Assistant/Associate professor in Circular Polymer Materials

TU Eindhoven (TU/e) is a mid-size technical university located in the heart of the high-tech industry in the Netherlands. The Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry at TU/e is renowned for its top research and education in areas such as Sustainable Process Technology, Materials Chemistry and Functional Materials. Our researchers focus on societal challenges concerning energy, circular economy and next-generation adaptive materials that will radically change our life. Technology is developed to manufacture sustainable chemicals and fuels, to develop new materials to convert and store energy, to synthesize recyclable polymers, and to design smart materials that improve contact between humans and robots.

As part of a nation-wide initiative to stimulate the chemical and engineering sciences, the department invites applications for a new faculty position in the following area:

Circular polymer materials.
The field of polymeric materials requires a fundamental transition from synthesis out of fossil-based feedstock and one-time use, to continuous re-use of polymeric products. Besides reducing carbon footprint, this transition also poses highly challenging academic research questions related to energy-efficient polymerization and depolymerization processes in relation to recyclability. The focus of this (assistant/associate professor) position will be on (chemical) recycling of high-performance and engineering polymers as well as designing novel polymeric structures more amenable to recycling, including smart monomers that can switch between polymerized and depolymerized states. The position will be embedded in a team of highly qualified researchers working on supramolecular organic and polymer chemistry, theoretical modeling and the development of new polymer materials. The candidate should have an aspiration to establish an own research profile and largely externally funded research program in collaboration with colleagues at our department and at national and international institutions. We will support the candidate with an substantial start-up package and access to local state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities.