PhD: Ultrasound assisted encapsulation

(ref. BAP-2022-416)

Laatst aangepast : 16/06/2022

KU Leuven, ranking among the top 50 universities worldwide, is an institution for research and education with international appeal. All programs at this University are based on the innovative research of its scientists and professors. This project will be carried out as a starting grant for a PhD. Project within CIPT, the Centre for Industrial Process Technology, situated in the Campus Diepenbeek of the Faculty of Engineering Technology of KU Leuven. CIPT performs research on the development of new technologies and their implementation in existing (bio) chemical processes. The research group CIPT performs research on the development of new technologies and their implementation in existing (bio)-chemical processes. The research group focuses on the miniaturization and intensification of chemical production processes and valorization of waste products. Technologies include the use of ultrasound, green chemicals, continuous reactors, photo chemistry and artificial intelligence.

Project

The goal of the research project is to investigate the influence of acoustic energy on microencapsulation processes. The effect of chemical and process parameters on capsule size, core content, shell size and shell breakage is investigated. 

The candidate is responsible for 

• acquiring the necessary background from literature

• proposing an experimental plan to tackle the research questions

• building experimental setups
• performing experiments
• analysing data
• reporting and presenting results

This project is part of a larger project with other universities and companies involved. 

Profile

Requirement: Master's degree in Chemical Engineering with strong overall marks.

Knowledge of organic synthesis, polymer chemistry, flow chemistry and ultrasound is required.

Adequate English (written and verbal communication) for scientific interactions required.

Strong motivation and ability to conduct individual research are musts.

Offer

The successful candidate will be offered a PhD fellowship to become part of our team to work towards a PhD. This full-time mandate has an initial duration of one year which can be prolonged depending on competitive financing successes. The final goal will be obtaining a PhD after four years.

Interested?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Leen Thomassen, tel.: +32 11 75 17 03, mail: [email protected].

KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at [email protected].