We are looking for two candidates for Ph.D. fellowship application in the field of chemistry, material science, and cement science, in a close collaboration between PSI, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) and UniBern in Switzerland. The two Ph.D. fellows will mainly work at PSI and will be registered at UniBern.
1、Supervisors
- Dr. Bin Ma (PSI, Switzerland), Main Supervisor, Project PI
- Prof. Dr. Barbara Lothenbach (Empa & UniBern, Switzerland), Academic advisor
- Prof. Dr. Sergey Churakov (PSI & UniBern, Switzerland), Academic advisor
2、Context
Cement-based stabilization/solidification (S/S) is a low-cost and efficient technology to encapsulate hazardous wastes through physical entrapment and chemical immobilization. In particular, chemical sorption followed by a reductive precipitation is considered an enormously efficient S/S mechanism regarding redox-sensitive toxic anions. In the Mg-rich cements, hydrotalcite has been commonly identified as an important hydration product and expected to be an enormously promising scavenger for toxic anions in the S/S. In presence of various iron sources in S/S, Fe-doped hydrotalcites, with FeII/III structurally incorporated into the Mg-Al main octahedral layer, can form and bind redox-sensitive toxic anions via both anion exchange and chemical reduction mechanisms efficiently. However, fundamental molecular-scale understanding on the chemical behavior of FeII/III-hydrotalcite is still lacking but essential. This research project is divided into two subprojects, which will be carried out by two PhD students, respectively. It is expected that the outcome of this project will significantly advance our knowledge on Fe-hydrotalcites in various disciplines of cement chemistry, civil engineering, geochemistry, material science, and environmental science, considering the widespread occurrence of Mg-Al LDHs and iron-containing phases.
欧洲顶尖研究机构，瑞士四大联邦院所，PSI同属于ETH Domain，是瑞士顶级学术科研平台。
研究方向：铁掺杂水滑石的合成和氧化还原行为研究
研究手段：氧化还原敏感的分子探针、电化学反应池、热力学模拟、分子模拟和原位同步辐射表征
3、Benefits
The two students are expected to spend the most research time at PSI (Switzerland) and to partly work at Empa and UniBern. At the end of the Ph.D. period, the candidates will acquire a detailed experience on the formation and decomposition processes of Fe-doped hydrotalcites in redox, kinetics and thermodynamics, on electrochemical manipulations, on in-situ synchrotron-based characterizations, on in-situ time-resolved high-resolution electron spectroscopy techniques, and on molecular simulations. She/He will increase her/his knowledge on cement chemistry, material science, analytical chemistry, electrochemistry, and spectroscopy. The candidates will participate to several national and international conferences, and are expected to publish its results in peer-reviewed international scientific journals.
博士职位描述：4年制，最理想2023年初入学，全奖博士，薪酬待遇优厚（四年工资不低于210k瑞士法郎，约155万人民币），伯尔尼大学学位，课题研究主要在PSI，与瑞士四大联邦院所：EPFL，Empa，ETH Zürich 有紧密合作，世界级合作者众多。
4、Requirements
The candidates must have a Master degree, with her/his Bachelor or Master degree in Chemistry, Material science, Physical-chemistry or Cement chemistry obtained before the beginning of the Ph.D. thesis (February to April 2023). The candidates will be offered a competitive salary. The duration of the Ph.D. thesis is 4 years. Candidates must have experimental capabilities for laboratory experiments, and must be able to work within an international and multidisciplinary team. She/He must have good communication skills and speak English fluently.
职位要求：
硕士学位；
本科或硕士为化学，材料学，水泥化学，环境科学，同步辐射谱学等相关背景；
有一定发文章基础；
英语流利（无具体成绩和等级要求，但需得到面试时导师的认可）；积极向上；善于沟通合作。
5、Contact
Applications including curriculum vitae and statement of interest should be sent to:
Dr. Bin Ma
Paul Scherrer Institut
Forschungsstrasse 111
5232 Villigen PSI
Schweiz
Telefon: +41 56 310 43 13
E-Mail: bin.ma@psi.ch
The sooner, the better!
如感兴趣，请从速联系马宾（PSI终身制研究员，项目PI）：bin.ma@psi.ch 。注：请在邮件中附上简历。
招到足够满意的候选人后即终止招聘。请感兴趣得各位学子积极联系！
