Vacant job

Description

The Department of Chemistry - Ångström conducts research and education in the field of chemistry.

The department has 270 employees and an annual turnover of 300 million SEK. Research of the highest international class is conducted within the department's six programs. We have a large number of externally funded research projects, often with international collaboration, and we see continued good growth in our field. The department has educational assignments within engineering and master's programs. More information can be found on our website (https://kemi.uu.se/angstrom).

Job Responsibilities

We are looking for a motivated PhD student for a newly started project aimed at developing sustainable carbon-based anodes for sodium-ion batteries. The project is conducted in collaboration with Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) and various industrial partners. The advertised position will be placed within the research program for structural chemistry at the Department of Chemistry - Ångström.

More specifically, the project aims to develop a sustainable and cost-effective method for converting biomass, such as kraft lignin, into high-performance carbon anodes. Currently, a major technical barrier regarding hard carbon is the lack of control over how the properties of the precursors affect the final material structure and the electrochemical performance of the sodium-ion battery. A critical question that this project aims to answer is how the synthesis conditions can be tailored to the chemical and physical properties of lignin, thereby producing hard carbon with the capacity to store sodium ions with sufficiently high coulombic efficiency. To achieve this, the project will develop synthesis pathways based on existing data on the structure and electrochemical performance of hard carbon obtained from various types of precursors. This data-driven approach is expected to provide optimal synthesis parameters, thus avoiding the time-consuming trial and error and purification steps typically applied in the conventional synthesis of hard carbon.

As a PhD student, you will dedicate your time to independent research under supervision, which includes participation in the project as well as doctoral courses. A detailed description of your role will be developed in consultation with your supervisors, in line with your research interests and educational background. Your main tasks will include the synthesis and characterization of hard carbon in collaboration with project partners, electrochemical testing of the resulting materials in half-cell and full-cell prototypes of sodium-ion batteries, data management and analysis, presentation of results at international conferences and group seminars, as well as publication of articles in scientific journals. You may also participate in teaching and other departmental work, which will comprise a maximum of 20% of your working time.

Qualifications

Eligible for doctoral education is someone who has:

• completed a master's degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field, or
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at the advanced level including an independent project of at least 15 higher education credits, or
• acquired equivalent knowledge in some other way, within or outside the country.
• very good knowledge of English, in both spoken and written form.

The applicant must also have:

• a strong background in Material Chemistry or Materials Science.
• experience in experimental laboratory work in material synthesis or material analysis.
• basic knowledge of electrochemistry and batteries.

Great importance will be placed on the candidates' personal qualities such as good collaboration skills, drive, and ability to work independently. Consideration will also be given to previous experiences, skills, and motivation to complement or strengthen ongoing research efforts within the department.

Desirable/meritorious qualifications

The following qualifications are considered meritorious:

• Practical experience in the synthesis and characterization of carbon materials or biomass refinement.
• Knowledge of sodium or lithium-ion batteries.
• Experience with characterization tools such as total X-ray scattering and pair distribution function analysis (PDF analysis) or Raman spectroscopy.
• Experience with electrochemical methods such as galvanostatic cycling, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
• Previous experience in programming (such as Python) and data analysis or machine learning applied in materials science.
• Ability to work in interdisciplinary projects or industrial collaborations.

Conditions

The position is temporary, according to HF 5 chap § 7. The extent is full-time. Start date April 1, 2026, or by agreement. Place of employment: Uppsala.

Regulations for doctoral students can be found in the Higher Education Ordinance 5 chap §§ 1-7 and in the regulations (https://regler.uu.se/?languageId=3).

For inquiries about the position, please contact: Habtom Desta Asfaw, [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]).

Welcome with your application by February 23, 2026, UFV-PA UFV-PA 2026/149.

The application should include a CV, a personal letter describing your research interests and why you are suitable for the position, copies of degree certificates and transcripts, a copy of your thesis (or a draft), and contact information for two references.

Uppsala University is a broad research university with a strong international position. The ultimate goal is to conduct education and research of the highest quality and relevance to make a difference in society. Our most important asset is all 7,600 employees and 53,000 students who, with curiosity and commitment, make Uppsala University one of the most exciting workplaces in the country.

Read more about our benefits and how it is to work at Uppsala University here (https://uu.se/om-uu/jobba-hos-oss/).

The position may be subject to security screening. In the case of security screening, a prerequisite for employment is that the applicant is approved.

We kindly decline offers of recruitment and advertising assistance.

Applications are received in Uppsala University's recruitment system.

Union representatives: Saco-S - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), Seko - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]), ST (OFR/S) - [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])