Job: Predoctoral (PhD) positions
Location: Vitoria (Spain)
Sector: Energy
Vacancies: 1
Discipline: TechnicalCIC energiGUNE is a research center specialized in energy, electrochemical storage (batteries and supercapacitors), thermal energy solutions and hydrogen, a member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance- BRTA, and, a strategic initiative of the Basque Government. CIC energiGUNE was created in 2011 to generate excellent knowledge and at the same time useful for the Basque business network, being a reference in knowledge transfer.
CIC energiGUNE has a dynamic research team of more than 100 researchers and is extremely well equipped with a wide range of up-to-date facilities that are fully available for all its researchers. Also, the European Commission has recently awarded CIC energiGUNE with the ´HR Excellence in Research´ which reflects its commitment to achieving fair and transparent recruitment and appraisal procedures and certifies the existence of a stimulating and favorable work environment for researchers in the institution.
For more details on CIC energiGUNE's research activities please visit our website at http://www.cicenergigune.com
DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION
This position is partly funded by ALISTORE ERI (alistore.eu), a European consortium of research groups and industrial partners in the field of electrochemical energy storage. The candidate will be part of two labs (1) the Storage of Electrochemical Energy group at Delft University of Technology (Delft, The Netherlands) led by Prof. M. Wagemaker and (2) the Advanced Electrode Materials group at CIC energiGUNE (Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country, Spain) led by Dr. M. Casas-Cabanas. The selected candidate will be based in Delft with frequent travels to Vitoria-Gasteiz and other ALISTORE partners and will be supervised on a daily basis by Dr. T. Famprikis (TU Delft) and Dr. M. Reynaud (CIC energiGUNE).
We will be investigating a new class of materials featuring atomic-scale disorder between mobile light metal ions (A e.g. Li+, Na+) and transition metals (M; e.g. Co, Fe). Current state-of-the-art lithium-ion technology heavily relies on cobalt and nickel. These are both rather rare, costly-to-produce (and in the case of cobalt, ethically unacceptable) metals which go directly against the principles of sustainability, environmental protection and the green energy transition.
For the period spent at CIC energiGUNE, the candidate will have access to a world-class research facility and cutting-edge equipment. The student will work in the Advanced Electrode Materials group in the Electrochemical Energy Storage area, which currently hosts 8+ PhD students. This group gathers international, young, talented and dynamic researchers, who have expertise in synthesis of inorganic materials, electrochemical characterizations and advanced structural and surface characterizations.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The selected candidate will be tasked with the rational synthesis of novel compositions of disordered electrode materials by such means as e.g. solid-state synthesis or mechanochemistry. The average and local structure and atomic-scale disorder will be characterized by advanced diffraction techniques, and the electrical and electrochemical properties via integration in electrochemical cells. The behavior of the materials in working battery cells will be probed directly, leveraging the expertise of the host groups for operando experiments, coupling electrochemical cycling with e.g. diffraction, x-ray spectroscopy and/or NMR spectroscopy. In this manner, the best materials will be selected for long-term cycling and applications in next-generation battery concepts, in particular solid-state batteries in conjunction with solid electrolytes.
TO APPLY
The candidates are invited to send their CV (including academic record) and a motivation letter through this webpage.
The recruitment process will end once the candidate is selected.
CIC energiGUNE is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.
Questions about the recruitment process can be addressed by email to: people@cicenergigune.com
