Doctoral student in Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Doctoral student in Organic Redox Flow Batteries, The aim of the project is to characterize novel green organic redox species for RFBs.

KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy.

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Chemical Engineering

Redox flow batteries are suitable for medium- and large-scale energy storage in combination with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind. RFBs could be made low-cost and green by using organic redox species. The aim of the project is to characterize novel green organic redox species for RFBs. The research is of importance to improve the capacity and performance of RFBs and, more importantly, to drastically reduce the cost of energy storage for stationary applications compared to all-vanadium RFBs or Li-ion batteries. In the project, the Ph.D. candidate will synthesize and characterize (NMR, FT-IR etc) novel organic redox species  in collaboration with the Department of Chemistry, KTH. For this reason, the applicant must have a solid background in organic synthesis. The redox species will thereafter be electrochemically characterized in conventional electrochemical cells and an RFB setup at the Department of Applied Electrochemistry, KTH.

Supervision: Rakel Wreland Lindström (Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Division of Applied Electrochemistry, KTH), Amirreza Khataee (Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, Division of Applied Electrochemistry, KTH) and  Helena Lundberg (Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Division of Organic Chemistry, KTH) are proposed to co-supervise. Decisions are made on admission.

What we offer

• The possibility to study in a dynamic and international research environment in collaboration with industries and prominent universities from all over the world.Read more
• A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement.
• A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment.
• Work and study in Stockholm, close to nature and water.
• Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Admission requirements

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a second cycle degree (for example a master’s degree),
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 second-cycle higher education credits, or
• acquired, in some other way within or outside the country, substantially equivalent knowledge
• solid skills in organic synthesis and characterization

In addition to the above, there is also a mandatory requirement for English equivalent to English B/6, read more here

Selection

Preferred qualifications

• good knowledge of electrochemistry and electrochemical characterization techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and battery cycling protocols.
• experience in batteries, particularly redox flow batteries
• awareness of diversity and equal treatment issues

Personal competency

In order to succeed as a doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. During the selection process, candidates will be assessed upon their ability to:

• independently pursue his or her work
• collaborate with others,
• have a professional approach and
• analyze and work with complex issues.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal competency. 

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those admitted to postgraduate education may be employed as a doctoral student. The total length of employment may not be longer than what corresponds to full-time doctoral education in four years ‘ time. An employed doctoral student can, to a limited extent (maximum 20%), perform certain tasks within their role, e.g. training and administration. A new position as a doctoral student is for a maximum of one year, and then the employment may be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time.

Union representatives

You will find contact information for union representatives on KTH’s website.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

You will find contact information for doctoral section on the section’s website.

Application

Apply for the position and admission through KTH’s recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/entral European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copies of diplomas and grades from previous university studies and certificates of fulfilled language requirements (see above). Translations into English or Swedish if the original document is not issued in one of these languages.Copies of originals must be certified.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Striving towards gender equality, diversity and equal conditions is both a question of quality for KTH and a given part of our values.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process please read here.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.

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