Vacant job

At the Academy of Textiles, Technology and Economics, research and education are conducted in business administration, industrial economics, resource recovery, community building, and within the textile field: design, management, and technology.

The academy comprises five departments: the Department of Business Administration and Textile Management, the Department of Engineering, the Department of Resource Recovery and Community Building, the Department of Textile Technology, and the Department of Design, as well as a division for Textile Labs. The Textile University, along with the center formation, the Center for Sustainable Community Building, are other important activities within the academy. There are also two doctoral schools at the academy, one in Resource Recovery and one in Textile and Fashion.

A PhD candidate will be employed for doctoral education within the EU's Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) doctoral network "DyeAnotherWay" (FO2024/292), which is a collaboration between 17 organizations, of which nine are academic and eight non-academic, from 11 countries (AT, BE, BR, DE, ES, FI, FR, PT, SE, UK, USA) in Europe and the rest of the world. The research aims to investigate all aspects of biogenic dyes, from identifying dye-producing bacteria and characterizing their pigments, through optimizing their production and application, to a comprehensive ecological and economic evaluation of the resulting solutions.

The PhD position will be part of the Polymer Technology research group and will include studies regarding the processing of biogenic dyes in polymer fibers for use in textile materials and products, as well as investigations into how these can be applied in circular textile manufacturing. The work at the University of Borås will explore how developed dyes can be used in textile dyeing processes by making a direct incorporation of the dye into a fiber-forming polymer, as well as by adding the dye through in-situ polymerization in an emulsion polymerization process.

Experimental work will include melt processing of dyes and polymers in an extruder, as well as emulsion polymerization of dispersions on an experimental scale, and extensive chemical, mechanical, and morphological characterization of the developed polymer blends and fibers. The research project will be conducted in close collaboration with the Textile Technology research group, as well as with industrial and academic partners within the network to translate the results into processes for circular textile value chains.

Research Group Polymer Technology

DyeAnotherWay

Your Responsibilities

Full-time doctoral education within the aforementioned research project. Teaching or other university assignments are not permitted within the employment. The doctoral education includes so-called secondments, meaning stays at a participating company in the network for two periods of two months.

Your Qualifications

Employment is conditional on the applicant:

• meeting the requirements according to the EU MSCA program's rules and being accepted as a doctoral student. Admission occurs at the doctoral education in resource recovery at the University of Borås.
• having a master's degree with sufficient relevance to the doctoral education subject resource recovery, as well as a bachelor's degree in polymer technology, textile material technology, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• being able to communicate fluently in writing and speaking in English.
• having good collaboration and initiative skills, the ability to work independently and in a structured manner, and the ability to prioritize tasks.

Applicants must not have lived or carried out their main activities (work, studies, etc.) in Sweden for more than 12 months during the 36 months immediately preceding the employment date. Applicants must also not hold a doctoral degree.

It is advantageous for the employment to have:

• experience and knowledge in organic chemistry, chemical analysis using spectroscopic methods, emulsion polymerization, and polymer processing.
• experience of practical laboratory work in research labs.
• international research experience.

Your Employment

The PhD position corresponds to an employment of four years of full-time studies and is expected to lead to a doctoral degree.

The placement is at the Department of Resource Recovery and Community Building, with the immediate supervisor being the head of department, Kamran Rousta.

Start date: earliest June 1, 2026, and latest October 1, 2026.

Location: Borås.

Diary number: PA2025/181

A new employment as a doctoral student is valid for a maximum of one year, and the employment may then be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time. Regulations regarding employment as a doctoral student are found in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

How to Apply

Welcome with your complete application including diary number and attachments via our recruitment system by March 15.

How to apply – create an account and see which documents you need to attach

The University of Borås encourages applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives as this enriches and strengthens our activities. We strive for gender balance among employees and value diversity in our operations.

Want to know more?

The University of Borås is a government authority, which means you receive special benefits, generous vacation, and a favorable occupational pension.

Employee Benefits

Work with us

Contact the following persons if you want to know more:

• about the employment, Kamran Rousta, recruiting manager.
• about the doctoral education in Resource Recovery, Päivi Ylitervo, program director.
• about the research group Polymer Technology, Mikael Skrifvars, research group leader.

The union representative for Saco-S is Sunil Kumar, who can be reached via the university's switchboard at phone 033-435 40 00. The union representative for OFR/S can be reached via [email protected].

We kindly request no direct contact with staffing and recruitment companies or sellers of recruitment ads.