PhD position: green processing for wood biomass valirization

Publiceringsdatum: 2025-04-16

Nu har du chansen att börja jobba som doktorand hos Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB. Sök nu om du är intresserad av att arbeta heltid hos Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB under 6 månader eller längre. De letar just nu efter nya medarbetare. Att bo i närheten av Göteborg kan vara en fördel för denna position, så om du redan bor i området bör du överväga att söka jobbet.

Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB söker för närvarande efter ambitiösa individer som vill utvecklas i rollen som doktorand. Kolla in deras ledig tjänst och se om du har vad som krävs för att bli en del av deras team. Bli en del av teamet hos Chalmers Tekniska Högskola AB som doktorand genom att ansöka senast fredag den sextonde maj 2025.

Jobbannons

Are you eager to dive into groundbreaking research at the intersection of sustainability and biotechnology? Join us in an exciting PhD project at Chalmers University of Technology to pioneer fungal-based solutions for upcycling lignocellulosic waste into high-value, eco-friendly materials.

About the research project 

In the last decades, the enormous amount of low-value side streams and recalcitrant residues from the forestry and agri-food sector have reduced the sustainability of the biorefinery systems. Biomass of lignocellulosic origin is considered one of the major environment pollutants, and at the same time a potential raw material to produce high value goods or energy.

This PhD project aims to use fungal biotechnology to upcycle abundant and underused lignocellulosic biomass from forestry and agri-food sources. The goal is to create innovative bio-based materials while also discovering and characterizing new fungal enzymes with potential applications in industrial processes. The project also encompasses a comprehensive life cycle assessment for evaluate the environmental impact of the hybrid materials and process for the biomass valorization.

This PhD position is part of the Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) at Chalmers, a highly collaborative research center that will allow further connexion with other researches experts in other areas of interest as material sciences, composite technology or biomass characterization. The candidates will be assessed in continue, so the position can be closed before deadline.

About us

Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) is a research center striving of scientific excellence with focus on new materials from tress. The center creates knowledge and builds competences for an innovative and sustainable future value creating from forest raw materials.

WWSC is a multidisciplinary collaboration between KTH, Chalmers and Linköping University. The base is a donation from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, and the forest industry is supporting WWSC via national platform Treesearch.

At the division of Industrial Biotechnology in the group of Assistant Prof. Amparo Jiménez Quero you will be working with a multidisciplinary and multicultural set of researchers with a broad background in biomass utilization, from enzymatic degradation to molecular characterization of biomass polymers. The IndBio division and WWSC will provide access to large research infrastructure related to the project goals.

Who we are looking for

The successful candidate fulfils the following:

• To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in in Biotechnology, Material Science, Polymer Technology or similar.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.

It is meritorious if you also fulfil the following:

• Experience in Biotechnology with focus on fungal fermentation.
• Laboratory experience in biomass processing as well as experience in multidisciplinary work.
• Practical experience and/or courses in Biochemistry, Material Chemistry or Polymer technology.

To be successful in this role, you also need to be creative, analytical and cooperative.

What you will do

As a PhD student, the majority of your time will be dedicated to your research project, where you will take the lead in planning and conducting experiments, as well as analyzing and evaluating the scientific results. You will be expected to present your findings in various settings, including group and division meetings at Chalmers, as well as during the bi-annual Wallenberg Wood Science Center (WWSC) gatherings.

In addition, you will develop your scientific writing skills through the preparation of manuscripts for publication in high-impact journals and by presenting your work at international conferences. Your role will also involve contributing to teaching activities and supporting the supervision of undergraduate students, corresponding to 20 percent of working hours.

As part of the WWSC, you will participate in WWSC Academy courses and events, held at different locations across Sweden and the Nordic region.

Contract terms and what we offer

• The PhD-positions are fully funded from start
• As a PhD student at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.
• The position is limited to four years, with the possibility to teach up to 20%, which extends the position to five years.
• A dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.
• A starting salary of 34,550 SEK per month (valid from May 25, 2025).

Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence. We celebrate diversity and consider equality and inclusion as fundamental aspects of all our activities.

If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses to help you settle in.

Discover more

Find more general information about doctoral studies at Chalmers here. 

Application procedure

Please check the advert at Chalmers' webpage for application instructions.

Application deadline:  16th May 2025

We look forward to your application!