Vacant job

Karlstad University has approximately 1,400 employees and 18,700 students spread across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika. We are now looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher in Physics. The position focuses on designing photocatalysts capable of converting and adding value to plastic waste.

This is a shortened version of the full advertisement. You can read the full advertisement at Read more about us at: www.kau.se/jobba-hos-oss/jobb/lediga-anstallningar (https://www.kau.se/jobba-hos-oss/jobb/lediga-anstallningar)

Description

The Faculty of Health, Natural and Computational Science is advertising a postdoctoral position in physics. The appointment is focused on designing photocatalysts that can convert and add value to plastic waste. The research is conducted using computational modeling and AI-driven molecular design. The position is located at the Department of Engineering Physics, which is one of the faculty's five departments. The department is characterized by a friendly, inspiring, and international environment, with employees from various parts of the world.

The position is part of the SPECTRA research project (Horizon Europe EIC Pathfinder project), which aims to develop a multispectral sunlight-driven photoreforming process for the selective depolymerization of mixed plastic waste. At Karlstad University, you will work with modeling and AI-driven design of homogeneous organic photocatalysts, with the goal of developing metal-free catalysts and predicting operating conditions for wavelength-selective conversion of plastic waste into valuable chemicals.

You will work in an international and interdisciplinary research environment and collaborate with project partners in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Italy in areas such as photocatalysis, reactor technology, optical systems, modeling, artificial intelligence (AI), and sustainability assessment.

The position is intended as a career development service for junior researchers; therefore, we are targeting applicants who have obtained their doctoral degree no more than three years prior to the last day of application.

Responsibilities

The main responsibilities are to conduct computational research within the SPECTRA project and to contribute to the development of working methods in modeling and AI. Read more about the responsibilities in the full advertisement.

Qualifications

To be eligible for the position, you must have a doctoral degree in physics, chemistry, computational materials science, or another related field, or have a foreign degree assessed as equivalent to a doctoral degree. The doctoral degree must be awarded before the decision on employment is made and no more than three years before the end of the application period.

An older degree may be considered if there are special reasons, such as illness, parental leave, clinical service, trust-based positions within trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances or assignments relevant to the subject area.

For this position, the applicant is also required to have:

• documented experience of molecular calculations based on DFT;
• documented experience of molecular dynamics simulations;
• good ability to communicate research results orally and in writing in English.

More information about the qualification requirements can be found in Karlstad University's employment regulations.

Assessment Criteria

See the full advertisement for detailed assessment criteria.

Terms of Employment

The position is a fixed-term full-time appointment for two years, with immediate effect or as agreed. Extension may be possible.

Application

Read more about how to apply for the position, and what should be attached to the application, in the full advertisement.

Last day for applications: August 2, 2026

We look forward to receiving your application!

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and kindly but firmly declines contact from advertising and recruitment agencies.