PhD Position in Biogenic Dyes

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

The academy comprises five departments: the Department of Business Administration and Textile Management, the Department of Engineering Science, the Department of Resource Recovery and Civil Engineering, 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. The academy also hosts two doctoral schools, one in Resource Recovery and one in Textile and Fashion.

Research

A PhD candidate will be employed for doctoral training within the EU's Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) doctoral network "DyeAnotherWay" (FO2024/292), which is a collaboration between 17 organizations, including nine academic and eight non-academic, from 11 countries (AT, BE, BR, DE, ES, FI, FR, PT, SE, UK, USA) in Europe and beyond. 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.

PhD Position

The PhD position is placed in the research group Advanced Textile Structures within Textile Technology and includes studies of recycling strategies and pre-treatment of textile structures dyed with new biogenic dyes. The work includes, among other things, bleaching experiments on mixed textile waste and extensive chemical, mechanical, and colorimetric characterization of fibers, textiles, and solid and liquid residual fractions. The work at the University of Borås will investigate how different recycling strategies and alternative bleaching processes affect fiber integrity, whiteness, remaining contaminants, and subsequent dyeability.

Experimental work will include pre-treatment and bleaching tests in laboratory scale from mixed textile waste, as well as extensive chemical, mechanical, and colorimetric characterization of fibers and textiles. The research project will take place in close collaboration with the research group Polymer Technology, as well as with industrial and academic partners within the network to translate the results into processes for circular textile value chains.

Your Responsibilities

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

The employment requires active participation in the doctoral network, participation in courses and workshops organized within the network, as well as travel to the other organizations in the doctoral network.

Your Qualifications

Employment is conditional upon the applicant:

• meeting the requirements according to the EU MSCA program rules and being accepted as a doctoral student. Admission takes place at the doctoral program in Textile Technology at the University of Borås.
• holding a master's degree with sufficient relevance to the doctoral training subject of textile technology and a bachelor's degree in textile technology, polymer technology, chemical engineering, or a related field.
• being able to communicate fluently in writing and orally in English.
• having good collaborative and initiative skills, the ability to work independently and in a structured manner, and the ability to prioritize tasks.

Applicants must not have resided 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 regarding textile recycling, textile pre-treatment, and textile manufacturing processes.
• 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.

Placement: Department of Textile Technology, the immediate supervisor is the head of department Niina Hernández.

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

Location: Borås.

Reference number: PA2025/181

A new employment as a PhD 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 PhD student are found in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), Chapter 5, Sections 1-7.

How to Apply

Welcome with your complete application including reference 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 operations. We strive for a balanced gender distribution 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.

Benefits for employees

Work with us

Contact the following individuals if you want to know more:

• about the position, Niina Hernández, recruiting manager.
• about the doctoral program in Textile Technology, Maria Persson, program director.
• about the research group Advanced Textile Structures, Nawar Kadi, research group leader.

Union representative for Saco-S is Sunil Kumar, who can be reached via the university's switchboard at +46 33-435 40 00. Union representative for OFR/S can be reached via [email protected].

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