Job Offer from April 15, 2024
The Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung is part of the Max-Planck Society and carries out basic research in chemistry. It was the scientific home of notable chemists such as Karl Ziegler, Franz Fischer, and Günther Wilke, and remains at the forefront of chemical catalysis research today.
The group of “Metal-Organic Framework and Alloy Nanoparticle Catalysis” is looking for an enthusiastic
PhD student (f/m/d)
in catalysis with supported metal phosphides
The Neumann group is dedicated to the development of catalyst design beyond the active site. We are interested in designing smart support materials by precision engineering the distances between active sites, metal-support interactions, and exerting control over the chemistry of the extended environment surrounding the active site.
Job description:
We are looking for a PhD student to join our team in the area of transition metal catalysis with non-noble metal phosphide nanoparticles. We are interested in exploring to what extent transition metal phosphides can match or exceed the performance of scarce noble metals in catalysis to enable more sustainable chemical production.
Qualification:
Ideal candidates should have
- [required]: a Masters degree in chemistry and prior experience in material synthesis or catalysis
- a solid theoretical foundation in organic, inorganic and coordination chemistry, as well as chemical catalysis
- good English language and communication skills
- dedication to learning new skills and an eagerness to explore the unknown
What we offer:
- Funding for the PhD positions will be provided for 3 years, with potential for extension. PhD salaries are based on a collective bargaining agreement and correspond to 67% of the E13 pay grade (see https://oeffentlicher-dienst.info/tvoed/bund/)
- The interdisciplinary nature of the work ensures a multi-faced training experience, and makes this PhD position a great foundation for future careers in different subfields of chemistry
- Benefit from the institute’s excellent service departments and workshops that have expertise in a wide range of experimental techniques and can build custom equipment
- The working language of the group is English, scientific events at the institute are in English and administrative information/e-mails are provided in both English and German. No German language skills are required for the position, but candidates who wish to learn German for personal reasons can profit from subsidized language courses.
- be part of a great team of scientists and participate in the active intellectual and social life of the group, the department, and the institute
- We actively welcome applicants from underrepresented groups. Resources to support persons with disabilities (https://www.kofo.mpg.de/863803/Representative-of-Disabled-Persons), those caring for young children (https://www.kofo.mpg.de/863609/Kinderbetreuung), and PhD students in general (https://www.kofo.mpg.de/863770/PhD-Representative) are available.
- Members of the group can plan their working hours in a flexible manner.
The position is available as of November 1st 2024, but the start date can be negotiated based on the availability of the candidate.
Applications:
All applications received until June 1st will be considered. Please send your letter of motivation and CV to Dr. Constanze Neumann via email (neumann@kofo.mpg.de) with the subject line “Application - MOF catalysis”. Shortlisted candidates will be asked to provide contact information for two referees.