Location

Campus Essen

Application area

Faculty of Chemistry, Technical Chemistry 1

Post Doctoral Position (f/m/d, no. 603-24)
EG 13 TV-L

In the new research profile "Natural Water to Hydrogen" the research fields of "water research" and "hydrogen" are being brought together at the UDE, see https://www.uni-due.de/water2h2/. 14 research groups of the UDE and 22 associated partners from academia and industry are working together to increase the sustainability of hydrogen production through anion exchange membrane (AEM) water electrolysis. For the first time, a fundamental understanding is to be gained of how water quality, electrodes and membranes influence each other. Using organic and inorganic lead substances, it will be quantified how or to what extent water needs to be purified before and during electrolysis. Join our team as a motivated postdoctoral researcher for mechanistic studies of catalyst activation/deactivation in alkaline water electrolysis! You will work in a team of 10 Postdocs, all dedicated to the topic. Your specific aim will be to analyse water content-related variables' thresholds on catalyst stability, activation, and deactivation under applied current, simulating electrolyser conditions. In this context, ion adsorption kinetics will be studied using catalyst-coated quartz crystal microbalance and simulations while pulsed laser diffusion enhancement will be employed to control surface defect density and potential activating/deactivating element doping on the catalyst’s surface.

Start of employment

2024-11-01

Duration of employment

2026-10-31

Working time

39 hours 50 minutes (100 %)

Your main tasks

• Study catalyst stability with water, temperature, time dependence
• understand processes at electrodes/membranes via electrochem., QCM, etc.
• Individual planning, conduction, and coordination of experimental studies within the consortium as well as data analysis, interpretation, and publication of results.
• Laser-based modification and processing of reference and model catalysts
• Cooperation with team members of “Natural Water to Hydrogen” and cooperation partners from academia and industry.
• Analyse and interpret results, and communicate findings to the research team.
• Publish high-quality research papers in peer-reviewed journals and present at scientific conferences.
• Participation in the acquisition of research funding
• Involvement in an international and interdisciplinary summer school, workshops and conferences as well as outreach activities.
• As part of the activity, the opportunity for further academic qualification is offered.

Your profile

• PhD in the field of chemistry, physical chemistry, or technical chemistry with a specialization in structure-activity correlations in catalytic processes
• Committed researcher, demonstrated by publications in international refereed academic journals and academic publishers
• Expert knowledge in (electro-)catalysis
• Further experience and expert knowledge in surface science (adsorption), nanoengineering (nanostructure evaluation), and laser-based structure modification preferred
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Matlab and Python.
• Experience with experimental data collection, analysis, and interpretation, data management and application of FAIR principles
• Experiences in leading small scientific groups and participation in coordinated research programs desired
• Professional communication skills in oral and written English.

We offer you

• a varied, multifaced field of activity in a research-intensive environment
• an interesting, responsible job with great creative potential, where you will get to know the diverse tasks and developments of research transfer and have contacts with almost all areas of the UDE
• Interdisciplinary research at a high level
• a non-discriminatory working environment with respectful, appreciative cooperation
• a pleasant working atmosphere in a dynamic team, see https://www.uni-due.de/barcikowski-group/
• a broad range of further education and training opportunities, individual mentoring
• Family-friendliness through childcare services of the UDE
• Council and advice about family care opportunities
• A wide range of soft-skill training and development opportunities as well as an individual induction training
• Excellent public transport connections and free parking spaces
• Attractive sports and health offers (university sports)
• In reconciliation, the possibility of temporarily working from home

Application deadline

2024-11-04

Code number

603-24

Application

Unfortunately, the application deadline for this position has passed.

Information about the job

For information on the faculty and the advertised position, please visit https://www.uni-due.de/barcikowski-group/ and https://www.uni-due.de/water2h2/