PhD scholarship in Terahertz Spectroscopy for Sustainable Maritime Coatings – DTU Chemical Engineering

Are you looking for an interdisciplinary PhD topic, bridging disciplines such as colloids and interfaces, polymer chemistry, data science, and photonic devices? Then we invite you to apply for this exiting project, a collaboration between DTU Electro and DTU Chemical Engineering. You will push the boundaries of state-of-the-art terahertz spectroscopy and explore its application in the characterization of maritime coatings. You will measure the film thickness of wet and cured coatings, investigate the coating drying and curing dynamics, and detect rust hidden below the coating film.

Your work on terahertz spectroscopy will be supported by leading researchers at DTU Electro, not just building or optimizing the hardware but also tuning the data processing and analyses algorithms. The coating formulation, production, and testing will be done at the Hempel Foundation Coatings Science and Technology Research Center (CoaST), which is part of DTU Chemical Engineering. Here, you will have the chance to work in recently established state-of-the-art laboratories (visit https://virtual.kt.dtu.dk/CoaST-labs/

 for a virtual tour) while being supported by world-class scientists.

Responsibilities and qualifications

Your overall focus will be on the advancement of terahertz spectroscopy for contactless coating characterization. This will require a very practical and hands-on mentality while also being able to gain a deep fundamental understanding of the underlying physics. The generated data sets need to be processed to reduce noise, fit models to the data, and infer film thicknesses and coating defect information from the raw data. Besides, you will work with functional coatings, requiring independent laboratory work such as the formulation of coatings, coating application, and the characterization of the films by various methods. Here, you will also need a good understanding of the various processes, such as pigment dispersion, solvent evaporation, polymer crosslinking, rheology, and diffusion processes. A successful applicant should have the following qualifications:

• A strong foundation in an Engineering discipline, such as Chemical or Mechanical Engineering 
• Knowledge in Python programming and basic data processing
• Highly motivated and self-driven while also working well in a team
• Experience in working in a chemical engineering laboratory would be an advantage
• Knowledge in some of the topics in the above paragraph would be an advantage

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree.

Your responsibilities will be:

• Dissemination of your scientific work in research articles and at conferences
• Supervision of BSc and MSc student projects
• It is mandatory for DTU PhDs to complete at least 300 h of teaching assistant work
• A PhD at DTU includes 30 ECTS in course work

Approval and Enrolment 

The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education

. 

Assessment

The assessment of the applicants will be made by Kim Dam-Johansen, Jochen Dreyer, and Simon Jappe Lange based on the application documents, alignment of the candidate with the mentioned qualifications, and the impressions during the interview.

We offer

DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms 

The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. 

The period of employment is 3 years. The starting date for this full-time PhD position is expected to be in the Autumn of 2024. 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here http://www.dtu.dk/english/about/job-and-career/working-at-dtu/career-paths.

Further information 

Further information can be obtained from Jochen Dreyer (jodrekt.dtu.dk

) and Simon Jappe Lange (slladtu.dk

).

You can read more about DTU Chemical Engineering and CoaST at www.kt.dtu.dk/english. To take a virtual tour of the CoaST labs, visit https://virtual.kt.dtu.dk/CoaST-labs/

. Information about DTU Electro can be found at www.electro.dtu.dk.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark

. Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar

” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU. 

Application procedure 

Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 9 August 2024 (23:59 Danish time)

. Applications must be submitted as one PDF fil

e containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file

. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

The Hempel Foundation Coatings Science and Technology Centre (CoaST)

was established at the Technical University of Denmark, DTU, as per 1 January 2017, based on a generous donation by the Hempel Foundation. CoaST Research Centre supports the development, production and use of high-performance organic coatings. Working along the whole value chain, CoaST research activities cover organic, polymer-based coating technologies from raw materials over formulation, test and characterization to production and application.

The Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at DTU

is a leader in innovative teaching and research, built on core technical subjects and engineering scientific disciplines. The teaching and research cover separation processes, reaction engineering, dynamics and process regulation, process and facility planning, unit operations, heat transmission, fluid mechanics and applied thermodynamics. The Department enjoys very close relations with international partners, and especially a wide range of industrial companies. 

DTU Electro

has 350 employees with competences in photonics and electronics. Research is conducted within many aspects of photonics and electronics incl. ultra-high speed optical transmission systems, advanced communication technology, and coding for these.

Technology for people

DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.