As a PhD candidate in the HyUSE project, you will have the unique opportunity to collaborate closely with industrial partners, leveraging their technical expertise to construct and operate experimental setups and contribute to the advancement of reversible solid oxide technology. The focus of the project lies in understanding and optimising the system's ability to work in fuel cell mode and transition between fuel cell and electrolyzer modes.

Your job
Your tasks and responsibilities will include:

• conceptualising and designing experimental setups based on provided guidelines, proficiency in interpreting Process Flow Diagrams (PFD) and Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID);
• working closely with the assembly team to efficiently construct the experimental setups;
• designing and executing a series of experiments to evaluate the performance of the system under various operational conditions, with a primary focus on fuel cell mode and limited extension to electrolyzer mode;
• collaborating effectively with project partners, including The Hague University of Applied Sciences;
• conducting rigorous performance tests on the system, analysing data, and validating its capabilities against specified requirements.

This project may be the right fit for you, if you have:

• a Master's degree in a relevant field such as Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Science, or Physics;
• the ability to collaborate effectively within a large consortium;
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Your suitability is even better exemplified if you have:

• a strong understanding of electrochemistry, solid oxide fuel cells, electrolyzers, and related technologies (this is highly desirable);
• familiarity with laboratory equipment and instrumentation used in performance testing and data analysis (this is an advantage);
• research experience in fuel cell/electrolyzer technologies (preferred);
• experience with experimental design, setup, and execution (preferred).

We offer:

• a position for one year, with an extension to a total of four years upon a successful assessment in the first year, and with the specific intent that it results in a doctorate within this period;
• a working week of 36 hours and a gross monthly salary between €2,770 and €3,539 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University has a number of schemes and facilities of its own for employees. This includes schemes facilitating professional development, leave schemes and schemes for sports and cultural activities, as well as discounts on software and other IT products. We also offer access to additional employee benefits through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage our employees to continue to invest in their growth. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University.

Universiteit Utrecht

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Utrecht University’s Faculty of Geosciences studies the Earth: from the Earth’s core to its surface, including man’s spatial and material utilisation of the Earth – always with a focus on sustainability and innovation. With 3,400 students (BSc and MSc) and 720 staff, the faculty is a strong and challenging organisation. The Faculty of Geosciences is organised in four Departments: Earth Sciences, Human Geography & Spatial Planning, Physical Geography, and Sustainable Development.