PhD Stipend in Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Biomass Feedstocks (14-23008)

PhD Stipend in Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Biomass Feedstocks (14-23008)

At the Faculty of Engineering and Science, AAU Energy, a position as PhD stipend is available within the general study program. The PhD stipend is open for appointment from 1 July 2023 or soon hereafter. The position is fixed for 3 years.

Job description
Aalborg University contributes to the knowledge building of the global society as well as the development of prosperity, welfare and culture of Danish society. This is accomplished through research, research-based education, public sector services and knowledge collaboration. AAU educates students for the future and activities are based on a dynamic and transformative collaboration with the surrounding community.
AAU Energy is a dynamic engineering research department in continuous growth and inspiring surroundings. AAU  Energy  has  a  very  international  environment  and  covers  all  areas  of  clean  and  sustainable  energy systems  of  the  future  within  electrical,  thermal  and  mechatronic  energy  technology.  AAU  Energy  has campuses in both Aalborg and Esbjerg, this position is located in Aalborg.
The mission is to be world leading in both research and research-based education of the energy engineers of the  future.  AAU  Energy  has  approx.  300  employees  of  many  nationalities,  of  which  25  are  administrative staff. In addition, AAU Energy constantly has approx. 50-70 guest researchers from around the world.
Research  and  teaching  are  in  the  absolute  world  elite  in  the  field  of energy,  and  we  have  extensive  and leading  workshop  and  laboratory facilities,  where  research  and  innovation  are  carried  out  in  direct collaboration with industry to a great extent.
AAU Energy offers this PhD position in the framework of the project CIRCULAIR, funded by the European Commission Horizon Europe program, in which the department is one of the main partners. The project concerns the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) through the hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of biomass and subsequent upgrading of the resulting bio-crude. The position is offered in relation to the research program "Advanced Biofuels" and the PhD Student will be positioned to the section for “Thermal Engineering”.
The offered position will focus especially on the upgrading of HTL bio-crude by means of catalytic hydroprocessing. Activities include hydrodeoxygenation and hydrodenitrogenation of HTL biocrudes from different biomass feedstocks in continuous lab-scale setups, the subsequent fractionation of process products and the full characterization of the resulting fuel cuts. Further treatments, such as hydrocracking, isomerization, and hydrofinishing, will be investigated as well, with the aim of obtaining SAFs compliant with current international specifications.
The ideal candidate must have a solid background within chemical, process, environmental, energy engineering or similar, or industrial/technical chemistry. He/she should have a strong interest in the topic and be willing to engage in experimental work on lab-scale production units. A highly independent and proactive attitude will be appreciated. Originality and independent thinking are strongly encouraged.
The application must include:

• Letter of motivation
• Diploma of master degree and academic transcripts
• Curriculum vitae
• Publication list (if applicable)
• Project Description: the applicant must provide and upload a proper project description, which describes the applicant’s initial thoughts and ideas related to the specific project applied for. This includes a brief state-of-the-art (including short list of references), a time schedule and how the applicant intends to shed light on the project objectives. The project description should have a length of 4-5 pages

You may obtain further professional information from Assistant Professor Daniele Castello, Phone: (+45) 9940 8016, E-mail: [email protected].

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Engineering and Science in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of August 27, 2013 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time.
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that subsequent to the deadline for applications the head of department supported by the chair of the assessment committee will select candidates for assessment. All applicants will be informed whether they will be assessed or not.
For further information about stipends and salary as well as practical issues concerning the application procedure contact Mr. Svend Hansen, The Doctoral School at The Faculty of Engineering and Science, email: [email protected] , phone: +45 9940 7527.
For more information of The Doctoral School of Engineering and Science: www.phd.engineering.aau.dk  

The application is only to be submitted online by using the "Apply online" button below.
AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.
Read more about AAU at www.aau.dk .
Read more about the AAU Energy at www.energy.aau.dk . 

Agreement

Appointment and salary as a PhD fellow are according to the Ministry of Finance Circular of 15 December 2021 on the Collective Agreement for Academics in Denmark, Appendix 5, regarding PhD fellows, and with the current Circular of 11 December 2019 on the employment structure at Danish universities.

Vacancy number

14-23008

Deadline

14/02/2023

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Online application - some good advice

Aalborg University uses an electronic recruitment system for receiving applications. Towards the bottom in the respective job advertisement you will find a link, which you need to use when applying for the position. Before uploading your application it is important that you have all relevant documentation ready in a Word or PDF format, as you need to upload all material at the same time. You cannot leave the application and return to it a couple of hours later without having to start over.

The system does not support ZIP or images files. Filenames can only contain numbers and letters, and each document must take up no more than 20 MB.
If you experience technical problems, we encourage you to try again. If the technical problems, contrary to expectation, cannot be solved, please contact the member of staff listed as the contact person in the job advertisement.