PhD Within Battery Separator Research

About the position 

We have a 3 year vacancy for a PhD Research Fellow in battery separator research at Department of Chemical engineering https://www.ntnu.edu/chemeng. 

For a position as a PhD Research Fellow, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

The successful candidate will work for the 3S battery project: “Super selective separators for battery applications”. This project is funded by the Research Council of Norway through the Technological Convergence  call.  SINTEF industry (Norway) and Uppsala University (Sweden) are the project partners. The objective of the 3S battery project is to develop and engineer tailored separators enabling high electrochemical performances and long cyclic life in Li-S batteries.

The PhD candidate will be involved in the design, fabrication, and characterization of separators with nano-scale architectures and functionalities to address the challenges in Li-S batteries. The tasks may require experience in membrane and thin film fabrication, characterization, nanocomposite design, and battery assembly and testing.

The selected candidate will join the Membrane Laboratory in the Department of Chemical Engineering and work closely with the Battery Laboratory in the Department of Material Sciences at NTNU. These laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for the fabrication and characterization of nanocomposite, membranes and thin films, and battery assembly and evaluation.

The position will report to Prof. Liyuan Deng.  The immediate leader of the position is the Head of Department of Chemical Engineering.

Duties of the position

• Plan and conduct research tasks in the 3S Battery project under supervision.
• Generate research results and prepare deliverable and scientific papers.
• Present the results at project meetings and conferences.
• Collaborate with other members of the research team and the project partners, including research visits abroad.
• The candidate is also expected to contribute to the supervision of MSc students and other student projects.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, nanotechnology, Electrical Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering, but candidates with an experimental battery-related thesis topic will be considered, regardless of degree title.
• Relevant experience with independent laboratory work and chemical handling is necessary.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented by 30th Dec. 2023.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program 
• Good written and oral English language and communication skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Preferred selection criteria

• A strong academic background and a demonstrated capacity to learn new topics are preferred.
• Previous specialization and research within the area of lithium-ion or Lithium sulfur batteries is advantageous.
• Experience in thin film fabrication,  polymer or MOF synthesis, or nanolab and cleanroom facilities is an advantage.
• Knowledge of batteries and electrochemical devices is an advantage.
• Demonstrated capacity for multi-tasking and collaborative research.

Personal characteristics

• Creative, critical thinking, and problem-solving
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary environments
• Safe working practice
• Scientific and technical proficiency, and high ambitions
• Good communication skills

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• Exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Employee benefits

Salary and conditions

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years. Depending on funding, the position may be extended to 4 years, in which case the candidate will do 25% teaching.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Chemical Engineering within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above. 

The application must include:

• CV and certificates
• Transcripts and diplomas for bachelor’s and master’s degrees. If you have not completed the Master’s degree, you must submit a confirmation that the Master’s thesis has been submitted. Documentation of a completed Master’s degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• A copy of the Master’s thesis.
• Name and contact information of three referees
• Publications or other relevant research work if you have

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Prof. Liyuan Deng, email liyuan.deng@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Unni M. Myhre, e-mail: unni.m.myhre@ntnu.no

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number 250046 when applying.

Application deadline: 15.10.2023

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Chemical Engineering 

We take chemistry from laboratory scale to industrial production. This demands a wide range of knowledge, from molecular processes and nanotechnology to building and operation of large processing plants. We educate graduates for some of Norway's most important industries. The Department of Chemical Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.  

Apply for this job

Deadline 15th October 2023
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality  Trondheim
Scope Fulltime
Duration Temporary
Place of service Sem Sælands vei 4, 7491 Trondheim