PhD scholarship

PhD scholarship in improvement of PEM electrolysis for flexible energy storage - Electrochemical Characterization

The section for Fundamental Electrochemistry, Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), is seeking a candidate for a PhD student position as part of the project “e-STORE: Further improvement of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysis for flexible energy storage”. 

Electrolysis of water will become a key technology in the future energy system to balance increasing amounts of renewable energy against the demand and to fuel the transport sector. When renewable electricity production exceeds the demand, the surplus can be used for hydrogen production by electrolysis of water. The hydrogen may subsequently be used directly in industrial processes, in fuel cell vehicles, to produce synthetic fuels, or as a key component in the upgrading of bio-derived liquid fuels.

The PEM electrolyser cell (PEMEC) has a great potential to become an important component in this future energy systems if a better long term performance and a lower cost of the cell stack can be achieved. Currently, a main problem is structural and compositional changes occurring during operation at high power densities that cause cell stack degradation.

Project aims
Mechanistic understanding of the degradation processes in current and improved PEMECs with new materials will help alleviating these problems. The aim of this PhD project, which is a part of a larger project with 2 industrial companies and 4 universities, is to obtain improved mechanistic understanding of the degradation process in general and of the oxygen evolution electrode in particular.

Job description
This PhD student at DTU Energy will be part of the section for Fundamental Electrochemistry, but will also have to interact with other sections of the Department and with external partners of the project. In particular, a close cooperation with IRD company, Denmark, and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Switzerland, is foreseen. You will be primarily engaged with carrying out characterisation of electrode, cells and small stacks produced by project partners. The methods will be refined electrochemical characterisation using techniques such as impedance spectroscopy followed by post-test electron microscopy. 

Qualifications
Candidates should have a master's degree in engineering or a similar degree within Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science on an academic level equivalent to the master's degree in engineering.

An absolute demand is very good communication skills in English, both written and spoken. Ability to work independently, to plan and carry out complex tasks, to perform complicated experiments, and to do theory based data analysis, is necessary.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarships for the PhD degree are subject to academic approval, and the candidates will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes of DTU. For information about the general requirements for enrolment and the general planning of the scholarship studies, please see the DTU PhD Guide.

Assessment
The final assessment of the applicants will be made by an evaluation committee and the selected candidate must be improved by the PhD Committee for Chemistry, Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering before an employment contract can be made.

We offer
We offer an interesting and challenging job in an international environment focusing on education, research, public-sector consultancy and innovation, which contribute to enhancing the economy and improving social welfare. We strive for academic excellence, collegial respect and freedom tempered by responsibility. The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is a leading technical university in northern Europe and benchmarks with the best universities in the world. 

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

The workplace will be DTU Energy, DTU Risø Campus, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde, Denmark.

Further information 
Further information may be obtained from the supervisors, Professor Mogens B. Mogensen, tel. +45 4677 5726, e-mail momo@dtu.dk or Senior Scientist, Johan Hjelm, tel. +45 4677 5887, e-mail johh@dtu.dk

You can read more about the Department on www.energy.dtu.dk 

Please do not send applications to these e-mail addresses, instead apply online as described below.

Application
Please submit your online application no later than 31 March 2015. Apply online via "Ansøg"

Applications must be submitted as one pdf file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply online," fill in the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one pdf file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (an official translation into English)
• Excel sheet with translation of grades to the Danish grading system (see guidelines and excel spreadsheet here)

Candidates may apply prior to ob­tai­ning their master's degree, but cannot begin before having received it.

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

Please write in your application that you've seen the job at Jobfinder