PhD position: High-Throughput Development of Chemical Conversion Treatment for Light Metals Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon in Germany

PhD opportunity in high-throughput chemical conversion treatments for light metals at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Germany. The Department of Electrochemistry and Big Data at Hereon is offering a 3-year PhD position (part-time, 19.5 h/week) in Geesthacht near Hamburg. The project sits at the intersection of chemistry, electrochemistry, materials science, automation, and machine learning, with a strong focus on developing environmentally friendly chemical conversion coatings for aluminium and magnesium alloys.

Research focus: Aluminium and magnesium alloys are essential for lighter vehicles, aircraft, drones, and consumer products, but they must be reliably protected against corrosion. Chemical conversion coatings are highly effective for corrosion protection and paint adhesion, yet new formulations are still often discovered by trial and error. In this project, you will help develop accelerated screening methods for these coatings and translate them into automated workflows on an existing robotic high-throughput platform. You will work closely with computational scientists to generate machine-readable datasets for AI-assisted discovery and use the results to uncover mechanisms of adhesion promotion and corrosion protection.

What you will do: Develop and validate experimental methods; implement them in robotic high-throughput workflows; collaborate on large FAIR datasets; derive design rules for next-generation coatings; publish in leading journals; present at international conferences; and contribute to project reports and open data.

Training and environment: Hereon offers access to state-of-the-art robotic laboratories and unique scientific infrastructure, as well as a large international research and industry network. The position is linked to a doctorate awarded by Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), Hereon’s partner university. The institute emphasizes corrosion protection concepts and functional coatings, closely combining experimental development with modelling and artificial intelligence.

Eligibility highlights: Applicants should hold a master’s degree in chemistry, electrochemistry, materials science, computational materials science, or a closely related field. Strong laboratory skills, quantitative data analysis, and familiarity with corrosion protection are important. Experience with electronic lab notebooks, FAIR data, databases, or machine learning is desirable. Very good English is required; German is preferred but not mandatory.

Funding and benefits: The role is funded as a research position with remuneration up to EG 13 (public service collective agreement). Hereon also supports conferences, summer schools, courses, research stays, flexible working, and various staff benefits, including holiday allowance and family-friendly support.

Application deadline: 03 November 2026, 23:59 (Europe/Berlin). Applicants should submit a full application package, including cover letter, CV, transcripts, and certificates, and reference number 1077.