Job description

ABOUT GHENT UNIVERSITY

Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 15.000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities.

With its 11 faculties and more than 85 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.

YOUR JOB

• You will conduct scientific work with the aim of obtaining a doctoral degree.
• Your scientific work is part of a Catalisti-Moonshot project, named SUSPLASM, which stands for “Sustainable low-carbon thermal plasma processing platform for valorization of challenging waste”, with a project starting date of April 1st, 2025.
• Within this project, you will work on a specific work package, led by the Laboratory for Bioresource Recovery (RE-SOURCE, Prof. Erik Meers) and the Thermochemical Biomass Conversion Research Group (TCCB, Prof. Frederik Ronsse).
• Your specific task in this project involves concentrating carbon in organic solid waste (e.g., sludge) through hydrothermal carbonization or pyrolysis. This significantly improves the energy efficiency of plasma gasification. In the case of mineral- and P-rich biomass, you will investigate the potential for P recovery during plasma gasification.
• To this end, you will perform carbonization on laboratory-scale setups (20-200 grams), as well as on larger scale setups (50 kg; at collaborative laboratories). Besides carbonization and analysis of carbon and phosphorus distribution, you will also (to a lesser extent) test your produced chars to evaluate the syngas and P recovery performance. Furthermore, the catalytic upgrading of side streams from the carbonization process into H2 will be explored to increase the total H2 output.

Job profile

• You hold a Master's degree in Bioengineering Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a Master's degree considered relevant or equivalent by the committee.
• Only for diplomas awarded outside the European Union a certificate of equivalence (NARIC) must be submitted (if already in your possession, if not, you need to be able to provide proof that you have applied for a certificate of equivalence at the start of your appointment). The certificate can be requested via www.naricvlaanderen.be/en. For diplomas awarded in the UK before January 31st of 2020, a certificate of equivalence is not required
• You have an interest in scientific and/or project-based research and services, particularly related to biomass conversion (as described in “Your Job”).
• You can work well in a team, as well as independently.
• You can communicate fluently in English (written and spoken).
• You are motivated to conduct scientific work within an (inter)national consortium and are willing to collect data or materials in external laboratories for specific purposes/periods.

How to apply

Send your CV, copy of your diploma (if already in your possession) and a motivation letter to Frederik.Ronsse@UGent.be and Erik.Meers@UGent.be.
We do not accept late applications.