PhD Position Formulating the Route Towards Sustainable Sodium Sulfur Batteries

Job description

In collaboration with the Climate Safety & Security centre (CaSS) and the Faculty of Applied Sciences, we invite applications for a PhD position focusing on the development of sodium-sulfur (Na-S) batteries as a sustainable, EU-based alternative to lithium-ion batteries. The research focuses on stationary energy storage applications aimed to mitigating the mismatch between supply and demand of sustainable energy sources.

This project addresses key aspects of this multidisciplinary challenge by, on the one hand, identifying and experimentally exploring the most promising Na-S battery concepts, and, on the other hand, mapping of the potential greenhouse gas emissions, ecological impact, and societal aspects - including safety and strategic autonomy- when deployed at scale within Europe. By considering both the battery material design route and the sustainability aspect of realizing this technology at scale within Europe, this project aims to provide key insights and a roadmap for the technology.

The PhD student will have a multidisciplinary journey, in which promising Na-S battery concepts will be prepared in the lab and evaluated using electrochemical testing and characterization methods such as XPS, XRD, SEM and solid state NMR. This requires that the candidate preferably has prior experience in:

1. Hands-on synthesis of inorganic materials
2. Electrochemical testing
3. One or more of characterization techniques mentioned above

In parallel, the PhD student will map material flows and assess the environmental and criticality implications of Na-S battery production at scale within Europe. This involves material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) of sodium and sulfur extraction routes and battery manufacturing steps, covering greenhouse gas emissions, ecological impacts, and the supply criticality of key materials. The aim is to identify environmental hotspots and potential supply chain vulnerabilities, and to assess how different material choices and production routes affect the overall sustainability and strategic profile of the technology. The estimated time devision between the labwork and the environmental and criticality assessment is expected to be roughtly 50%/50%.

You will work with leading researchers in materials science, electrochemistry, battery technology, and industrial ecology, and contribute to shaping the future of sustainable energy storage. If you are driven by curiosity, eager to work with cutting-edge experimental techniques, if you are interested in both the chemistry of energy storage and the systems-level analysis of its environmental implications, we encourage you to apply.

This PhD position is part of the interdisciplinary Climate Safety & Security centre (CaSS) at TU Delft | Campus The Hague. This centre conducts research on fair access to fundamental human needs - water, food and energy - and their crucial enablers: infrastructures and materials. Our goal is to contribute to a safe and secure future society by connecting insights from engineering, design and governance. The PhD-student will contribute to the Energy Security flagship within CaSS. The successful candidate will work 1 day/week at TU Delft | Campus The Hague and will have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers from across TU Delft, as well as policy makers from (national) governments and (inter)national organisations in The Hague and beyond.

For more information on CaSS.

Job requirements
Master’s degree in (Applied) Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Industrial Ecology or a closely related field with prior experience in preferably all of the following

1. Synthesis of inorganic materials, including experience with electrochemical testing
2. Preferably experience with the characterization using NMR, XPS and XRD
3. Strong interest in sustainability and critical raw materials
4. Preferably experience with industrial ecology-related sustainability tools, such as life cycle assessment, material flow analysis, and/or other related methods.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)
Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

Faculty Applied Sciences
With more than 1,100 employees, including 150 pioneering principal investigators, as well as a population of about 3,600 passionate students, the Faculty of Applied Sciences is an inspiring scientific ecosystem. Focusing on key enabling technologies, such as quantum- and nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, synthetic biology and materials for energy storage and conversion, our faculty aims to provide solutions to important problems of the 21st century. To that end, we educate innovative students in broad Bachelor's and specialist Master's programmes with a strong research component. Our scientists conduct ground-breaking fundamental and applied research in the fields of Life and Health Science & Technology, Nanoscience, Chemical Engineering, Radiation Science & Technology, and Engineering Physics. We are also training the next generation of high school teachers.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Applied Sciences.

Postdoc Position: Cosmic Ray Detection at the Square Kilometre Array

You will be part of a dynamic, internationally connected team at Radboud University in Nijmegen (Netherlands), embedded within the SKA High Energy Cosmic Particles Science Working Group and collaborating with leading institutions across Europe and Australia. The work spans the full arc of experimental physics: from instrument commissioning and calibration to data analysis, with direct implications for our understanding of the most extreme astrophysical environments in the universe.

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