Doctoral student in Chemical Engineering

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Description

The Faculty of Health, Science and Technology invites applications for a doctoral studentship in Chemical Engineering at the Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences.

The Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences has around 65 staff members and offers courses as part of four engineering study programmes as well as the teachers training programmes. The department comprises four subjects: Building and Construction Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental and Energy Systems.

Research and teaching in Chemical Engineering are mainly focused on chemical engineering processes in forest- industrial applications as well as on the chemical mechanisms of the materials’ interactions and properties. Research is conducted in close cooperation with international, national and regional partners from the academy and industry. The department hosts the Pro2BE research environment (Processes and products for a circular bioeconomy; https://www.kau.se/en/pro2be ), comprising around 20 researchers. Pro2BE focuses on sustainable solutions for process technology and product applications in the forestry-based industry and broader society. Pro2BE is based on robust regional and national partnerships, and researchers manage and participate in various international projects.

The subject Chemical Engineering and the Pro2BE research environment are currently in an expansion phase and we are therefore seeking a doctoral student The research group has a prominent position in the area of process and materials technology research on the barrier coatings of fibre-based packaging. We study renewable materials and innovative coating techniques using advanced experimental equipment and various modelling techniques.

Duties

The successful applicant will join a team of researchers focusing on chemical engineering aspects of wood fibres, modified cellulosic materials, dewatering and drying as well as computational fluid dynamics, mass transfer models, rheological characterization of complex fluids and renewable packaging solutions. The studies will involve experimental work as well as calculations and modelling of the barrier performance.

The research focus of the doctoral student will be on:

• To experimentally modify the surface chemistry and properties of the biobased coating materials to affect both rheological and barrier performance.
• To analyse properties of the biobased and sustainable components into diffusion and solubility by using molecular modelling techniques for fundamental interactions as well as fluid dynamics modelling for the interaction with surrounding liquids and gases
• To employ different coating techniques, also in combinations, in even smarter ways to achieve barrier functionality and to scale up to pilot or industrial scale, or by using advanced instrumental facilities, to verify successful laboratory results, at Karlstad University and at collaborating facilities

The doctoral student may also take part in teaching activities in courses on BSc and MSc levels of curricula at the Department.

A doctoral student is mainly expected to engage in doctoral studies. The doctoral programme consists of 240 higher education credits, including the doctoral thesis, and 120 higher education credits for a Degree of Licentiate. A doctoral student works independently and is prepared to contribute to the subject’s and department’s activities, as well as teaching and administration duties. Such duties may not constitute more than 20% of full-time.

You are expected to actively participate in the day-to-day activities and the workplace community to promote a positive work environment and operational development.

Qualification requirements

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance, Ch. 7 sect. 35)

To meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification (a Degree of Master), satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were at master’s level, or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 39).
To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies in chemical engineering, the applicant must have:

• At least 120 credits in Chemical Engineering or another field of study appropriate to the project,
• Or a Master of Science in Engineering degree, or equivalent, in Chemical Engineering or another field of study appropriate to the project,
• Or equivalent qualifications.

A good command in English, oral and written, is required.

Admission and assessment criteria

To be eligible for doctoral studies, the applicant must be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 7, Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment.

The assessment will focus on the applicant’s performance in previous studies, the quality of any independent projects completed during these studies, language skills, and whether the applicant intends to be a present and active part of the research environment.

Additional weight is given to:

• Knowledge and experience of experimental work with chemical engineering equipment
• Knowledge and experience of physical and chemical modelling, such as Computational Fluid Dynamics and Molecular Dynamics modelling tools
• a good command of Swedish, oral and written

We seek a structured and flexible person with good written and verbal communication skills. As a doctoral student you need to be good at taking initiatives and work independently.

Terms

Upon admission to doctoral studies, the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance, Chap. 5, Sect. 3). The position comprises four years of full-time studies, or five years of 80% studies and 20% teaching or other departmental duties. The position is fixed-term — one year initially, followed by possible extensions of a maximum of two years at a time. Starting date by agreement.

The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students at Karlstad University.

Application

Submit the application via the university’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

Application should include

• Letter of application with description of who you are and why you are interested in the position,
• List of qualifications (CV),
• Degree certificate with transcripts of courses included, or a certified list of completed courses with grades and dates,
• Copy of a Master thesis or equivalent,
• If applicable: Copies of publications or certificate of other qualifications,
• Letters of recommendation, if possible.
• two references, such as a teacher, supervisor, or previous or current superior

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content. Documents that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent to the following address:
Karlstads universitet
Att: Josefin Rönnqvist
651 88 Karlstad
Sweden

Last day of application: 8 February 2023

State the ref. no: REK 2022/133

We look forward to your application!

The original ad is written in Swedish. This translation carries no legal weight.

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.