PhD in Mechano-catalytic Conversion of Plastic Waste Utrecht University in Netherlands

Utrecht University is advertising a PhD position in mechano-catalytic conversion of plastic waste within the Mechano-Catalysis group at the Institute for Sustainable and Circular Chemistry (ISCC), Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry.

The project focuses on plastic recycling, polymer chemistry, mechano-catalysis, and heterogeneous catalysis. The successful candidate will work on developing low-temperature mechano-catalytic routes for resin recycling, enabling selective bond cleavage, and designing new surface-activated mechano-catalysts. The research includes operando spectroscopic methods and advanced analytical techniques such as EPR, SEC, Raman, IR, and TGA to study bond cleavage during ball milling.

This PhD is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions doctoral network Mecat and includes collaboration with external partners, including Fraunhofer WKI in Germany and WAB in Switzerland. The post is led by Dr. Ina Vollmer, Associate Professor at Utrecht University, whose group works on chemical conversion of polyolefins to valuable chemical building blocks using mechano-chemistry.

Eligibility highlights: applicants should hold an MSc degree in chemistry and ideally have experience or strong interest in catalysis, spectroscopy, mechano-chemistry, and/or polymer chemistry. Good English communication skills, creativity, teamwork, hands-on lab experience, and the ability to work independently in a multidisciplinary setting are emphasized.

Funding and conditions: the position is initially offered for 18 months and can be extended to a total of four years after positive assessment. The salary is €3,059–€3,881 gross per month for full-time employment, plus holiday pay, year-end bonus, pension, and other employment benefits under the Dutch university collective agreement.

Application deadline: 2 June 2026. Applicants should apply via the official portal and include a motivation letter, CV, and contact details for at least two references.