PhD Position on "Mechanical and chemical improvements of PET recycling with eco-friendly additive chemistry" in St. Gallen

This work is a collaboration between Lab of Advanced Fibers at Empa (St. Gallen, Switzerland) and the University of Leoben (Montanuniversität, Leoben, Austria). The PhD student will be working full-time at Empa.

About the position: Mechanical recycling is the most common technique for PET. During this process, proper control of the molecular integrity is crucial, since there is a direct relationship between the properties of PET and its molecular structure. However, this task is extremely daunting as PET molecules can undergo various undesired physio-chemical degradation pathways. In this project, we intend to control the underlying chemical reactions that impair the molecular integrity of PET by phosphorus-containing additives.

Your profile:

• A physicist or materials scientist with a background in physical chemistry with emphasis on polymers
• Interested in computational modeling (DFT and molecular dynamics)
• Knowledge of (or willingness to learn) the fundamentals of polymer chemistry, reaction kinetics, rheology, and thermoplastic polymer processing

This position is immediately available for a planned duration of 36 months. You work in an international interdisciplinary team with cutting-edge equipment in computational modeling, melt-processing machinery, rheological characterization, and polymer analytics.