PhD in (nano)materials science and environmental applications

Are you looking for your next step in academia? Do you have experience in electrochemical characterization of materials? Do you want to do research that has a positive impact on the environment? We have a vacancy for a PhD in (nano)materials science and environmental applications. Will you join our team?

What will you do?
The Mind_Gap programme is fundamental in nature and set to enhance and tune ion selectivity, aiming to achieve ion recovery. Recently we hired two PhD students who work on intercalation materials. Now we are looking for a candidate who will work on organic frameworks. From these selected materials electrodes will be made and characterized with various techniques in terms of their morphology, chemical composition, crystallinity and possibly also redox properties. Next, their separation performance when applied in electrochemical deionization will be studied. This includes the optimization of operation parameters such as applied current, cell voltage, ion concentration and pH. Membranes will be used to further enhance the selectivity. Improvement of the electrode stability and upscaling the ion separation process are two challenges that will be addressed. Key research questions are: Which ions can be targeted with the electrodes made from new building blocks? Can we understand the underlying mechanisms that contribute to selectivity? What is the electrochemical stability of the new electrodes, and how to improve it? What are the upscaling limitations/possibilities?
The work will be performed in close collaboration with Wetsus and several industrial partners

Key activities include:

• prepare and characterize organic nanomaterials;
• thoroughly study the potential of these materials as electrode materials in electrochemical deionization technologies;
• thoroughly study the physical and (electro)chemical principles that result in (selective) electrosorption of ions of interest;
• teach chemistry classes;
• publish research results in peer-reviewed journals and write a doctoral thesis.

The PhD positions are part of a larger programme (Mind_Gap) that aims to explore and develop various innovative electrochemical separation technologies for water treatment, ion separation and ion recovery. To that end, advanced energy-storage nanomaterials will be used. The project is funded by the Dutch Research Council and will include three PhD students and two postdoctoral researchers by the end of 2025.

You will work here
The research is embedded within the group Advanced Interfaces & Materials of Prof. Louis de Smet, part of the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry. See www.louisdesmet.nl for the composition of the current team and representative publications on our work on electrochemical deionization and selectivity.

Medior chemical analyst in our contaminants team

As a chemical analyst in our contaminants team, you are responsible for detecting the presence of contaminants in food and the environment. You will work with LC-(HR)MS and GC-(HR)MS equipment in our lab in Wageningen and generate data that contribute to food safety in the food chain and a healthy living environment.

What will you do?
As a chemical analyst, you will perform analyses using standardized protocols. You will also contribute to optimizing and validating analytical methods. The focus is on instrumental analyses using state-of-the-art measurement systems in the field of LC- and GC-MS/MS and HRMS. The analysis and research results will be reported to the project leader. You will be part of an analysis team responsible for the efficient execution and reporting of analyses. In this way, your team contributes to food safety in the food chain and a healthy living environment.

Your tasks and responsibilities as a chemical analyst include:

• Performing LC- and GC-MS/MS and HRMS analyses in various projects;
• Data analysis and reporting to the project leader;
• Method development, improvement, and validation;
• Preparing standard operating procedures (SOPs).

You will collaborate with several colleagues within one of the focus areas of the contaminants team, which is part of a larger team of 21 colleagues based in Wageningen.

Project Technician in Food Chemistry

As a project technician (max 2 years) you will assist sample handling and analysis at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry within a collaborative project between our group, Wageningen Research BU Greenhouse Horticulture, and Kraft Heinz. The overall research project studies pectin formation and development in tomatoes, and involves growing various tomato cultivars, analyzing their pectin characteristics, and exploring practical applications in tomato-based products. The goal is to gain a deeper understanding of pectin in tomatoes and how this might positively impact KraftHeinz tomato product portfolio.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• handling and fractionation of tomato samples and tomato-based products;
• subject all samples/fractions to various screening analytical protocols, such as carbohydrate content and composition, degree of methylation, and high performance size-exclusion chromatography;
• in selected samples, monitor endogenous enzyme activity in high-throughput assays;
• work together with the PhD-candidate (same project) at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry to gain a deeper understanding of pectin in tomatoes;
• excellent communication with other project partners (Wageningen Research BU Greenhouse Horticulture, and Kraft Heinz).

PhD in pectin formation and development in tomatoes

You will do your PhD research at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry, in context of a collaborative project of our group with Wageningen Research BU Greenhouse Horticulture, and Kraft Heinz. The overall research project studies pectin formation and development in tomatoes with the aim to gain a deeper understanding of pectin in tomatoes and how this might positively impact Kraft Heinz tomato product portfolio. The project involves growing various tomato cultivars, analyzing their pectin characteristics, and exploring practical applications in tomato-based products.

Your duties and responsibilities include:

• gain a deeper understanding of pectin structures in tomatoes and related endogenous enzymes, resulting in a PhD-thesis;
• set-up a (semi-) high throughput chromatographic method to map pectin structures;
• Work together with the project-technician (same project) at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry;
• supervise students;
• excellent communication with other project partners (Wageningen Research BU Greenhouse Horticulture, and Kraft Heinz).

You will work here
The project is embedded within the chair of Food Chemistry which is led by Prof.dr.ir. Jean-Paul Vincken, and is part of the Biomass & Enzymes theme of dr.ir. Mirjam Kabel.

Chemical analyst in the contaminants team

As a chemical analyst in our contaminants team, you are responsible for determining the presence of contaminants in food and our environment. You will use LC-MS and GC-(HR)MS equipment in our laboratory in Wageningen and provide data that contributes to food safety in the food chain and a healthy living environment.

What will you do?
As a chemical analyst, you will perform analyses using standardized protocols. You will also contribute to the optimization and validation of analytical methods. The focus is on instrumental analysis using state-of-the-art measurement systems in the field of LC-MS/MS and GC-(HR)MS. The analysis and research results are reported to the project leader. As an analyst, you will work in an analysis team responsible for efficiently performing and reporting analyses. In doing so, you and your team contribute to food safety in the food chain and a healthy living environment.

Your tasks and responsibilities as a chemical analyst include:

• performing LC-MS/MS and GC-(HR)MS analyses for various projects;
• data analysis and reporting to the project leader;
• method development/improvement and validation;
• drafting standard operating procedures (SOPs).

You will collaborate with several colleagues within one of the focus areas of the contaminants team, which is part of a larger group of 21 colleagues based in Wageningen.