PhD in Life Cycle Assessment and Resource Efficiency of Lignin-Based Materials University of Bayreuth in Germany

University of Bayreuth is advertising a funded PhD position for a Doctoral Researcher (m/f/d) in Life Cycle Assessment and Resource Efficiency of Lignin-Based Materials within the project LignUp.

The project explores how lignin, a waste stream from the pulp and paper industry, can be transformed into porous carbon materials for batteries, supercapacitors, and adsorbents for critical metal recovery and water treatment. The doctoral researcher will focus on assessing the environmental impacts and resource efficiency of these lignin-based materials and on analysing environmental and policy pathways for a transition to bio-based materials.

The position is embedded in a consortium led by Friedrich Schiller University Jena and involving partners such as Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Hochschule Nordhausen, Fraunhofer IKTS, and the University of Bayreuth. The Chair of Ecological Resource Technology at Bayreuth works on modelling, simulation, and evaluation of global material cycles, with emphasis on industrial ecology, raw material criticality assessment, material flow analysis, and life cycle assessment.

Research keywords: Life Cycle Assessment, Resource Efficiency, Lignin-Based Materials, Circular Economy, Environmental Policy, Material Flow Analysis, Bio-based Materials, Sustainability, Industrial Ecology.

Eligibility highlights: a very good or good master's degree in engineering, natural sciences, or a related field; preference for candidates with experience in LCA, material flow analysis, bio-based materials, circular economy, OpenLCA, Brightway, ecoinvent, or Python; English C1 and German A2 are required, with motivation to improve German further.

Funding: the position is funded for 3 years by the Carl Zeiss Foundation under its Breakthrough programme, with TV-L E13 salary and full-time employment. The offer also includes mentoring, international connections, and graduate school training.

Application window: apply online by 30 June 2026 using the keyword “ÖRT LignUp”. Required documents include a motivation letter, summary of the master’s thesis, CV, and certificates.

Contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Helbig, University of Bayreuth, [email protected].