Stephen Picken

PhD opportunity at Delft University of Technology in the Department of Chemical Engineering, within the BIO-Skin consortium (Bio-Inspired Outer Surfaces to Kool, Insulate and Nurture), led by TU Delft. The project focuses on biobased polymer–nanoclay composites for sustainable building materials . The research aims to develop circular, biobased, and biophilic building components using waste-based, biodegradable polymer matrices produced by Calayda and Recell, then incorporating them into nanoclay structures to tailor performance for building applications. Key research activities include understanding the stability, composition, and properties of the biobased polymers and characterising them using analytical and spectroscopic techniques such as NMR , GPC/SEC , rheology , and thermal analysis . The work will support the design of sustainable composite materials with application-oriented properties. The position is a fully funded 4-year PhD under the supervision of Dr. Tessel Bouwens , Prof. Stephen Picken , and Prof. Rienk Eelkema . Most research will be carried out in the Department of Chemical Engineering at TU Delft, with collaboration across and beyond the university. The vacancy is open now. Applicants should submit their application via the provided Microsoft Forms link. For more information, contact Dr. Tessel Bouwens at [email protected] .