Postdoc on plasma-driven CO2 upgrading - 1b. Pulsed power demonstrator

Position (Post-doctoral) Researcher

Irène Curie Fellowship No

Department(s) Electrical Engineering

FTE 1,0

Date off 09/06/2024

Reference number V36.7472

Job description

The Electrical Energy Systems (EES) group within the Department of Electrical Engineering of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) seeks to hire an excellent Postdoctoral researcher within the field of pulsed power technology.

This is a 2-year salaried Postdoc position. We will only hire one candidate and will mainly focus on the candidate’s profile to make our choice, since this is a highly challenging, project, requiring unique blend of skills in the fields of high-voltage engineering, power electronics and general electrical engineering.

Project description

Using sustainable energy, back-conversion of CO2 to organic materials is a very interesting, but highly challenging concept. The aim is not to regenerate fuels but synthesize essential building blocks for specialty organics like e.g. pharmaceutics, vitamins and advanced polymeric materials. Plasma technology, especially our fast pulse power plasma concept, could provide pathways of lower activation energy than conventional thermal activation. By choosing the right combination of plasma parameters, feedstock recipes and reactor topology, plasma-driven hydrocarbon synthesis from CO2 may be a very attractive, near future concept to secure the availability of advanced organic materials without dependence on fossil sources. The focus of this Postdoc project will be aid in the development of the pulsed power development for this process and build it into an industrial demonstrator.  

In this project you will be working closely together with a PhD student that will focus on pulsed power development (see also the other vacancy). You will translate all the pulsed power results into practice into an industrial demonstrator capable of outputting at least 10kW of plasma power. The challenges you will meet along the way are numerous and challenging, such as: developing a new solid-state pulse source, optimizing energy efficiency of the source, studying the interaction between the pulse source and the plasma, countering electromagnetic interference and many more, all the while working in a state-of-the-art high-voltage lab with the newest equipment.

The total TU/e executing project team consists of 2 PhD students and you (as well as two academic supervisors and a project manager). Furthermore, you will be working together with a company that will bring the research results into practice, so we are looking for a candidate with excellent teamworking skills.

If you are interested, please apply for this position and if you have any questions, please contact me at t.huiskamp@tue.nl.

Electrical Energy Systems Group

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) is a world-leading research university specializing in engineering science & technology. The Department of Electrical Engineering is responsible for research and education in Electrical Engineering. The discipline covers technologies and electrical phenomena involved in computer engineering, information processing, energy transfer and telecommunication. The department strives for societal relevance through an emphasis on the fields of smart sustainable systems, the connected world and care & cure. The TU/e is the world’s best-performing research university in terms of research cooperation with industry (#1 since 2009).

The Electrical Energy Systems (EES) group has a strong research line on Pulsed Power Technology, which is the topic that deals with the generation of the short high-voltage pulses. By generating very short high-voltage pulses, we can produce chemically active electrical discharges (plasmas). These plasmas can then be employed for environmental applications, such as air or water purification or to “activate” water, which gives the water disinfecting and fertilizing properties. Other uses for plasma are medical (wound disinfection, wound healing acceleration) and surface treatment of materials (etching, deposition of layers, surface modification, etc.). Pulsed Power Technology is practiced at several world-recognized institutes around the world. One of these top institutes is the EES group at Eindhoven University of Technology.

In EES’ High-Voltage laboratory (a 14x14x8m Faraday cage) we work on (nanosecond) high-voltage pulse source design, plasmas, pulsed power applications and all the intermediate steps in the process. Our main focus is on the development of nanosecond pulsed high-voltage circuits that generate pulses from several kV to hundreds of kV and from less than one nanosecond duration to pulses of several hundreds of nanoseconds duration.

Job requirements

We are looking for candidates that match the following profile:

• A PhD degree in Electrical Engineering with a specialization in pulsed power, high-voltage engineering and/or power electronics and some knowledge in practical mechanical engineering. Knowledge on solid-state pulsed power systems is preferred.
• Experience with working in a lab environment. For this project it is important that you feel comfortable working with high voltage, but also that you can design and implement prototypes and research setups in the lab, preferably having experience with PCB design.
• Be able bridge the gap between fundamental concepts and theories on the one hand, and practical implementation and evaluation of these concepts on the other hand.
• A team player that enjoys working in multidisciplinary teams.
• Good communication and organization skills.
• Excellent English language skills (writing and presenting).

Conditions of employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for 2 years.
• Salary in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale 10 (min. €3,877 max. €5,090).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs on general skills, didactics and topics related to research and valorization.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• Partially paid parental leave and an allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A TU/e Postdoc Association that helps you to build a stronger and broader academic and personal network, and offers tailored support, training and workshops.
• A Staff Immigration Team is available for international candidates, as are a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) and a compensation for moving expenses.

Information and application

About us

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

Information

Do you recognize yourself in this profile and would you like to know more?
Please contact the hiring manager, dr.ir. T. Huiskamp, t.huiskamp@tue.nl.

Visit our website for more information about the application process or the conditions of employment. You can also contact HR Services Flux, hrservices.flux@tue.nl.

Are you inspired and would like to know more about working at TU/e? Please visit our career page.

Application

We invite you to submit a complete application using the apply-button.
The application should include a:

• Cover letter in which you describe your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of your publications and the contact information of three references.
• List of five self-selected ‘best publications’.

We look forward to receiving your application and will screen it as soon as possible. The vacancy will remain open until the position is filled.