PhD student in Organic Chemistry within Design of Recyclable Polymers

The Department of Organic Chemistry has an extensive research program, covering many areas of experimental and theoretical organic chemistry. Method development involving catalysis, sustainable chemistry, and asymmetric synthesis are central themes. More information about us, please visit: the Department of Organic Chemistry.

This recruitment is connected to the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE, wise-materials.org). WISE, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, is the largest-ever investment in materials science in Sweden and will encompass major efforts at Sweden’s foremost universities over the course of 10 years. The vision is a sustainable future through materials science. Read more here.

Starting January 2025 the Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry and the Department of Organic Chemistry will merge in to the Department of Chemistry. It will then be one of the largest departments at the Faculty of Natural sciences at Stockholm University with about 200 employees.

Project description

Design of Recyclable Polymers

Supervision: Prof. Miguel Rivero-Crespo.

A PhD position is offered in the group of Prof. M. Rivero-Crespo at Stockholm University. You will work on the synthesis and characterization of porous polymers that incorporate circularity as an important design feature, that will allow easy depolymerization to the original monomer. The polymers be used for applications in gas separation, CO2 capture and valorization. This project is highly interdisciplinary combining organic chemistry, materials science and catalysis. Sustainability will be one of the main pillars of the project. In particular, the aim to develop more sustainable polymers, minimizing the use of energy, resources and generation of waste, in turn reducing the environmental impact of the production and use of materials. Moreover, the sustainability of the new materials will be assessed by different metrics such as life cycle analysis (LCA).

The main tasks include: 1) Synthesis and characterization of monomers. 2) Synthesis of polymers, study of the properties and depolymerization. 3) Study of applications in gas separation, CO2 capture and CO2 valorization. 4) Sustainability evaluation.

All early-stage researchers recruited into the WISE program will be a part of the WISE Graduate School, an ambitious nationwide program of seminars, courses, research visits, and other activities to promote a strong multi-disciplinary and international network between PhD students, postdocs, researchers, and industry.

Qualification requirements

In order to be admitted to postgraduate education, the applicant must have the general and specific entry requirements. The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

You meet general entry requirements if you have completed a second-cycle degree, or completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

In order to meet the specific entry requirements, the applicant must have a MSc thesis (at least 30 ECT) or equivalent (thesis at advanced level) in the research area of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry or Materials Chemistry.

Selection

The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity:

• documented knowledge in a relevant field of research
• capacity for analytical and creative thinking
• initiative
• independence
• ability to collaborate
• written and oral proficiency in English.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University.

About the post

We offer a fixed-term employment as a doctoral student according to Chapter 5 of the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100). The period of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education for four years. As a doctoral student, you should primarily devote yourself to your own doctoral education, but the employment may include work with education, research and administration to a limited extent (maximum 20 %).

A new employment as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, the employment is then renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact

For more information, please contact Professor M. Rivero-Crespo, miguel.crespo@su.se.

For general information about the Department of Organic Chemistry, please contact the Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry, Professor Kálmán J. Szabó, kalman.j.szabo@su.se.

Application

Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. Attach a personal letter and CV as well as the attachments requested in the application form. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.

You are welcome to apply!