PhD on Development of aerogel composites as insulation material

Job description

Insulation is an important way to reduce energy consumption and therefore CO2 emissions in the built environment. Older houses especially require renovation to achieve this goal. There are many insulation materials available but one of the most promising ones is silica aero gel, an ultra-lightweight material that can contain more than 99% air. It also has the advantage of being safe in the case of a fire as it does not produce toxic fumes. However, the aero gel that is currently available is expensive to produce and not very sustainable.

The goal of this PhD is the development of green aero gel containing solid prefab material and binders that can be used as wall filling and roof insulation. The binder material will be polymer based. The green aero gel itself is based on a synthesis process to make nano-silica developed in the Building Materials Group at TU/e. The work is supported by industrial partners as part of the project BRIMM (Bright Renovatie Isolatie voor woningschil door Advanced Materialen en Methodes).

The Building Materials group contains 23 PhDs, 2 postdocs, 3 assistant professors, 1 associate professor and 2 full professors. The BM group works on new, sustainable building materials containing or synthesized from secondary raw materials with good chemical, physical and aesthetic properties and added functionalities. Examples are natural fibers, fly ashes, nano-silica, aerogels, slags or recycled aggregates. Functionalities, including fire resistance, air purification, self-cleaning, high performance, hydrophobicity, are investigated and developed for these building materials. Moreover, durability, such as the degradation of building materials when exposed to aggressive service environments, is studied. The investigations are carried out based on experimental observations and modelling.

The research group possesses a well-equipped, state of the art building material laboratory for physical/chemical/mechanical/environmental testing, and has access to the structural design laboratory at the same department, and shares facilities with the sister Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. The group has close contacts with the building material industry and is frequently cooperating with other researchers, both domestic and international.

Job requirements

We are looking for:

• a MSc degree in chemistry, chemical engineering or materials science. Similar disciplines with a focus on sustainability and chemical processes can also be considered.
• able to work independently,
• strong communication skills and the attitude to participate successfully in an international and multidisciplinary team.
• professional working proficiency in English. A minimum grade of an independent language test is required (TOEFL or IELTS) for all non-native English-speaking candidates who hold a MSc degree from another program than the TU/e. IELTS: Overall grade 7.0 with a minimum sub score of 7.0 for both speaking and writing. TOEFL: Overall band score of at least 90 and a minimum score of 21 for each section. TU/e only accepts the TOEFL internet-based test.

Any of the following could be considered an advantage and should be mentioned in the motivation letter:

• previous experience with polymer composites
• familiarity with analytical characterization techniques (such as XFR, XRD, FTIR, TG/DSC, SEM, IC, ICP or related techniques)
• previous publications and scientific communications
• affinity/experience with materials research and/or laboratory experience

Candidates who already hold the title of PhD/Doctor will not be considered for the current vacancy.

Conditions of employment

We offer:

• A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university with the possibility to present your work at international conferences.
• A full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation after 9 months.
• To support you during your PhD and to prepare you for the rest of your career, you will have free access to a personal development program for PhD students (PROOF program).
• A gross monthly salary and benefits in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• Additionally, an annual holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary, plus a year-end allowance of 8.3% of the annual salary.
• A broad package of fringe benefits, including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, and savings schemes.
• Family-friendly initiatives are in place, such as an international spouse program, and excellent on-campus children day care and sports facilities.

Information and application

More information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more? Please contact
prof.dr.ir. H.J.H. Brouwers, h.j.h.brouwers[at]tue.nl or dr. K. Schollbach, k.schollbach[at]tue.nl.

For information about terms of employment, click here or contact HRServices.be[at]tue.nl

Please visit www.tue.nl/jobs to find out more about working at TU/e!

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application by using the 'apply now'-button on this page.
The application should include a:

• Cover letter (2 page max), which includes a motivation of your interest and an explanation of why you meet the job requirements (see above).
• Detailed Curriculum vitae
• Copy (or a most recent draft version) of your MSc thesis
• Transcripts of academic records indicating courses taken, including grades
• Contact details of two references (e-mail, phone number).

We look forward to your application and will screen it as soon as we have received it.
Screening will continue until the position has been filled.

We do not respond to applications that are sent to us in a different way.

Please keep in mind you can upload only 5 documents up to 2 MB each. If necessary please combine files.