Postdoctoral position Chemistry and Chemical Engineering UK 2532 views

The Department of Chemical Engineering is seeking a Research Associate to work in the Tomorrow’s Chemical Technology Lab led by Dr Roberto Rinaldi.

1. With this research, we want to understand the molecular interactions between lignin and surfaces. You will carry out fundamental research on the physical chemistry of adsorption of aromatic polymers and molecules on solids.
2. Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer and the sole source of renewable functionalized aromatics on Earth.
3. Processes for extraction and isolation of lignins from plant biomass render lignin product mixtures of varying complexity.
4. Your work will contribute to the better understanding of the physical-chemical process involved in the adsorption of lignin on solids, providing in-depth insight for the rational design of heterogeneous catalysis as well as lignin fractionation methods.
5. The post is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 725762, LIGNINFIRST.

Eligibility Criteria

1. Candidate should hold a PhD (or equivalent) in Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Chemistry, Analytical Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline Or equivalent research, industrial or commercial experience in Adsorption of Lignin.
2. Candidate should also meet the following criteria:
3. Sound knowledge on physical-chemical processes of adsorption of organic molecules on solids suspended in a liquid phase;
4. Experience of preparative and analytical liquid chromatography (including gel permeation chromatography);
5. Experience of analysis of complex product mixtures by gas chromatography techniques (including gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry);
6. Experience of methods for characterization of lignin’s;
7. Experience of isothermal titration calorimetric;
8. Experience of characterization of solids employed as adsorbents and catalysts;
9. Demonstrated experience in best practices in chemical research and data-keeping;
10. Excellent writing skills and experience of writing publications in scientific journals;.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested candidate should apply online, should you have any queries about the application process, please contact chemeng.staffing@imperial.ac.uk.