Postdoctoral and PhD Opportunities in Sonochemical CO2 Conversion and Catalytic Reactor Engineering at University of Oxford

The University of Oxford, under the leadership of Associate Professor James Kwan, is offering exciting opportunities for two postdoctoral researchers and one DPhil (PhD) student as part of the EPSRC Open Fellowship project titled SonoNetZero. This research initiative focuses on the scale-up, cavitation monitoring, and technoeconomic analysis of sonochemical conversion of CO2 into valuable chemicals, aiming to address climate change by reducing industrial CO2 emissions. The project will engineer scalable catalytic sonochemical reactors to convert waste CO2 from the chemicals industry into useful products such as syngas, hydrocarbons, and alcohols. The research will advance catalytic sonochemistry, demonstrate the application of net negative CO2 conversion technology, and assess its economic and environmental impact. The fellowship, valued at over £2.1 million, provides full funding for two postdoctoral research assistants (PDRAs) and one DPhil student over five years. One PDRA will focus on developing scalable sonochemical reactors and cavitation monitoring techniques, while the other will work on novel catalytic cavitation agents and understanding sonochemical reaction kinetics. The DPhil student will bridge research efforts, stress test the scalable reactor, conduct performance benchmarking, and study the economic and financial feasibility of the technology. Applicants should have a strong background in chemical engineering, chemistry, or related fields. Experience in reactor design, high-powered ultrasound hardware, cavitation monitoring, or technoeconomic analysis is highly desirable. The positions offer an excellent opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge research in sustainable chemistry and environmental engineering at one of the world's leading institutions. Interested candidates should monitor the University of Oxford careers page and Professor Kwan's lab announcements for official job postings. For more information, visit the provided links or follow Professor Kwan on LinkedIn.