Doctoral fellow

Job description

The Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN) group of Ghent University welcomes a candidate for a full time PhD position on the future raw materials demand, supply and sustainability for the twin transition in the face of climate change. The PhD student will be appointed on the European RAWCLIC project, involving project partners from France, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, the UK and Sweden.

To combat climate change, not only an energy transition is ongoing, but also a digital transition (twin transition). This twin transition implies a significant increase for raw materials on the short, medium and long term. Currently, there is an important knowledge gap concerning the demand, supply and sustainability of these required raw materials. The main goal of the RAWCLIC project is to develop knowledge on the future raw material demand, supply and associated impacts induced by the twin transition in the EU and to support fact-based industry- and policy-decision-making enabling this transition.
Within the RAWCLIC project, the PhD researcher will focus on quantifying the raw material demand of the twin transition, including the demand of digitalization, the demand for technologies required for digitalization and the demand for materials constituting the technologies required for both the digital and the energy transition. A major challenge within this PhD project will be to define the technologies behind the digital transition. Another challenge will be to develop and apply a systematic approach to define the raw material demands of the required technologies, focusing primarily on strategic and critical raw materials.
In this PhD position, you will work in close collaboration with other STEN colleagues at Ghent University and with the academic and industrial partners within the RAWCLIC project. Part of the work can be done via teleworking.

The scientific findings should lead to publications in international peer reviewed journals and should be presented at international conferences.

The start date is planned around November 1st 2024. The PhD duration is four years.

Job profile

Candidates are expected to have a background in engineering (bioscience, materials, chemistry …) and/or an affinity for sustainability analysis, sustainable use of materials, digitalization, the energy transition and circular economy. We are looking for candidates with a critical and analytical attitude and a sense of initiative.
Other profile requirements:

• You hold a master's degree in environmental engineering, bioscience engineering, chemical engineering, materials engineering, environmental technology or equivalent.
• The degree requirements must be met at the start of the appointment;
• You have an interest in scientific research;
• You can operate both independently and in a multidisciplinary team;
• You have organisational/managerial skills and are highly motivated;
• You have good writing and presentation skills;
• You have good communication skills and are not afraid to reach out to others for input and feedback;
• You master the English language, written and orally, in an academic context;
• Having experience with quantitative and/or qualitative research is essential;

Additional plus points:

• You have experience with material flow analysis;
• You have experience with the development and comparison of different value chain scenarios;
• You have experience with circularity indicators;
• You have experience with LCA software such as SimaPro, openLCA, GaBi, etc.;

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which - after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on November 1st, 2024 at the earliest.
• The fellowship amount is 100% of the net salary of an AAP member in equal family circumstances. The individual fellowship amount is determined by the Department of Personnel and Organization based on family status and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral fellowships is considered free of personal income tax. Click here for more information about our salary scales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits (in Dutch).

How to apply

Apply by sending ultimately June 17th an email to ligia.lima@ugent.be as follows:

Mention in subject line: “Rawclic – Application name surname”.

Attach into 1 single pdf file:

• Item 1: Cover letter.
• Item 2: CV
• Item 3: contact details of 1 or 2 reference persons.
• Item 4: ‘Diploma’ items, e.g. an overview of your study results, transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
  
  

Note that the maximum file size is 10 MB.

Selection procedure:
1. Preselection based on the provided documents.
2. Selection based on interviews.
As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.
For more information about the content of this position, please contact ligia.lima@ugent.be