June 2024

Reception of applications: until 30 April 2024.

Requested form of a candidate´s application:

• structured curriculum vitae
• motivation letter
• list of subject and grades from Bachelor’s and Master’s Studies
• copies of the documents proving achieved education (Master degree or its equivalent),
• copies of documents proving the achieved level of the English language (if applicable)
• name and abstract of Master’s thesis
• contact information of at least one professional reference

Candidates should send all the above mentioned details as a single pdf file to:

Prof.  Dr. Jan Minár,

e-mail: [email protected] ,

phone: +420 735 713 958

https://www.zcu.cz/en/Employees/person.html?personId=115388  

Dr. Palaniappan Subramanian, Ph.D.,

e-mail: [email protected] ,

phone: +420 377 634 817

https://www.zcu.cz/cs/Employees/person.html?personId=211573

The application form, together with all the required documents, is to be submitted electronically. If you have any technical questions, please contact the mentor of this position.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

NEW TECHNOLOGIES – RESEARCH CENTRE, UWB

Country

Czech Republic

State/Province

Pilsen

City

Pilsen

Postal Code

30100

Street

Univerzitní 2732/8

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

Pilsen

City

Pilsen

Website

http://ntc.zcu.cz/en/

Street

Teslova 1198/9

Postal Code

30100

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED