VPX-Fellow: Electrochemical-stack Engineer - DTU Physics

If you are a talented and dedicated engineer who wants to join the exciting pre-stages of a start-up, and are ready to hit the ground running, consider joining Nitrofix Solutions. You will be joining a young, diverse, highly motivated, and focused team, who is looking for colleagues that share our vision of decarbonizing and decentralizing ammonia production worldwide.

We have received a Villum Power-to-X (VPX) accelerator grant over a 21 month period, starting October 2022 and ending June 2024. As part of the accelerator we will upscale a single flow cell to an electrolyzer type electrochemical stack. This system will produce ammonia (NH₃) in ~kg/day under near-ambient conditions from electricity, water, and air. The project is based on recent breakthroughs on lithium-mediated electrochemical ammonia synthesis, and we now aim at scaling up and commercializing the process.

We expect to incorporate at the end of the accelerator program, and are therefore also looking for individuals who want to join the start-up journey. This is not a position aimed for someone who intends to stay in academia, as the focus will not be on publications. The position will be at DTU Physics, VPX centre. 

The job
We are looking to hire an engineer with experience in stack design and development for flow-cell based electrochemical systems. The science is proven to work on a single cell with nitrogen (N2) and hydrogen (H₂) as the gas input, two gas diffusion electrodes as cathode and anode, and a flowing non-aqueous electrolyte between them. This system needs to be upscaled into a multi-cell stack, capable of producing ~kg/day of ammonia (NH₃)

Our expectations of you
Qualifications and skills:

• a background working with, designing, and developing electrochemical stack is expected;
• experience and/or understanding of balance of plant design is expected;
• experience programming a hardware/software interface for lab-scale reactors is preferred;
• experience in non-aqueous based electrochemistry is not needed, but it will be considered a benefit;
• experience with modelling relevant for electrochemical reactor will be considered an advantage;

The successful candidate is driven, proactive, and curious, and also willing and able to work as part of a team. The project is expected to spin out and lead to the founding of a start-up, so if the candidate is willing, there is also an option to proceed and join this.

The candidate must have a master degree in Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, or Materials Science, and key skills and experiences relevant to the project will also be considered.

What we offer in return
We offer an interesting and challenging job in an international atmosphere with the focus on research and innovation. We place emphasis on a high level of professionalism among our staff, so skills development is an integral part of our organization. We offer great flexibility in the position. In the area of technical and natural sciences, DTU is one of the leading research and education institutions in Europe.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

The workplace is DTU Lyngby Campus. The position is a full-time position. The period of employment is from early 2023 until June 2024.

Application and contact
Please submit your online application no later than 13 December 2022. Open the “Apply” link, fill out the form and attach your motivated application, CV and exam certificates. 

All your materials should preferably be in English including:

•  a cover letter motivating the application
•  a curriculum vitae
•  a list of publications, patents or other merits
•  copies of relevant degrees diplomas (e.g., BSc, MSc, PhD)
•  names and e-mail addresses or telephone numbers of 2 references

If you would like additional information about the position, please contact Suzanne Zamany Andersen (suzan@fysik.dtu.dk) or Mattia Saccoccio (sacco@dtu.dk)

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

You can read more about DTU Physics at www.fysik.dtu.dk/english.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

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.