You are a highly motivated researcher with an MSc degree in chemistry, skilled in organic and polymer synthesis. You are eager to collaborate closely with public and private partners on developing top-down covalent adaptable and circular epoxy networks.

Job Description

The European Green Deal aims to transition to a circular economy by 2050, posing a significant challenge for polymer science in thermoset recycling. This project introduces an innovative approach to make widely used epoxy-amine networks (e.g., wind turbine blades) recyclable, which are typically non-recyclable. The key is transforming a bond in the network to another with reversible behavior upon a trigger (e.g., temperature), enabling recycling. This breakthrough in epoxy-amine recycling will be validated on coatings and composites.

The PhD student will be appointed at the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials of Maastricht University, part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The model studies will be supervised by Dr. Jordy Saya and Prof. Romano Orru from the Biobased Organic Chemistry group. For the polymer part, you will work with Associate Professor Katrien Bernaerts in the Sustainable Polymer Synthesis group, focusing on the synthesis and design of polymer materials with tunable properties and recyclability using biobased building blocks. You will operate from the Brightlands-Chemelot Campus in Geleen (Netherlands), where the labs are located.

Requirements

The PhD student should:

• Hold an MSc degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related fields;
• Have strong skills in organic synthesis, polymer synthesis, and chemical characterization;
• Have an interest in material characterization of covalent adaptable networks (rheology, DMA, tensile test, etc.);
• Have a strong interest in investigating structure-property relationships of recycled networks;
• Be open to scaling up materials for application tests by the company involved in the project, namely Westlake;
• Take care of profound scientific publishing in peer-reviewed journals, potentially patenting the work first;
• Enjoy interacting with academic and industrial partners;
• Be result-driven, inventive, creative, mindful of potential impact, accountable, and ownership-oriented;
• Master scientific English for speaking, reading, and writing. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.

What We Offer

As a PhD at the Faculty of Science & Engineering, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, with a work location in Sittard-Geleen. Additionally, we offer:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded according to the UFO profile PhD, with a salary ranging from €2872.00 in the first year to €3670.00 gross per month in the fourth year (based on full-time employment of 38 hours per week). An 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus also apply.
• An employment contract for 12 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow.
• The project start is anticipated for November 1, 2024.
• At Maastricht University, employee well-being is paramount. We offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance. Full-time employees are entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year (carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day). Accumulating compensation hours can add an additional 12 days. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• Maastricht University offers various other excellent secondary employment conditions, including a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and use extensive sports facilities also available to students.
• Last but not least, we provide space and facilities for your personal and professional development, offering a wide range of training programs and supporting well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate.'

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities, with additional local provisions specific to UM. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University

Why work at Maastricht University?

At Maastricht University (UM), we focus on the future of our students by equipping them with a solid, broad-based foundation for their lives and the future of society by seeking solutions to global issues through our research. Our six faculties provide a comprehensive package of study programs and research.

We use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method in our teaching, where students work in small groups to find solutions to problems, developing essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from around the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science, and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute with your skills and qualities? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Science and Engineering

At the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), we focus on themes such as circularity and sustainability, future farming, digitization, and scientific instrument development. FSE's leading projects, like the Einstein Telescope Pathfinder, are sure to grab anyone's attention. The faculty is a vibrant hub of education and research in STEM and Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). Over 450 staff members and 3700 students explore exciting interdisciplinary research and educational programs. Feel welcome and be part of our team!

FSE at the Brightlands Campuses

Maastricht, Sittard-Geleen, Heerlen, and Venlo, home to four creative Brightlands campuses, are bustling with 30,000 entrepreneurs, researchers, and students working to solve global challenges. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is active on all four campuses, with our impact reaching its peak here. Sittard-Geleen hosts the largest chemical site in the Euregion, while Venlo is a major hub for agri-food innovation. Maastricht is the site of the Health Campus, and Heerlen is the place for Smart Services.

Department

The Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM) is a department of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) at Maastricht University. AMIBM is a European cross-border research institute established by Maastricht University and RWTH Aachen University, focusing on developing advanced biobased materials. The mission of AMIBM is to replace traditional polymer building blocks with innovative and sustainable alternatives to develop novel and environmentally beneficial materials. AMIBM promotes world-class multidisciplinary research in biobased materials, training PhD students with the skills needed to be future leaders in the field, and creating research breakthroughs for utilizing sustainable and renewable materials for advanced applications. The multidisciplinary team includes scientists with expertise in organic chemistry, biocatalysis, polymer chemistry, polymer physics, polymer engineering, biobased and biomedical materials, tissue engineering, and industrial and medical applications. More information can be found at https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/research/institutes/amibm/research/biobased-polymers.

Research Group Sustainable Polymer Synthesis

The main research focus is on the design and synthesis of sustainable polymer materials with tuneable properties for the circular economy. Sustainability involves biobased building blocks instead of fossil raw materials, green routes for polymer synthesis and processing, and chemical recycling/reprocessing methods (biodegradability, depolymerization, dynamic bonds) to make the end-of-life of polymers more sustainable. Structure-property relationships of the resulting polymers are evaluated in various fields of application, such as stimuli-responsive polymers, coatings, fibers, engineering plastics, and biomedical materials. There is a growing focus on using artificial intelligence techniques to support and accelerate experimental work, such as data interpretation and prediction of structure-property relationships.

Curious?

Are you interested in this exciting position but still have questions? Feel free to contact Katrien Bernaerts, Associate Professor Sustainable Polymer Synthesis, at Katrien.bernaerts@maastrichtuniversity.nl or +31 43 388 2636 for more information.

Applying?

Already convinced and ready to become our new PhD? Apply now and submit:

• A cover letter including your motivation and relevant experience (referring to the “description of the candidate” above).
• A CV.
• Names and contact data of two people who could provide a reference.
• Diplomas/degrees including a grade transcript of previous education.

We will recruit until the position is filled. The selection process starts immediately and will close when a suitable candidate is found, even if this is before the final application date of 30 September 2024. The vacancy is open to both internal and external candidates. In case of equal qualifications, internal candidates will be prioritized.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.