PRR Project

Summary

Water scarcity is now a reality even in regions previously considered water-rich, due to rising demand and impacts of climate change. United Nations identified the provision of safe water for all as the 6th Sustainable Development Goal, greatly dependent on treatment technologies improvement, including desalination to allow the use of the most abundant water global source. The hiring and host institutions, FCUL/DQB and CQE/FCUL, have strategic plans dedicated to the water-related societal challenges in line with EU’s policies aiming to restore clean water and ensure its long-term sustainable use.We are seeking for a highly motivated researcher with a solid background in ‘Materials Chemistry and Adsorption Processes’, with expertise in developing carbon adsorbent materials for advanced water and wastewater treatments ((W)WT). The ideal candidate must have a strong know-how both in synthesis and characterization of activated carbons, demonstrating the performance in industrially relevant environments targeting scale-up and technology transfer opportunities.This job profile will consolidate the field of Advanced Materials for Water at CQE/DQB/FCUL, with a focus on engineered carbon-based materials for advanced (W)WT by adsorption, capacitive deionization and photocatalysis, aligned with MATChem & GREENChem CQE thematic lines.This job position in Materials Chemistry is focused on achieving the following objectives:i) Advanced materials for water: Activated carbons (ACs) adsorption is one of the best available technologies for pharmaceutical compounds & per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, ‘forever chemicals’) removal in (W)WT and ACs are also among the best performing electrode materials for capacitive deionization (CDI), a low-energy intensive desalination process. However, sustainable use of ACs in full-scale (W)WT calls for engineered ACs and their integration in hybrid processes, e.g. membranes, to meet the increasing water quality standards. On the other hand, there is a lack of research of CDI from the perspective of electrode carbon materials. Solar-light-responsive photocatalysis is other hot topic in (W)WT. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is a promising metal-free photocatalyts and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) can be used as doping agents to enhance (photo)activity of semiconductors or of AC-based composites. The hired researcher must have demonstrated scientific knowledge in carbonization and activation processes, as well as on ACs engineering to improve tech-oriented performance and longer life cycle, overcoming the bottlenecks of commercial products. The ideal candidate should also have experience in synthesizing and photocatalytic performance evaluation of materials for advanced (W)WT.ii) Collaboration network: The hired researcher should identify key partnerships namely for future applications to competitive funding calls. Potential partners include (W)WT related engineers, researchers in energy storage with supercapacitors and/or which can integrate carbon materials production in the biorefinery concept, and soil scientists working in biochar soil amendment strategies to improve water retention, crops yield and quality.iii) Applied vision: The urgency to reach the next generation (W)WT technologies calls for scale-up oriented research targeting full-scale processes to solve real-world problems. The hired researcher is expected to explore cost-effective and sustainable materials & processes. Previous participation in knowledge transfer and commercialization activities, and patents/prizes, will be highly appreciated.The researcher is expected to contribute to the mission and activities of the hiring and host institutions (FCUL/DQB & CQE/FCUL) including: (i) Advanced training responsibilities - MSc/PhD students supervision; Participation in jury committees; (ii) Attracting funds; (iii) Collaborate in management; (iv) Outreach and dissemination activities, impact on society: Organizing and attending public events, managing social media, and communicating with the public.The candidate should possess a solid inter- and multidisciplinary research leadership supported on a strong publication record (> 13 WoS-indexed papers in the last 5 years, being corresp. author in at least 5; from the total papers > 60 % Q1 & > 30 % Top 10; h-index > 24; > 2000 cit.), invited keynotes in international forums. Experience in supervising MSc students, post-docs, and PhD students’ internships. Strong commitment to the scientific community in the decision-making processes in the related areas (e.g. international grants evaluation and academic jury committees), and management experience (e.g. PI in > 300 k€ project). A proactive approach to secure (inter)national funding and to establish collaborations with relevant (inter)national partners (academy & industry).