The Research Technician will be involved in current research topics and will develop new building blocks for sustainable polymeric materials, including emulsion polymerization, organic syntheses, and polymerization techniques.

An enthusiastic chemist at the BSc or MSc level, equivalent to Dutch HLO or university levels, who enjoys working independently and taking initiatives. Also, lab technicians with experience working in industry or after finishing an apprenticeship in synthetic chemistry are encouraged to apply.

Experience in the synthesis and purification of organic compounds is expected. Expertise in the synthesis and characterization of polymeric materials would be beneficial.

•  Excellent and dynamic environment for researchers within our research institute MESA+ (www.utwente.nl/mesa), attractive campus and lots of facilities for sports and leisure;          

• You will be appointed for 2 years (extension feasible) as a research technician for synthesis in the SPC group.

• Terms of employment are in accordance with Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO), include:

• A salary with a maximum of €3548- gross per month;

• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% year-end bonus (effectively corresponds to 14 months’ salary per annum);

• A pension scheme that is part of the world-famous Dutch pension system

The research chair Sustainable Polymer Chemistry (SPC) – in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of Twente – develops new sustainable biobased and biodegradable polymeric materials. An essential part of our multidisciplinary research is the synthesis and characterization of custom-made monomers and polymers. We are recruiting as soon as possible a

Research Technician in Organic and Polymer Synthesis

Background:
The research goal of the Sustainable Polymer Chemistry (SPC) group is to prepare polymeric materials, additives, and nanocarriers based on renewable resources or with defined end-of-life options (e.g. biodegradation). Our research relies on the designed synthesis of novel monomer and polymer building blocks or utilizes chemically-modified biopolymers. To address the scientific questions we use a combination of experimental techniques including organic synthesis, living polymerization techniques, or emulsion formulations. We also use state-of-the-art characterization techniques for polymers and study their polymerization kinetics in detail to control macromolecular function and assembly. Biodegradation or interaction with biological media is also studied for selected materials.
The SPC group is part of the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, which offers advanced characterization and fabrication tools on the nanoscale, as well as a stimulating environment with more than 250 PhD students working on various aspects of nanoscience and technolo