PhD Scholarships on Polymer Materials for Proton Conducting Fuel Cell Membrane Electrolytes, Technical University of Denmark

A PhD Scholarship in Polymer Chemistry is available at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (DTU Chemical Engineering). DTU Chemical Engineering is part of the Technical University of Denmark. The department has an international research staff comprising approximately 140 academic employees in all chemical engineering topics including polymer science and technology. The position will be placed in the Polymer Chemistry Group, which is part of the Danish Polymer Centre.

The position is part of a collaborative effort, New Macromolecular Architectures and Functions for Proton Conducting Fuel Cell Membranes, between DTU, University of Southern Denmark, Lund University, Sweden, and IRD Fuel Cells A/S. The collaborative effort is funded by The Danish Council for Strategic Research. While the candidate is enrolled at the DTU, the position will involve cooperation with and visits to the other partners in the project.

The project will focus on the development of new synthetic strategies for preparation of polymer materials for proton conducting fuel cell membrane electrolytes. The candidate should focus on new synthetic routes to polymer electrolytes with excellent performance at temperatures higher than 100 oC. The research will span small scale laboratory syntheses and simple conductivity testing, aiming at optimization for up-scale production targeting realistic fuel cell testing.

Required skills

* A master’s degree in chemical engineering or organic chemistry.
* A keen interest in research.
* Good applied skills in organic chemistry or polymer synthesis and analysis.
* Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Approval and Enrolment

The scholarship for the Ph. D. degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled at the DTU Chemical Engineering Ph. D. School. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.

Salary and appointment terms

Salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years.

Further information

The project will be supervised by Professors Søren Hvilsted (sh@kt.dtu.dk) and Katja Jankova.

Application

We must have your online application by 2 October 2009. Please open the link “apply for this job online” and fill in the application form and attach your application, CV and documentation of a completed master’s degree including grades. Furthermore the application should include a motivation for the Ph. D. study.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.