Ghent University is a world of its own. Employing more than 8,000 people, it is actively involved in education and research, management and administration, as well as technical and social service provision on a daily basis. It is one of the largest, most exciting employers in the area and offers great career opportunities. With its 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offering state-of-the-art study programmes grounded in research in a wide range of academic fields, Ghent University is a logical choice for its staff and students.
JOB DESCRIPTION
We welcome applications for a research associate within the Research Group Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN) of the Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, UGent. The research associate will be involved in the activities of the Direct Recycling of Lithium-Ion Batteries (RecyLIB).
A short summary of the RecyLIB project:
RecyLIB is a EU co-funded project (Ghent University is funded by FWO), coordinated by Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC (Germany) with the aim to further develop a novel process chain of direct recycling of Lithium-ion batteries with subsequent reintegration
of the recovered electrode material into new electrodes via melt manufacturing processes and the performance evaluation in battery cells. The contribution of this concept to a circular value chain will also be assessed. The project team is composed by four partners (including Ghent University) and two consortium associate organizations, with expertise from academia and industry.
The project consists of five work packages (WP) but the role of the STEN research group is mainly in WP4 – Sustainability assessment, which is organized into three tasks to assess the following aspects: 4.1) Socio-environmental impacts; 4.2) Circularity of (critical) raw materials; 4.3) Social acceptance towards raw materials supply. The applicant is expected to work on these tasks within the RecyLIB project.
YOUR TASKS
- At least 70% of your assignment will be spent on academic research;
- Perform data collection to support the development of life cycle assessment (LCA) and circularity assessment of metals. The LCA data will be mainly provided by the project team but it may need to be complemented with available literature;
- Collect qualitative social data to assess the social impacts of battery cell (re)manufacturing and recycling;
- Support the development of the LCA and social hotspot analysis focusing on the recovered materials;
- Support the selection of representative indicators to assess the circularity of recycled materials as well as support the circularity assessment itself;
- Support the development of a public opinion survey to better understand the social perception regarding the use of raw materials in Lithium-ion batteries and their recycling;
- Support the writing of reports, scientific articles and dissemination of results (e.g. conferences);
- Participation in meetings and activities related to the projects and to the STEN research group.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
- You hold a master’s degree in environmental engineering, bioscience engineering, chemical engineering, environmental science, environmental technology or equivalent. The degree requirements must be met at the start of the appointment;
- You have an interest in scientific research;
- You can operate both independently and in a multidisciplinary team;
- You have organisational/managerial skills and are highly motivated;
- You have good writing and presentation skills;
- You master the English language, written and orally, in an academic context;
- Having experience with quantitative and/or qualitative research is essential;
- Additional plus points:
- You have experience with LCA software such as openLCA, Gabi, SimaPro, etc. and (social) LCA databases (e.g. ecoinvent, PSILCA);
- You have experience with the development and comparison of different scenarios;
- You have experience with metal recovery and circularity assessment.
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
- We offer you a contract of definite duration for the period from 1/07/2022 to 30/06/2024.
- Your contract will start on 1/07/2022 at the earliest.
- Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale WM1 to WM4 (if you hold a Master’s degree) or salary scale PD1 to PD4 (if you hold a doctorate).
- All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers.
INTERESTED?
Apply online through the e-recruitment system before the 28th of June 2022. We do not accept late applications or applications that are not submitted through the online system.
Your application must include the following documents:
- In the field ‘CV’: your CV and an overview of your study results (merged into one pdf file)
- In the field ‘Cover letter’: your application letter in pdf format
- In the field ‘Diploma’: a transcript of the required degree (if already in your possession). If you have a foreign diploma in a language other than our national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the mentioned languages.
- In the field “other documents”: a reference letter, an overview of your study results, etc.
Note that the maximum file size for each field is 10 MB.
As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.
MORE INFORMATION
For more information about this vacancy, please contact Prof. Jo Dewulf (jo.dewulf@UGent.be, +32(0)9/ 264 59 49). Important: do NOT send your application by email, but apply online.
→ Apply before 28/06/2022 (DD/MM/YYYY) 23:59 (Brussels Time)
→ Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
→ Department: BW24 – Groene Chemie en Technologie
→ Occupancy rate:100%
→ Number of positions: 1
→ Type of employment: Contract of limited duration
→ Term of assignment: 01/07/2022 until 30/06/2024
→ Wage scale: WM1 to WM4 (master degree or doctoral decree)
→ Required diploma: Master or PhD