Job description
We are looking for a creative and highly motivated researcher willing to work as part of an international and multidisciplinary team with the expertise to support the research activities of our upcoming USorb-DAC (“Unlocking the scalable potential of sorbent-based DAC technologies”) project.
In USorb-DAC, we will extend our PrISMa (https://prisma.hw.ac.uk ) technology platform to rapidly identify optimum processes and materials for direct air capture of carbon dioxide that can dramatically drive down the cost of DAC (to $100/tCO2 or lower) through synergistic material and process development. The PrISMa platform integrates process design with materials and big-data science to identify the optimal material and process combination for a given source and sink of CO2. This is combined with a techno-economic and life-cycle analysis to determine the effective carbon price needed for a technology to reach a break-even point.
The aim of the USorb-DAC project is to unlock the scalable potential of DAC by addressing its affordability issue while maintaining its scalability, flexibility, and ease of capture verification. By coupling basic science with engineering and environmental aspects, we will develop an in-depth understanding of materials structure-property-performance relationships across different time scales and under relevant and realistic DAC operation conditions. Our approach will maximise the impact of novel and advanced breakthrough materials by aligning and optimizing the features of the materials and their integration for DAC processes. We will also decrease the time to market of affordable, cost-competitive, low environmental impact, and resource-efficient DAC technologies.
The project unites the efforts of world-leading research teams from Heriot-Watt University (HWU) in the UK, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) as well as Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich (ETHZ) in Switzerland, The University of California at Berkeley (UCB) in the US, and the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris, France.
This Postdoctoral Researcher position is an exciting opportunity to contribute to our efforts on designing, synthesising, and testing metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and other solid sorbent materials that are tailored for the most economical DAC process. There is also the opportunity to contribute to our process modelling efforts. The successful applicant must hold a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry or a related discipline (materials science, environmental/mechanical/materials engineer) with background in EITHER materials synthesis, characterization and testing OR background in process/numerical modelling. The position is available from 1st July 2022 for an initial period of 12 months, with the possibility to get it extended after that.
For any informal enquiries and to apply for this opportunity, please send your CV and/or contact Prof Susana Garcia (HWU) on: s.garcia@hw.ac.uk