Post-doctoral researcher in the field of Life Cycle Assessment and Materials Circularity

Aalto University is a community of bold thinkers where science and art meet technology and business. We are committed to identifying and solving grand societal challenges and building an innovative future. Aalto has six schools with nearly 11 000 students and a staff of more than 4000, of which 400 are professors. Our main campus is located in Espoo, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness in the future as well. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

The School of Chemical Engineering  is one of the six schools of Aalto University. It combines natural sciences and engineering in a unique way.

The Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering is looking for a highly motivated

Post-doctoral researcher in the field of Life Cycle Assessment and Materials Circularity.

In this position, you will have the chance to work within the Aalto Hydrometallurgy and Corrosion team led by Prof. Mari Lundström in a flagship research project (RESTART) related to the sustainable recycling of critical battery materials for the future circular economy.

RESTART (REcycling of spent Li-ion batteries and end-life photovoltaic panels: From the development of metal recovery processes to the implementation of a START-up) is an interdisciplinary project jointly funded under the Long-term Europe Africa Partnership on Renewable Energy (LEAP-RE). The main objective is to implement a full value chain for recycling End-of-Life (EoL) lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) and photovoltaic solar panels (PV). This research is facilitated by complementary expertise from top-level research institutions in EU and Africa.

The project will tackle key areas of the value chain including collection, disassembling and characterization of EoL LiBs/PVs, sustainable technology development and scale-up of environmentally friendly metals recovery processes to deal with the future streams of harmful Lithium-ion Battery and Photovoltaic wastes. The shift to a circular economy promoted by RESTART will serve as an example of successful sustainable technology development to the larger scale via collaborative EU-African scientific and economic partnerships.

Your background and expertise

An ideal candidate is highly motivated, has a passion for research and enjoys working independently as part of an international multidisciplinary team. Applicants should have a doctoral degree in Hydro/Pyrometallurgy, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Science, or a related research subject. In addition, we expect you to have experience in the use of life cycle assessment/life cycle cost analysis tools or software, with knowledge of simulation based LCA/LCCA approaches considered a particular advantage. Tasks will include the independent planning and execution of the research, presentations at meetings/international conferences, mentoring of doctoral students, and the writing of publications/reports. Fluent written and verbal communication skills in English are essential.

What we offer

We offer you an exciting opportunity to undertake purposeful research with a direct impact as part of a dynamic research group. Aalto offers an interdisciplinary and multicultural working environment that will allow you to develop a wide range of related professional skills as well as a diverse network.

Positions are based at the Otaniemi campus of Aalto University in Espoo, Finland.

The expected starting salary for a recently graduated PhD in a postdoctoral researcher position is approximately 3500€/month. Employment is fixed term, until December 31st, 2024 with an expected starting date by September 2022.

The contract includes occupational health care and Finland has a comprehensive social security system. Aalto University provides excellent learning and development opportunities, commuter ticket benefit and Unisport offers versatile exercise services with staff discount.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community, please submit your application through our online recruitment system by using the link on Aalto University’s web page ("Apply”). The call is open until April 21st 2022.

Please include the following documents in English in a single pdf-file (compiled in the order specified below)

• Motivation letter including a link to a short (max 5 minutes) video detailing your experience and desire for the position  
• CV including a complete list of publications
• Contact information of at least two persons who may be approached to provide a reference
• An outline of previous experience of the applicant related to LCA/LCCA (max 2 pages)
• One page summary of the applicant’s doctoral thesis and copy of the doctoral degree certificate

If you have any questions, Dr. Ben Wilson ([email protected] ) is happy to provide you more information about the position. Email applications will not be taken into account.

Please note: Aalto University’s employees and visitors should apply for the position via our internal system Workday -> find jobs (not external aalto.fi webpage on open positions) by using their existing Workday user account.

About Finland

Finland is a great place for living with or without family – it is a safe, politically stable and well-organized Nordic society. Finland is consistently ranked high in quality of life. For more information about living in Finland: https://www.aalto.fi/services/about-finland

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More about Aalto University:

Aalto.fi
twitter.com/aaltouniversity
facebook.com/aaltouniversity
instagram.com/aaltouniversity