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Sapere Aude – Dare to be wise – is our motto. Our students and staff develop socially important knowledge that enriches the individual and the world. Our academic environment is characterized by curiosity, courage, and openness, with close connections between people, roles, subjects, and research. The foundation of our operations is gender equality, diversity, and a democratic perspective. We are located in Värmland, a nature-rich and culturally vibrant region where we act as a driver for sustainable development in close collaboration with society.

Karlstad University has approximately 1,400 employees and 18,700 students distributed across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika. Read more about us at: kau.se/jobb (https://kau.se/jobb)

Description

The Faculty of Health, Natural and Engineering Sciences is offering a position within the doctoral education program, leading to a PhD in Chemistry with a specialization in Physical Chemistry. The doctoral project will investigate molecular interactions in renewable raw materials, focusing on solvent systems, biocatalysis, and functional materials. The doctoral position is affiliated with the Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences.

Research in physical chemistry at Karlstad University studies molecular interactions between components in solvents. We primarily focus on two different research tracks. One track concerns blend films relevant to organic solar cells and similar applications; this research is part of a collaboration between chemists and material physicists at Karlstad University. This research direction also includes solution chemistry, drying processes, and the development of new and more environmentally friendly solvents. The second research track involves studying biomass waste, including polymers and small molecules with high added value. The project is part of a collaboration between several universities and industries in Sweden within the Mission 0 House initiative. The research is funded by the Swedish National Space Agency and the KK Foundation. As a doctoral student, you will join a research group focusing on computational chemistry to study reactions, processes, and molecular structures.

The doctoral project will focus on the physicochemical conversion and utilization of biomass, with particular emphasis on how lignin, cellulose, and molecules from biomass behave in different chemical environments and how these interactions govern fractionation, solubilization, reactivity, and selectivity. The project will also investigate green solvents, solvent mixtures, and tailored solvent systems that can improve biomass fractionation and the extraction of valuable chemicals.

The purpose of the project is to understand the relationships between structure and properties of recycled biomass fractions, particularly lignin-rich materials. The project will examine how molecular properties, such as monomer composition, interaction, functional groups, and self-association, affect properties relevant for material applications, such as UV protection, antioxidant activity, solubility, and compatibility in formulations, films, or composites. A computation-focused approach will be applied, with experimental validation where appropriate, combined with DFT, molecular dynamics, and multiscale modeling to link molecular structure to reaction pathways and properties of solvents and materials. Additionally, the role of biocatalysis in biomass processing will be studied.

The Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences offers courses within the undergraduate program in Chemistry with a focus on Pharmaceutical Analysis, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering program in Chemical Engineering, and the postgraduate program in Environmental and Energy Systems leading to a Master of Science in Engineering.

We welcome your application!

Application deadline: 2026-08-12

Reference number: REK2026/82

For the complete advertisement including job duties, qualification requirements, assessment criteria, terms, and application content, please see the application link.