Postdoc Simulation of Ion Transport and Flow Dynamics in Flow Battery Systems

Job description

Energy storage is an indispensable factor for bridging the electricity consumption with the intermittent renewable energy supply. Electricity grids face significant challenges in balancing economic growth with sustainability targets. Rapid electrification across industrial, transport, commercial, and residential sectors strains existing grid infrastructure, leading to congestion and transmission bottlenecks. These issues limit the integration of renewable energy. Long-duration energy storage (LDES), that provide 8+ hours of storage, can balance intermittent production and demand, thereby stabilizing the grid, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and ensuring more effective use of renewable energy. TenneT expects 4.9 GW of large-scale battery storage is required in The Netherlands by 2030, while there was only 0.14 GW installed in 2023. Hence, a rapid scale-up of LDES is needed.

In that light, we started a collaborative project, with universities (TU Delft, UTwente, TU/Eindhoven, HAN) and companies (AQUABATTERY, Elestor, Exergy Storage, RWE, Nobian), to develop batteries for long-duration energy storage. Specifically, this postdoc position focuses on acid-base flow batteries, and more specifically multiphysics simulations of the liquid and ions in acid-base flow batteries. Acid-base flow batteries are based on dissociating water into acid and base during charging, using bipolar membranes, and recombining acid and base in this membrane to retrieve electrical energy.

We’re looking for an excellent postdoc, with strong simulation skills, to investigate how flow geometries, membrane properties and operational conditions can improve the technology of acid-base flow batteries. The aim is to better understand transport of ions through the (bipolar) membranes and the associated non-idealities (such as ion crossover, concentration polarization and non-uniform current distribution) and develop strategies for enhancing the energy efficiency. Close collaboration with particularly the company AQUABATTERY will be required, and you will work together with a group of postdocs and other researchers on developing components (membranes, electrodes, spacers/flow fields).

For this postdoc position, you need to have an outstanding scientific track record, good skills for multiphysics simulation work, and experience in electrochemical systems. Your daily operation is in the EFS research group of David Vermaas. The work of our group addresses electrochemical flow systems, including applications of electrolysis, water technology, CO2 capture and flow batteries. You will collaborate with other researchers in the department and with companies in this project. The work will also contribute to TU Delft’s e-Refinery institute on electrochemical conversion that includes >20 principal investigators across the campus, where electrochemical advances are used and valorised in upscaled prototypes, in collaboration with industrial partners.

Job requirements
We’re looking for a candidate with:

• A PhD degree, in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, applied physics or similar
• Proven experience in simulating electrochemical systems
• An excellent publication record
• Experience in studying flow dynamics (either simulation or experiments) is considered a plus
• Knowledge of process technology and system-level thinking is considered a plus
• Experience in working at larger scale and/or industrial collaboration is considered a plus
• Pro-active and creative mind-set
• Fluent in English. Speaking Dutch is a plus

Starting date Q1-Q2 2026. TU Delft creates equal opportunities and encourages women to apply.

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 Stack Engineering for Acid-Base Flow Battery Systems

Job description

Energy storage is an indispensable factor for bridging the electricity consumption with the intermittent renewable energy supply. Electricity grids face significant challenges in balancing economic growth with sustainability targets. Rapid electrification across industrial, transport, commercial, and residential sectors strains existing grid infrastructure, leading to congestion and transmission bottlenecks. These issues limit the integration of renewable energy. Long-duration energy storage (LDES), that provide 8+ hours of storage, can balance intermittent production and demand, thereby stabilizing the grid, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and ensuring more effective use of renewable energy. TenneT expects 4.9 GW of large-scale battery storage is required in The Netherlands by 2030, while there was only 0.14 GW installed in 2023. Hence, a rapid scale-up of LDES is needed.

In that light, we started a collaborative project, with universities (TU Delft, UTwente, TU/Eindhoven, HAN) and companies (AQUABATTERY, Elestor, Exergy Storage, RWE, Nobian), to develop batteries for long-duration energy storage. Specifically, this postdoc position focuses on acid-base flow batteries, and more specifically the stack engineering in this system. Acid-base flow batteries are based on dissociating water into acid and base during charging, using bipolar membranes, and recombining acid and base in this membrane to retrieve electrical energy.

We’re looking for an excellent postdoc, with strong engineering skills, to study stack designs and operational conditions, experimentally, to increase the power density, energy density and stack lifetime. The aim is to better understand the effects of each design aspect and to develop new strategies to improve the technology of acid-base flow batteries. This includes developing designs for flow fields and spacers, assessing different electrolytes, studying sealing properties and interaction with the (bipolar) membranes, and developing sensors for fast analysis of the stack performance. The work could also include advanced characterization of flow distribution (such as optical dye experiments and MRI flow experiments) and strategies for new operational modes that affect the battery performance. Close collaboration with particularly the company AQUABATTERY will be required, and you will work together with a group of postdocs and other researchers that develop components (such as membranes and electrodes).

For this postdoc position, you need to have an outstanding scientific track record, good skills for engineering and experience in electrochemical systems. Your daily operation is in the EFS research group of David Vermaas. The work of our group addresses electrochemical flow systems, including applications of electrolysis, water technology, CO2 capture and flow batteries. You will collaborate with other researchers in the department and with companies in this project. The work will also contribute to TU Delft’s e-Refinery institute on electrochemical conversion that includes >20 principal investigators across the campus, where electrochemical advances are used and valorised in upscaled prototypes, in collaboration with industrial partners.

Job requirements
We’re looking for a candidate with:

• A PhD degree, in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, applied physics or similar
• Proven experience in working with electrochemical systems
• Experience in engineering or designing setups
• An excellent publication record
• Experience in stack design is considered a plus
• Knowledge of process technology and system-level thinking is considered a plus
• Experience in working at larger scale and/or industrial collaboration is considered a plus
• Pro-active and creative mind-set
• Fluent in English. Speaking Dutch is a plus

Starting date Q1-Q2 2026. TU Delft creates equal opportunities and encourages women to apply.

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 Simulation of Ion Transport and Flow Dynamics in Flow Battery Systems

Job description

Energy storage is an indispensable factor for bridging the electricity consumption with the intermittent renewable energy supply. Electricity grids face significant challenges in balancing economic growth with sustainability targets. Rapid electrification across industrial, transport, commercial, and residential sectors strains existing grid infrastructure, leading to congestion and transmission bottlenecks. These issues limit the integration of renewable energy. Long-duration energy storage (LDES), that provide 8+ hours of storage, can balance intermittent production and demand, thereby stabilizing the grid, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and ensuring more effective use of renewable energy. TenneT expects 4.9 GW of large-scale battery storage is required in The Netherlands by 2030, while there was only 0.14 GW installed in 2023. Hence, a rapid scale-up of LDES is needed.

In that light, we started a collaborative project, with universities (TU Delft, UTwente, TU/Eindhoven, HAN) and companies (AQUABATTERY, Elestor, Exergy Storage, RWE, Nobian), to develop batteries for long-duration energy storage. Specifically, this postdoc position focuses on acid-base flow batteries, and more specifically multiphysics simulations of the liquid and ions in acid-base flow batteries. Acid-base flow batteries are based on dissociating water into acid and base during charging, using bipolar membranes, and recombining acid and base in this membrane to retrieve electrical energy.

We’re looking for an excellent postdoc, with strong simulation skills, to investigate how flow geometries, membrane properties and operational conditions can improve the technology of acid-base flow batteries. The aim is to better understand transport of ions through the (bipolar) membranes and the associated non-idealities (such as ion crossover, concentration polarization and non-uniform current distribution) and develop strategies for enhancing the energy efficiency. Close collaboration with particularly the company AQUABATTERY will be required, and you will work together with a group of postdocs and other researchers on developing components (membranes, electrodes, spacers/flow fields).

For this postdoc position, you need to have an outstanding scientific track record, good skills for multiphysics simulation work, and experience in electrochemical systems. Your daily operation is in the EFS research group of David Vermaas. The work of our group addresses electrochemical flow systems, including applications of electrolysis, water technology, CO2 capture and flow batteries. You will collaborate with other researchers in the department and with companies in this project. The work will also contribute to TU Delft’s e-Refinery institute on electrochemical conversion that includes >20 principal investigators across the campus, where electrochemical advances are used and valorised in upscaled prototypes, in collaboration with industrial partners.

Job requirements
We’re looking for a candidate with:

• A PhD degree, in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, applied physics or similar
• Proven experience in simulating electrochemical systems
• An excellent publication record
• Experience in studying flow dynamics (either simulation or experiments) is considered a plus
• Knowledge of process technology and system-level thinking is considered a plus
• Experience in working at larger scale and/or industrial collaboration is considered a plus
• Pro-active and creative mind-set
• Fluent in English. Speaking Dutch is a plus

Starting date Q1-Q2 2026. TU Delft creates equal opportunities and encourages women to apply.

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 Stack Engineering for Acid-Base Flow Battery Systems

Job description

Energy storage is an indispensable factor for bridging the electricity consumption with the intermittent renewable energy supply. Electricity grids face significant challenges in balancing economic growth with sustainability targets. Rapid electrification across industrial, transport, commercial, and residential sectors strains existing grid infrastructure, leading to congestion and transmission bottlenecks. These issues limit the integration of renewable energy. Long-duration energy storage (LDES), that provide 8+ hours of storage, can balance intermittent production and demand, thereby stabilizing the grid, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and ensuring more effective use of renewable energy. TenneT expects 4.9 GW of large-scale battery storage is required in The Netherlands by 2030, while there was only 0.14 GW installed in 2023. Hence, a rapid scale-up of LDES is needed.

In that light, we started a collaborative project, with universities (TU Delft, UTwente, TU/Eindhoven, HAN) and companies (AQUABATTERY, Elestor, Exergy Storage, RWE, Nobian), to develop batteries for long-duration energy storage. Specifically, this postdoc position focuses on acid-base flow batteries, and more specifically the stack engineering in this system. Acid-base flow batteries are based on dissociating water into acid and base during charging, using bipolar membranes, and recombining acid and base in this membrane to retrieve electrical energy.

We’re looking for an excellent postdoc, with strong engineering skills, to study stack designs and operational conditions, experimentally, to increase the power density, energy density and stack lifetime. The aim is to better understand the effects of each design aspect and to develop new strategies to improve the technology of acid-base flow batteries. This includes developing designs for flow fields and spacers, assessing different electrolytes, studying sealing properties and interaction with the (bipolar) membranes, and developing sensors for fast analysis of the stack performance. The work could also include advanced characterization of flow distribution (such as optical dye experiments and MRI flow experiments) and strategies for new operational modes that affect the battery performance. Close collaboration with particularly the company AQUABATTERY will be required, and you will work together with a group of postdocs and other researchers that develop components (such as membranes and electrodes).

For this postdoc position, you need to have an outstanding scientific track record, good skills for engineering and experience in electrochemical systems. Your daily operation is in the EFS research group of David Vermaas. The work of our group addresses electrochemical flow systems, including applications of electrolysis, water technology, CO2 capture and flow batteries. You will collaborate with other researchers in the department and with companies in this project. The work will also contribute to TU Delft’s e-Refinery institute on electrochemical conversion that includes >20 principal investigators across the campus, where electrochemical advances are used and valorised in upscaled prototypes, in collaboration with industrial partners.

Job requirements
We’re looking for a candidate with:

• A PhD degree, in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, applied physics or similar
• Proven experience in working with electrochemical systems
• Experience in engineering or designing setups
• An excellent publication record
• Experience in stack design is considered a plus
• Knowledge of process technology and system-level thinking is considered a plus
• Experience in working at larger scale and/or industrial collaboration is considered a plus
• Pro-active and creative mind-set
• Fluent in English. Speaking Dutch is a plus

Starting date Q1-Q2 2026. TU Delft creates equal opportunities and encourages women to apply.

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.

PhD Position Cryo-CMOS Readout Circuit for Single-Photon Detectors for Quantum Computers

Job description
Quantum computers promise to solve problems intractable by classical digital computers, while quantum sensors can offer unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity in detecting very small quantities. However, quantum devices typically operate at cryogenic temperatures, thus requiring long, bulky, and unreliable wires to connect to their room-temperature control electronics. This wiring bottleneck hinders the system's scalability and performance. As a PhD student in Electrical Engineering at TU Delft, you will overcome this bottleneck by building the cryogenic interface for future quantum systems.

In our group, we have pioneered the use of CMOS integrated circuits operating at cryogenic temperatures (cryo-CMOS). We adopt standard CMOS technologies to leverage their large-scale integration, as required for future large-scale quantum computers and cryogenic sensors, and to enhance their performance. CMOS devices are functional at temperatures as low as 4 K and below, but their behavior differs significantly from that at room temperature, including an increased threshold voltage, a higher driving current, and lower thermal noise. The challenges lie in exploiting the advantages of cryogenic operation, such as the lower thermal noise, while circumventing device non-idealities by inventing innovative circuit architectures and systems that can outperform the state-of-the-art. Although we have demonstrated several high-performance cryo-CMOS circuits and systems over the last decade, your challenge will be to demonstrate new functionalities and push the boundaries of circuit performance and knowledge.

In this project, you will develop the cryogenic interface for extremely sensitive cryogenic single-photon detectors, the Superconducting Nanowire Single Photon Detectors (SNSPDs) developed by our partner Single Quantum. Thanks to their superior performance, those sensors are currently used for the readout of quantum bits (qubits) in the photonic quantum computers developed by our partner Quix. However, commercially available SNSPD systems are limited to a maximum of 48 channels, while tens of thousands of channels are needed to enable large-scale quantum computation with practical applications. Although it is in principle possible to reliably fabricate a large number of detectors and connect the large number of required optical fibers to the quantum computer, a strict bottleneck in the number of electrical interconnects between the cryogenic photon detectors and their room-temperature read-out hinders the system scalability. To overcome this bottleneck, you will demonstrate a scalable area-efficient ultra-low-power cryogenic electronic interface for single-photon detectors that will enable the readout of 1000+ channels within the cooling constraints of existing cryogenic refrigerators.

You will design the full read-out chain exceeding state-of-the-art performance and able to address 1000+ channels all within a very strict power budget. The read-out will comprise low-noise amplifiers, time taggers to measure the photon arrival time, and an efficient data transfer to the room-temperature controller. Over the course of your PhD, you will devise innovative system architectures and circuits, design several prototypes of cryo-CMOS circuits, tape them out in advanced CMOS technologies, and characterize the resulting prototypes in our advanced cryogenic electrical characterization laboratory.

Your results will advance the state-of-the-art in cryo-CMOS circuit design and will result in presentations at top conferences for advances in integrated circuits and publications in high-impact scientific journals. Your cryo-CMOS readout will be integrated into the readout system for photon-based quantum computers developed by TU Delft and our industrial partners, thus achieving a real impact in the field of quantum technologies.     

Job requirements

• A MSc degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• Strong interest and strong background in analog circuit design; any practical experiences in circuit design, either in academia or industry, is a plus, but not a necessity.
• Good analytical, creativity and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both written and oral.
• Ability and eagerness to work in an international collaborative environment.

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 of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.