Post-doc | synthesis of degradable polymers | Faculty of Science and Engineering | 1.0 FTE

This project is a collaboration with Henkel, a German company active hair care products, detergents, fabric softeners and adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. The goal of the project is to make biodegradable polymers for stain removal.

The task of the post-doc is to synthesize monomers and polymers with stain removal activity. There will be a continuous feedback loop with the people from Henkel who will test the stain removal potential of the polymers, upon which the structure of the polymers will be further improved.

The post-doc will be appointed at the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials of Maastricht University, which is part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. You will work in the Sustainable Polymer Synthesis group of Associate Professor Katrien Bernaerts, which focusses on the synthesis and design of polymer materials with tunable properties and recyclability exploiting the functionality of biobased building blocks. You will operate from the Brightlands-Chemelot Campus in Geleen (Nl), where the labs are located.

Requirements:

The post-doc

• holds a PhD degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related fields;
• has skills in organic synthesis, purification and characterization;
• has skills in polymer synthesis and characterization. Experience with polycondensation is a pro;
• has a strong interest to investigate structure-property relationships of the synthesized polymers;
• is open to scale up polymers for application tests by industrial project partners;
• the candidate is expected to stay abreast of the recent literature (publications and patents) in the field, develop research ideas and valorize the research in the form of patents and research papers;
• likes to interact with an industrial partner;
• is result driven, inventive, creative, counts with potential impact, works ‘accountable’ and works with ownership;
• masters scientific English for speaking, reading, and writing. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.

Salary Benefits:

As a Post-doc at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, you will be employed by the most international university of the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is in grated in scale 11 according to the UFO profile Researcher, function level 3 with corresponding salary ranging from € 4.332 to € 5.929 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus are applicable.
• The full-time position is offered for 1 year. The post-doc should start as soon as possible.
• As Family-friendly University, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
• As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
• Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the Collective Bargaining Agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, Click here

30.4 - 38 hours per week

Urmonderbaan 22