Postdoc Circulating Elements in Packed-bed Rreactors for Ironmaking

Advance the fundamental understanding of circulating elements in current and future ironmaking processes. Join the CLICK project and contribute to cleaner, more efficient and more circular steel production in close collaboration with Tata Steel Netherlands.

Job description
The steel industry is undergoing a major transition. Increasing use of lower-grade ores and recycled materials introduces higher concentrations of volatile impurities such as alkalis, sulfur and zinc. These elements circulate within ironmaking reactors, affecting furnace stability, energy efficiency and product quality. At the same time, the shift from coal-based Blast Furnace (BF) operations toward hydrogen-based Direct Reduction Processes (DRP) presents new process conditions that are not yet fully understood.

Within the CLICK project, you will address these challenges by generating new fundamental insights into the behaviour of circulating elements in high-temperature packed-bed reactors. Your work will support cleaner, more efficient and more circular ironmaking under increasingly demanding raw-material conditions. The CLICK project is a collaborative effort between Delft University of Technology and Tata Steel Netherlands. The research will be conducted in close cooperation with the industrial partner, ensuring strong alignment with real-world ironmaking challenges and facilitating knowledge transfer from laboratory-scale research to industrial practice.

You will carry out your research in the Pyrometallurgy Lab of the Metals Production, Refining, and Recycling group (MPRR) at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). Using a custom-built high-temperature shaft furnace simulator, you will study the interaction, distribution and impact of alkalis and sulfur across BF and gas-based DR reactors. Their behaviour in direct reduction remains largely unexplored, making your research essential for future low-carbon steelmaking.

Within this project you will focus on:

• Developing a fundamental understanding of the behaviour and distribution of circulating elements (alkalis and sulfur) in high-temperature packed-bed reactors, including both Blast Furnaces and gas-based Direct Reduction shaft furnaces, and mapping their presence across gas, solid and condensed phases.
• Identifying thermodynamic limits and establishing interaction kinetics between alkalis and sulfur under a wide range of gas atmospheres and process conditions, and determining their combined effects on the chemical, thermal and mechanical behaviour of burden materials.
• Delivering scientific insights and practical control strategies to minimise the circulation of volatile elements and their detrimental effects on furnace operation, productivity and material circularity.

MSE - Metals Production, Refining and Recycling group (MPRR)
You will be part of the Metals Production, Refining, and Recycling group at TU Delft, where cutting-edge research is conducted to optimize resource efficiency and reduce environmental impacts in metal industries. The MPRR research team specializes in the elucidation of reaction mechanisms and kinetics using experimental studies and process modelling and simulation. The team bridges fundamental science with practical, real-world applications, contributing to circular economic innovations.

At MPRR, you'll find an open and friendly environment, with opportunities for professional development and training to successfully develop your academic skills. We do not distinguish between hierarchical levels, and we have a strong collaborative culture. We interact daily and share a drive to strengthen the position of the group thanks to the growth of each member.

Job requirements
We are seeking an inspiring and highly self-motivated postdoctoral researcher. You have a critical and rigorous scientific mindset, are highly motivated, and possess strong project-management skills. You are able to work independently while also being an effective team player, and are eager to collaborate closely with other researchers and industrial partners.

Moreover, you meet the following requirements:

• You hold a PhD degree in Metallurgical Engineering and expertise in ironmaking and/or steelmaking processes.
• You have a solid background in pyrometallurgical fundamentals, including thermodynamics and reaction kinetics.
• You have strong hands-on experience in designing and conducting high-temperature experiments, including the operation of furnaces and high-temperature equipment, and working with reactive gases (particularly O₂, H₂, CO/CO₂, SO₂, and natural gas).
• You possess good knowledge of sample preparation and are proficient with a wide range of materials characterization techniques, such as XRF, XRD, SEM/EDS, EPMA, and XPS.
• You demonstrate effective communication skills in English, with a proven track record in scientific report writing, peer-reviewed publications, and technical presentations.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Mechanical Engineering
From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Do you want to experience working at our faculty? These videos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is 30 months Temporary
• A job of 36-40 hours per week.
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Flexible working week.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service, offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Yongxiang Yang. Email: Y.Yang@tudelft.nl.
For information about the application procedure, please contact the faculty recruitment team, email: recruitment-me@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure
Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 11 January 2026 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV.
• Motivational letter.
• The certificate of PhD degree, and English proficency certificate if available.
• Contact information of at least two references.

You can address your application to Yongxiang Yang.

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• As part of knowledge security, TU Delft conducts a risk assessment during the recruitment of personnel. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology. The assessment is based on information provided by the candidates themselves, such as their motivation letter and CV, and takes place at the final stages of the selection process. When the outcome of the assessment is negative, the candidate will be informed. The processing of personal data in the context of the risk assessment is carried out on the legal basis of the GDPR: performing a public task in the public interest. You can find more information about this assessment on our website about knowledge security.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.