PhD and Postdoc Openings in Sustainable Plastics Recycling, Thermodynamics, and Circular Carbon Systems at ETH Zurich ETH Zurich in Switzerland

ETH Zurich’s Energy and Process Systems Engineering (EPSE) Group, led by Prof. André Bardow, is recruiting for three research positions within the ERC Advanced Grant DISC3Lab. The project aims to build a validated discovery loop for sustainable chemical processes, with a strong focus on solvent-based plastics recycling, circular carbon systems, and technologies that operate within planetary boundaries.

Open positions:

• PhD in Automated Laboratory for Plastic Recycling — experimental work on thermophysical properties, phase equilibria, transport processes, microfluidics, laser spectroscopy, and algorithm-driven lab automation.
• PhD in Predicting Thermodynamics and Processes for Circular Carbon Plastics — development of thermodynamically consistent predictive methods, hybrid physics/data-driven models, machine learning, and conceptual process design for recycling systems.
• Postdoc in Towards a Circular Plastics Economy within the Planetary Boundaries — systems analysis of future chemical and plastic industry pathways, including recycling, carbon capture and utilization (CCU), biomass utilization, techno-economic assessment, life cycle assessment, and mathematical optimization.

Institution: ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland. All positions are full-time and start as early as 1 October 2026.

Eligibility highlights: PhD applicants should have an excellent Master’s or diploma in chemical engineering, process engineering, mechanical engineering, energy science & technology, physical chemistry, or a related field. Experimental experience is preferred for the automated lab role; ML and thermophysical-property prediction experience are preferred for the predictive modeling role. The postdoc requires a doctoral degree in a relevant engineering field and strong experience in conceptual process design, simulation, LCA, alternative carbon sources, and programming.

Application: Apply via the ETH job portal only. Required documents include a CV, motivational letter, transcript of records, and contact details of two referees. The deadline is 7 August 2026. Questions can be directed to Dr. Emiliano Casati at [email protected] or [email protected].

Research themes and keywords: thermodynamics, process systems engineering, chemical engineering, plastics recycling, circular economy, machine learning, microfluidics, spectroscopy, life cycle assessment, techno-economic assessment, process design, sustainable chemical processes.