11 open positions for Doctoral Candidates (DCs) in the disciplines of green/lignin chemistry, new biobased materials, and environmental systems science within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) RE-Fibre

30 Jan 2025
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Universität Graz

Department

Institute of Chemistry

Research Field

Chemistry

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions

PhD Positions

Country

Austria

Application Deadline

28 Feb 2025 - 17:00 (Europe/Vienna)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Offer Starting Date

1 Jun 2025

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Horizon Europe - MSCA

Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number

101168684

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

RE-Fibre is a Doctoral Network funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA-DN) that aims to revolutionize the bio-fibre composite landscape by designing high-performance, fully renewable, and recyclable wood and plant fibre composites, in full accordance with modern circular economy principles. RE-Fibre will train 11 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) with an entrepreneurial and sustainability-mindset in the disciplines of green chemistry, sustainable catalysis, lignin chemistry, biorefinery concepts & engineering, recyclable bio-based polymers, circular economy and materials, and environmental systems science. 

The DCs will build on ground-breaking findings being generated at the RE-Fibre consortium, to enable the development of fully recyclable functional biobased composites with properties on par with fossil-based counterparts. They will gain competencies, not only in a breakthrough scientific fields but also in interdisciplinary and interpersonal skills. Additionally, they will expand their network and gain experience through participating in secondments (research stays at a site of an academic or industrial partner). Industrial placement for all DC candidates at a minimum of one industrial location is foreseen in the project. Finally, DCs will be actively engaged in creating best practices by developing online research and training tools, enabling them to work and collaborate across academic and industrial sectors. The RE-Fibre training will contribute to DCs employability as future leaders, while supporting the green transition and a sustainable circular economy in Europe.

Today, fossil-based composite materials are geared solely towards performance, while neglecting the principles of green chemistry, eventually ending up incinerated or in landfills. Known bio-fibre composites combine natural fibres with synthetic, petrol-based resins and are already commercialized as an alternative to energy-intensive materials such as concrete and steel – in a market worth ~€300 billion worldwide. Yet, combining bio-fibres with fossil-based agents is controversial (i.e., these materials are only partially biobased), hindering the closing of the material carbon cycle. Currently available 100% bio-based composites have limited success in automotive, housing and other sectors due to undesired properties, cost and durability. 

Smart, high-performance, 100% renewable and recyclable wood and plant fibre materials with high durability, excellent structural modularity and strength represent the ultimate academic goal and industrial need in bio-fibre composite design. Currently this is clearly out of reach because chemical and material science have been working in a disconnected manner, thus failing to address fundamental challenges that can only be reached through the development of highly creative and cohesive approaches able to efficiently disassemble, functionalize and reassemble wood or plant biomass, while preserving the maximum of its valuable renewable carbon, and at the same time, introducing desired properties and recyclability on demand. 

To achieve this, RE-Fibre has set up a cutting-edge, multidisciplinary research program and identified a series of research objectives (RO) aimed to address the key scientific challenges that pertain to this goal:

RO1: Smart reactive fractionation/disassembly of lignocellulosic plant residues (and end-of-life composite materials) to provide cellulose and functionalized lignins amenable for further facile functionalization.

RO2: The development of a green “click-on” functionalization platform that allows for introduction of functionalities for property modulation and of reversible chemical bonds/linkages, thereby enabling recyclability on demand.

RO3: Strategic reassembly of functional individual components (modified lignin and cellulose fibre) to obtain high performing and recyclable composite materials, and rational design of desired properties.

RO4: Development of best practices for multi-scale and multi-level structural analysis of the molecules and materials involved in all stages of disassembly-functionalization-assembly AND sustainability assessment.

PhD positions

DC1 – RUG – RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN (NL)

Project title: Waste stream mild fractionation process intensification 

Supervisor: Prof. Peter Deuss

 

DC2 – TNO* (NL)

Project title: Waste stream pre-treatment process intensification

Supervisor: Dr. Jaap van Hal

*DC2 will be enrolled in the doctoral school of RUG

 

DC3 – UG – University of Graz (AT)

Project title: Green modification platform via chemical catalysis

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Katalin Barta

 

DC4 – UG – University of Graz (AT)

Project title: Development of novel, recyclable and lignin-based epoxyresins

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Katalin Barta

 

DC5 – UNIVE – University of Venice (IT)

Project title: Colloidal decorated lignin and wood reassembly

Supervisor: Prof. Claudia Crestini

 

DC6 – UNIVE – University of Venice (IT)

Project title: Reversibly crosslinked lignins and lignin polymers

Supervisor: Prof. Claudia Crestini

 

DC7 – UG– University of Graz (AT)

Project title: Reference Driven Sustainability by Design

Supervisor: Prof. Tobias Stern

 

DC8 – UMLP – Université Marie-et-Louis-Pasteur (FR)

Project title: Experimental and numerical study of the interphase properties of bio- fibre/lignin-epoxy composites using a micromechanical approach

Supervisor: Dr. Ing. Vincent Placet

 

DC9 – UMLP – Université Marie-et-Louis-Pasteur (FR)

Project title: Sustainable multifunctional lignin bio-fibre composites made of plant fibres and biomass-derived, non-toxic, repairable-recyclable epoxy polymer

Supervisor: Dr. Ing. Vincent Placet

 

DC10 – ETHZ– Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (CH)

Project title: High-strength cellulose composites with enhanced flame retardancy and water repellency

Supervisor: Prof. Ingo Burgert

 

DC11 – ETHZ– Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (CH)

Project title: Electrically conductive bio-based materials

Supervisor: Prof. Ingo Burgert

Where to apply

Website

https://refibre-dn.eu/

Requirements

Research Field

Chemistry

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

The DC will be selected on the basis of the following criteria (in random order):

•           scientific skills and research experience

•           teamwork attitude and communication skills

•           career profile and potential for scientific excellence

•           expected impact of the proposed training on their career

Specific Requirements

For specific requirements about the expertise and background of the applicants, please see the individual DC advertisements or see the RE-Fibre website. 

 

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Additional Information
Benefits

Marie Sklodowska-Curie DCs are paid a competitive gross Living Allowance of 3,400 €/month, adjusted for their host country, a Mobility Allowance of 600 €/month and, for researchers who have a family, a Family Allowance of 660 €/month. All amounts are subject to deductions and taxes. Family is defined as persons linked to the researcher by (i) marriage, or (ii) a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the national legislation of the country of the beneficiary or of nationality of the researcher, or (iii) dependent children who are actually being maintained by the researcher.

Eligibility criteria

There are strict eligibility requirements for the DC positions in MSCA-Doctoral Networks (DNs). Please ensure to be qualified before applying, as ineligible candidates cannot be considered.

• Admission to the program is open to applicants who hold a 2nd Level Master Degree (120 ECTS + 180 ECTS in a bachelor degree) or a Single Cycle Degree (minimum 300 ECTS), or a comparable university degree (Second Cycle qualification), as required by the partner universities for admission to doctoral studies.
• At the time of recruitment applicants must not have been awarded a doctorate.
• At the time of recruitment applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organization for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before their recruitment date. Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.
• Applicant must be able to communicate fluently in English (at least B2-level speaking and writing).

The Supervisory Board will pay special attention to respect gender balance.

Selection process

RE-Fibre will adopt the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers promoting open, merit-based and transparent recruitment and attractive working and employment conditions.

The two-step procedure for applicants' selection is based on assessment of the documents attached to the application form and on an interview (videoconference) to those applicants who have passed the first-step selection. Shortlisted applicants will be informed of the interview process within three weeks from the deadline for applications.

Additional comments

Applicants can apply for up to 3 PhD projects, indicating the order of preference. All applications will have to be written in English and will be checked for eligibility. Ineligible or incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications must be submitted through the RE-Fibre website (https://refibre-dn.eu/ ) from 01.02.2025 at 17:00 Central European Time to 28.02.2025 at 17:00 Central European Time. Applications coming through different channels than the project website (e.g. sent by email) will not be considered. 

Applicants are required to fill in the Application form on the website and submit the following documents by uploading them as PDF files:

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (Europass format – with added List of publications, participation in funded research projects, other qualifications, if any, must be included)
  • Certified copy of Academic Degree/s in original language along with a certified translation into English, and/or Diploma Supplement (if applicable)
  • Certified copies of official Academic Transcripts relating to all academic courses taken to earn every degree (bachelor/master or equivalent), translated into English, and corresponding grade point average
  • Copy of passport (or, for EU citizens, equivalent ID document)

Additionally, to complete your application, please send the filled Mobility Rule template to applications@refibre-dn.eu . Finally, two recommendation letters (prepared using a template) must be sent directly by the referees to applications@refibre-dn.eu , with the name of the applicant in the subject line until the application deadline. Recommendation letter template and Mobility Rule template can be downloaded on the confirmation page after submitting the application form and are included in the conformation mail.

Failure to submit any of the above documents or lack of any of the required reference letters implies exclusion from the RE-Fibre recruitment procedure. For more information, please contact us through the Contact form on the RE-Fibre website. Data of the applicants will be shared within the Consortium for recruitment purposes only. All data provided by the applicants are processed solely for the purpose of the RE-Fibre call for applicants.

The application deadline may be extended if not enough applications are received. Information about a possible extension will be published on the project website and other communication channels.

Website for additional job details

https://refibre-dn.eu/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

3

Company/Institute

University of Graz

Country

Austria

City

Graz

Postal Code

8010

Street

Heinrichstraße 28

Geofield

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

Country

Netherlands

City

Groningen

Postal Code

9747 AG

Street

Nijenborgh 3

Geofield

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek (TNO)

Country

Netherlands

City

Petten

Postal Code

1755 LE

Street

Westerduinweg 3

Geofield

Number of offers available

2

Company/Institute

Università Ca' Foscari Venezia

Country

Italy

City

Venezia

Postal Code

30123

Street

Dorsoduro 3246

Geofield

Number of offers available

2

Company/Institute

Université Marie-et-Louis-Pasteur

Country

France

City

BESANCON

Postal Code

25000

Street

24 rue de l'Epitaphe

Geofield

Number of offers available

2

Company/Institute

ETH Zürich

Country

Switzerland

City

Zürich

Postal Code

8093

Street

Laura-Hezner-Weg 7

Geofield

Contact

State/Province

Styria

City

Graz

Website

https://chemie.uni-graz.at/en/institute/

Street

Heinrichstraße 28

Postal Code

8010

E-Mail

applications@refibre-dn.eu

STATUS: EXPIRED

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