The Circular Plastics research group at Maastricht University is looking for a highly motivated PhD candidate to join our team in understanding and developing additive-based solutions for the recycling of polyolefin blends.
Understanding the material and processing stability is extremely important for producing high-quality products from recycled polyolefins like PE and PP. To date, effective European recycling rates of polyolefins are stuck at around 40%, and one of the main bottlenecks is an understanding of how these polymers – often cross-contaminated with each other – behave and interact during the recycling process. The degradation behavior of recyclates can differ considerably from those observed in virgin polymers. The combination of different discarded plastics during recycling, each one containing distinct additives, can hamper or enhance the thermo-oxidative stability of the final recyclate compared to the initial stability of the unblended plastics. Despite their central role, stabilizer additives have not been systematically characterized in recycled plastics when they undergo re-processing. This issue is even more challenging considering the cross-contamination among stabilizers and other additives. Motivated by such questions, the proposed study aims to explore the physicochemical interactions between different stabilizers in recycled PP and PE blends and the effect of re-stabilization of recycled polymers.

As a PhD candidate, you will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Prepare polyolefin blends.
• Evaluate the thermo-oxidative degradation behavior, rheological properties, and mechanical performance of the blends.
• Assess the role of different stabilizing additives in the recyclability of the blends.
• Study the localization of additives in different phases of the blends.
• Write high-quality manuscripts.
• Present the research results.

You are self-motivated, autonomous, open-minded, hands-on, and communicative, with good interpersonal skills, and interested in working in an international research environment.

Furthermore, the requisites for this position are:

• You hold a master's degree in Polymer Science, Materials Science, or Chemical Engineering.
• Experience and good understanding of the main physicochemical characterization techniques such as rheology, DSC, TGA, FTIR, GPC, SEM, and AFM.
• Knowledge of polymer processing is a plus.
• Ability to plan and conduct activities in the lab, such as polymer processing, chemical reactions, and physicochemical analysis, following all the safety regulations.
• Previous experience with polyolefins and their additive stabilization systems is an asset.
• Fluency in English (written and oral).

What we offer

As a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands. In addition, we offer you:

• Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale P according to UFO profile PhD candidate, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €2770,00 and €3539,00 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 apply.
• An employment contract for a period of 12 months with a scope of 1,0 FTE. Upon a positive evaluation, an extension of 3 years will follow.
• At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, 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 labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

Maastricht University is committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive community. We believe that diversity in our staff and student population contributes to the quality of research and education at UM, and strive to enable this through inclusive policies and innovative projects led by teams of staff and students. We encourage you to apply for this position.

Maastricht University

Why work at Maastricht University?
At Maastricht University (UM), everything revolves around the future. The future of our students, as we work to equip them with a solid, broad-based foundation for the rest of their lives. And the future of society, as we seek solutions through our research to issues from all around the world. Our six faculties combined provide a comprehensive package of study programmes and research.

In our teaching, we use the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method. Students work in small groups, looking for solutions to problems themselves. By discussing issues and working together to draw conclusions, formulate answers and present them to their peers, students develop essential skills for their future careers.

With over 22,300 students and more than 5,000 employees from all over the world, UM is home to a vibrant and inspiring international community.

Are you drawn to an international setting focused on education, science and scholarship? Are you keen to contribute however your skills and qualities allow? Our door is open to you! As a young European university, we value your talent and look forward to creating the future together.

Click here for more information about UM.

Faculty of Science and Engineering

At the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE), we focus on themes such as circularity and sustainability, future farming, digitisation and (scientific) instrument development. FSE's leading projects, like the Einstein Telescope Pathfinder, are sure to grab anyone's attention. The faculty is a vibrant hub of education and research in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS). At FSE, over 450 staff members and 3700 students gather to explore e exciting interdisciplinary research and educational programmes. Feel welcome, be part of our team and put your brilliant mind to work!

FSE at the Brightlands Campuses

Maastricht, Sittard-Geleen, Heerlen, and Venlo, the home of four creative Brightlands campuses, are bustling with 30,000 entrepreneurs, researchers, and students working diligently to solve global challenges. The Faculty of Science and Engineering is active on all four Brightlands campuses, and this is where our impact reaches its peak. To give you an idea of what is happening at each campus: Sittard-Geleen is home to the largest chemical site in the Euregion, while Venlo is a large hub for agri-food innovation. Maastricht is the site of the Health Campus, and Heerlen is the place to be for Smart Services.