HyFINE is a national project uniting a consortium of knowledge institutes and businesses to make chemicals greener and affordable. We are shifting from fossil feedstocks like oils and gas to sustainable sources like waste, using clean energy like green hydrogen and renewable electricity. The goal is to create climate-neutral, circular production of ingredients for applications such as adhesives, paints, plastics and cosmetics. Beyond technology development, HyFINE focuses on training new experts and sharing knowledge to establish the Netherlands as a leader in green chemistry.(
www.nwo.nl/en/news/193-million-euro-for-consortium-that-makes-special-and-fine-chemicals-more-sustainable)
As a PhD student within the HyFINE consortium, you'll be at the forefront of developing degradable polymers that may be used in a variety of consumer and industrial application. You'll leverage your expertise in organic chemistry to modify polymers using green chemistry and hydrogen/electrons/photons, enabling biodegradability. You’ll systematically study the impact of molecular structural parameters on material properties and biodegradability (‘structure-degradation correlation’). You’ll also optimize light source for the degradation, and develop in-situ optical sensing platform (e.g., UV-VIS and Raman spectroscopies) to monitor the degradation rate. You will work closely with industrial partners to source the starting polymers, have access to their biodegradation platform for testing modified polymers, and gain advice on targeting material properties of the polymers.
What sets this opportunity apart:
Real-world impact: Collaborate closely with academic and industrial partners, upscaling your synthesized materials, and building your sensing platform for real-world testing and fine-tuning your work based on industry feedback.
World-class facilities: Conduct your research at the University of Twente, a vibrant campus in the east of the Netherlands equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.
Expert guidance: Work alongside renowned experts Prof. Frederik Wurm and Dr. Ivana Qianqi Lin in the Sustainable Polymer Chemistry and Hybrid Materials for Opto-electronics group within the Department of Molecules and Materials, as well as industrial researchers in BASF and SULIS Polymers.
This is your chance to contribute to a more sustainable future while advancing your research career at a leading European university.
Join us in shaping the future of sustainable materials and technologies!