dehydrogenation
(ref. BAP-2023-82)
Last modification : Monday, February 13, 2023
The Dusselier research group at CSCE is looking for a motivated and committed student to start a PhD in a research project dedicated to sustainable heterogeneous catalysis in the context of CO2 conversion and propane dehydrogenation. More information about the research group can be found at https:// www. dusselier-lab.org/. This job covers a position for a PhD researcher (4 years in general, yearly contracts – subject to performance evaluation after 9 months). The PhD researcher will work on a catalytic CO2 conversion strategy to reduce overall CO2 emissions of the production of valuable olefins (main topic propylene) and CO as the collateral (co-conversion) product. The researcher at CSCE will focus on heterogeneous catalytic synthesis routes to produce innovative catalytic materials- high activity, selectivity and stability. It will relate critical information from advanced solid-state characterisation to catalytic performance in gas-phase reactors with on line GC. The research group published previous results in using CO2 as an oxidant in propane dehydrogenation at https: // pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acscatal.2c01374. The following stages could include (but are not limited) to the diversity of supports (porous and not porous), new synthesis strategies, active phases, deactivation studies, (limited) life cycle assessment and industrial scalability orientation. We offer a PhD position in an intellectually challenging environment of young and dynamic researchers. KU Leuven is a research- intensive, internationally-oriented university focusing on fundamental and applied scientific research. The preferred starting date is between May 2023 – October 2023.
Website unit
ProjectRequirements in background of candidate: 6 ESSENTIAL bullet points: please address these 6 in your motivation letter in half a
page.
1 Master's degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or related fields with topics relevant to the project topic.
2 Basic knowledge/experience in catalyst synthesis (e.g. zeolites, silicas, oxides, etc.) and characterization tools in solid state (e.g.
physisorption, XRD, TGA, TPD, IR.).
3 Demonstrable Experience with handling and analyzing continuous gas-phase reactors (engineering and kinetics needed e.g., familiarity
with GHSV, WHSV, pelleting, thermodynamics, mass transfer).
4 Knowledge of Aspen.
5 Practical experience with CO2 (CCU) conversion or propane dehydrogenation catalysis.
6 Fluent oral and written English is required. Unless you have obtained your master's degree in a program that is taught in English or Dutch
in a country where English or Dutch is an official language, you need to submit an official test result showing your proficiency
of English at a B2 level. For English, this can be demonstrated by submitting one of the following: IELTS: minimal scores of 7 (General
Score) and no subscores below 6.5; or; TOEFL: minimal scores of 94 (General Score) and no subscores below 22.
Soft skill Background
Background which is considered a plus one
We offer a PhD position in an intellectually challenging environment of young and dynamic researchers. KU Leuven is a research-intensive,
internationally-oriented university focusing on fundamental and applied scientific research.
Interested?For more information please contact Mr. Jose Mendoza Mesa, tel.: +32 16 19 37 28, mail: [email protected] or Prof. ir. Michiel Dusselier, tel.: +32 16 37 67 06, mail: [email protected]
KU Leuven seeks to foster an environment where all talents can flourish, regardless of gender, age, cultural background, nationality or impairments. If you have any questions relating to accessibility or support, please contact us at [email protected]