PhD opportunities in polymer science

Ghent University invites applications for a PhD position focused on the reaction kinetics of lignin depolymerization. The research aims to elucidate the kinetics and mechanisms of ultra-fast, non-catalytic lignin depolymerization processes, with the goal of developing a comprehensive kinetic model to optimize product selectivity and process performance. Unlike conventional approaches, this project investigates a novel strategy operating on extremely short time scales without catalysts, leading t...

Ghent University, a leading institution in Belgium, invites applications for a full-time PhD position in the Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, specifically within the Sustainable Systems Engineering (STEN) group. This opportunity is part of an EU-funded project focused on the sustainability assessment and value chain optimisation of novel cellulose-based flexible packaging materials. The project aims to address the urgent need to replace conventional fossil-based packaging with susta...

Ghent University invites applications for a full-time doctoral fellowship in the Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, focusing on advanced sensing methodologies for polymer recycling. The position is based in the Laboratory for Circular Process Engineering (LCPE) on the Kortrijk campus, supervised by Prof. Pieter Nachtergaele and Prof. Steven De Meester. The research group is dynamic, comprising 22 PhD students, 3 postdocs, and 4 technicians, and is renowned for its work on chemical eng...

This PhD project at Monash University Malaysia tackles the urgent environmental challenge posed by single-use plastic waste, focusing on food packaging and cutlery. Malaysia's oil palm industry generates vast amounts of empty fruit bunch (EFB) biomass, which remains underutilized for sustainable applications. The research aims to develop a fully compostable biocomposite by combining polylactic acid (PLA), cellulose extracted from oil palm EFB, and clay, targeting the production of eco-friendly c...

This PhD project at Monash University Malaysia focuses on developing biodegradable polymer-based hydrogels for the efficient capture and preservation of latent DNA and trace biomarkers from touch and trace evidence. Trace biological residues, such as sweat and epithelial cells, are valuable for forensic investigations but are often difficult to recover using conventional methods like swabbing, which can result in low efficiency and sample degradation. The research aims to design tunable hydrogel...

This PhD project at Monash University Malaysia tackles the urgent environmental challenge posed by single-use plastic waste, especially in food packaging and cutlery. Malaysia generates abundant oil palm biomass, particularly empty fruit bunches (EFB), yet its potential for conversion into biodegradable materials is largely untapped. The research aims to develop a fully compostable biocomposite using polylactic acid (PLA), oil palm EFB-derived cellulose, and clay, targeting the creation of eco-f...

This PhD project at Monash University Malaysia focuses on developing biodegradable polymer-based hydrogels for the efficient capture and preservation of latent DNA and trace biomarkers from touch and trace evidence. Trace biological residues, such as sweat and epithelial cells, are valuable for forensic investigations but are often difficult to recover using conventional swabbing methods, which can result in low efficiency and sample degradation or contamination. The research aims to design tuna...

Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) is advertising open research opportunities in the Department of Chemistry with Professor Peng Ren. The positions span postdoc , PhD , and master’s level recruitment, with the main research themes centered on Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) , homogeneous catalysis , organometallic chemistry , and metal-catalyzed polymerization . The group highlights work on MOFs for gas adsorption, catalysis, sensing, functional polymers, and related materials chemistry t...

Funded opportunities are available for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in bio-based materials and textiles. The post highlights a second selection of openings across Europe, the UK, and Australia, with research themes spanning natural fibre over-moulding, lignin-based textiles, plant-fibre cement, algae building materials, cellulose injection moulding, barrier cellulosic packaging, native British wool futures, bio-based facades, sustainable acoustic composites, biobased materials and f...