Post-doctoral position in the recycling of polymer composites & waste management

9 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Department

Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering

Research Field

Engineering » Civil engineering

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

Norway

Application Deadline

29 Feb 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

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

No

Offer Description
This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You can find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here .

About the job

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

A 2-year Postdoc position (with possibility of extension) at the Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering in Gjøvik, is available, linked to two EU funded projects of ASEMlab. The projects are dedicated to the recycling, circularity and waste management of polymers and reinforced composites. The successful candidate will focus on the development of a strategy to efficiently disassemble and recycle multilayer composite structures, as well as to develop a waste management system (/algorithm) of plastic waste. Through this position, you will find an exceptional portfolio of industrial and academic partners from Norway and Europe, across a variety of sectors. The successful candidate will join the Group for Sustainable Composites and will be part of ASEMlab team (Laboratory of Advanced & Sustainable Engineering Materials), led by Prof. Sotirios Grammatikos. ASEMlab is in possession of brand-new facilities for polymer composites research, covering manufacturing, testing & characterization, non-destructive evaluation, recycling as well as advanced software for design and analysis. ASEMlab-NTNU is currently the main hub for composites research in Norway, with a strong portfolio of running (national and EU) projects and ongoing collaboration with the industry. NTNU in Gjøvik is one of the new campuses of NTNU, located close to Raufoss Industrial Park, Mustad Industrial Park and Sintef Raufoss.

The position aims to:

• Develop recycling solutions for multilayer fibrous polymer composites.
• Develop a waste management platform for the efficient circularity of different polymeric and composite products, suggesting best routines for End-of-Life (EoL) polymer composite waste management.
• Develop a framework for the recycling of dedicated polymer composites products that can be presented as a recommendation to the industry and the European Commission.

The successful candidate will be supervised by Prof. Sotirios Grammatikos.

Your immediate leader is Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• Participation in the research activities in the project in cooperation with partners.
• Publish research results.

Required selection criteria

• You must have completed a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD in civil engineering preferably in asphalt and/or unbound granular materials for road construction. If you can document that the PhD thesis has been submitted, your application can be assessed even if you have not yet defended your dissertation. Documentation of the obtained doctoral degree must be presented before you can take up the position. 
• Strong background in polymers composites with focus on sustainability.
• Documented laboratory hands-on experience on recycling of composites.
• Strong knowledge of circularity aspects and environmental impact.

• Documented excellent written and oral English language skills and experience in scientific writing are required.

  Proficiency in English language written and communication skills is a prerequisite. The candidate is expected to be fluent in written and oral English language skills. Candidates from universities outside Scandinavia and English speaking countries are kindly requested to document English language proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE)).

  TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test)

  IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted)

  CAE/CPE: grade B or A.

  In extraordinary circumstances, formal documentation of language skills can be relinquished. In such cases the candidate’s language skills will be assessed in a personal interview.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Ph.D Candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate.

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience from industry and /or experience from working in projects with multiple partners will be considered a merit.
• Previous experience working in National /European projects will be considered a plus.

Personal characteristics

We are looking for a positive, balanced personality who can think creatively and critically. The candidate must have excellent analytical and collaboration skills as well as an ability to work independently and in teams. Cooperation skills and communication skills are important for the position and will be highly weighted in the selection process. Emphasis will be placed on education, previous experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation, in terms of the qualification requirements specified in the advertisement. The candidate much have a research mind-set, be application oriented, with the ability to set up, organize and execute research independently.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer 

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment 
• an open and inclusive work environment  with dedicated colleagues 
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund 
• employee benefits 
• a friendly workplace with dedicated academics
• brand-new research facilities
• a research-oriented environment
• close collaboration with the industrial sector both nationally and internationally

Salary and conditions

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 594 500 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

The period of employment is 2 years without teaching duties, with possibilities to extend the contract for 1 more year. The allocation of part of the time to teaching /lecturing polymer-based courses is open, after agreement between the candidate and supervisor, subject to discussion after recruitment.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants , and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.  

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application 

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.  

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include:

1. Cover letter directed to Prof. Sotirios Grammatikos (max 1 page)

2. Curriculum vitae

3. Certified copies of transcripts and diplomas with grades from post graduate studies (in English)

4. Research statement dedicated to the needs of this position (max. 3 pages) that should include:

A short presentation of the motivation of the applicant

How the applicant sees his/her background suitable for this position

The applicant’s view of research challenges within the area of this position

5. Names and contact details of at least 2 reference persons who we can contact

6. A copy of the PhD thesis (in PDF). If you are close to submitting, or have recently submitted your thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed doctoral degree must be presented before taking up the position

 

Incomplete applications and applications not meeting the background criteria, will not be considered. Nominations and applications will be considered until the position is filled.

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 
 
Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation. 

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA. 

General information 

Working at NTNU 

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality . 

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The city of Gjøvik has a population of 30 000 and is a town known for its rich music and cultural life. The beautiful nature surrounding the city is ideal for an active outdoor life! The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. 

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As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted. 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation . You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Professor Sotirios Grammatikos, Research Group Leader for Sustainable Composites, Director of Laboratory of Advanced & Sustainable Engineering Materials (ASEMlab), [email protected] , phone: + 4790577561.

 

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation. 

Application deadline: 29.02.2024

 

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

 

Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering

Our profile of expertise can help to solve the world’s most important societal challenge: the development of sustainable solutions in industry and society. This profile includes research on modern industrial processes, use of new and recycled materials, new technological solutions and the application of new forms of organization and business models. The Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Civil engineering

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Country

Norway

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/257980/post-doctoral-position-in…

Contact

City

Gjøvik

Website

http://www.ntnu.no

Street

Teknologivegen 22

Postal Code

N-2815

STATUS: EXPIRED