PhD openings

Preliminary announcement inviting Expressions of Interest

PhD in Physics: opening for the MOJITO Project

Location: University of Bologna, Ravenna Campus (Italy)

Are you a master graduate interested in devising a revolutionary recipe for a cocktail that combines microwaves, dielectric properties, CO₂, sustainability and innovative materials?

Then apply to the PhD opening we offer in the framework of the MOJITO EIC Challenge Project, to conduct research on low-carbon lime production with an innovative process combining a mix of limestone and powdered carbonized materials heated by microwaves, to increase the energy efficiency of the process and sequester CO₂. 

University of Bologna PhD programme offers you a unique opportunity to join a team of professionals working together in aninternational and multicultural environment.

You will profit of flexible working arrangements to help balance research with personal life: besides working in the Marina di Ravenna Research Centre located near the Adriatic Coast, you are also offered the possibility to telework up to 20% per week from a distance reachable to Marina di Ravenna within approximately 2 hours. Such conditions will allow you to enjoy working not only from home, but also in Florence, Venice, the Apennine Mountains or in the historic town of Bologna.

We are looking for a researcher able to contribute ideas and innovation, with one or more of the following tasks:

• contributing to the design, realize, production and improvement of research devices;
• contributing to the definition, in close integration with the design of production processes and application results, of research steps and related treatment cycles; 
• contributing to the definition of operating parameters and to the calculation of yields and output quality
• performing laboratory analyses on powdered carbonized materials (biochar, graphite, activated carbons, etc.) and treated matrices, identifying new methodologies and predicting properties.
• contributing to understanding the results of the analyses and the implications for the improvement of the research process; 
• contributing to adapting the experimental equipment with possible recourse to external resources: selection and management of purchases of material goods or services;
• suggesting solutions for the continuous improvement of the technological process;
• contributing to managing problems relating to experimentation and plant operation;
•  applying and being able to enforce occupational safety regulations.

The PhD student will have tasks closely integrated with the work team. In particular, the student will liaise with the staff in charge of research strategies and with the administrative offices for purchasing and occupational safety. Outside the research team, the student will communicate the research project in International Conferences. 

The key qualities to join this call are: 

• sound understanding of materials properties, including dielectric properties, thermal properties, microstructure and its influence on material behavior
• familiarity with electromagnetic wave propagation, microwave interactions with materials (e.g., absorption, reflection, transmission)
• knowledge of heat transfer mechanisms (e.g., conduction, convection, radiation), temperature measurement and control techniques
• ability to develop and apply theoretical models to predict material behavior under microwave irradiation and interpret and validate simulation results against experimental data
• level of English: C1

Desirable qualities of the PhD student are:

• knowledge of Maxwell's equations and their application to electromagnetic problems; knowledge of basic techniques: mechanics, electronics, IT; thermal modeling and simulation (e.g., finite element methods),
• experience with microwave heating systems (e.g., magnetrons, wave guides), material characterization techniques (e.g., dielectric spectroscopy, thermal analysis; use of computational tools (e.g., COMSOL, ANSYS) for simulation and analysis; data acquisition and analysis software (e.g., LabVIEW, MATLAB)
• knowledge of and experience in the implementation of experimental devices
• sound preparation in chemistry and/or industrial chemistry and/or engineering
• practical knowledge of or experience in the realization of experimental devices for limestone calcination
• analyzing complex problems and developing creative solutions 
• communicating technical results and ideas effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences

In terms of master's degrees and university programs, the following master's degree are preferred:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Electrical Engineering (with a focus on electromagnetics or microwave engineering)
• Mechanical Engineering (with a focus on thermal engineering or energy systems)
• Physics (with a focus on physics of condensed matter, atoms and molecules or electromagnetism)
• Chemical Engineering (with a focus on process engineering or materials processing)

A monthly grant of € 1,200 will support your stay in Marina di Ravenna. In addition, mission reimbursement + € 10.000 for your participation and staying to international conferences and relevant programmes and training with associated partners, starting from year 2. 

Contact: diego.marazza@unibo.it

Group description and general research lines 

A group of 20 (physics, pedology, microbiology, chemistry, environmental science, environmental management) generating around 0,7M€/year turnover and dealing with soil carbon cycle, soil health, biomass treatment, (bio)remediation, regeneration, reuse and recycling of production waste for the development of new products. Recent activities include: study and modelling of carbon sequestration capacity through the use of vegetable chars (biochar) for carbon farming uses and carbon removal, P and N recovery, Fertiliser Product Regulation CMC 3,4,5,14, PFC 1,3,7 development, generation and application of second generation material-based carbons (also in combination with microbes), industrial microbiomes, study of methods for the mapping of residual biomass and waste, long-term experiments for the agronomic application of biochar and other carbon based substrates, soil quality indicators in a life cycle perspective. The research group operates  in the Ravenna Campus at the Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Waste and Energy at UniBO.

Flag project: RERCARB0N – Recovering and Regenerating technologies and materials towards net zero CO2 emissions