We are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to work on a collaborative project involving partners in Brussels and Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. The global aim of the project is to develop Cu photocatalysts for applications in organic synthesis and water purification. This involves several research groups specialized in organic synthesis (G. Evano and I. Jabin, ULB & O. Riant, UCLouvain), photochemistry (C. Moucheron, ULB), characterization (M. Luhmer, ULB) and grafting of organometallic complexes on solid supports (S. Hermans, UCLouvain).

The hired postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for the tasks related to the immobilization of organometallic Cu complexes on solid supports and applications in water purification by photocatalytic means. This will involve the preparation of nanostructured solid materials, surface functionalization, metal complexes anchoring, detailed characterization and performance evaluation. In particular, the comparison of photocatalytic activity in homogeneous versus heterogeneous phases, as well as shifting from organic solvents to water will be investigated. These tasks will require preparative chemistry steps as well as surface science characterization on instruments available in technological platforms at UCLouvain.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Benefits

Postdoctoral situation with social security cover

Eligibility criteria

PhD degree must have been awarded recently (within the last 4 years)

Selection process

To apply: Please send by email a full CV including academic background and grades of each year of study, as well as past research experience. Please provide a short summary (maximum 1/2 page) of PhD work together with full list of publications and communications at International Conferences.

Please also provide date of birth and the names of two references with contact details.

Start date: not before 1^st January 2021

Additional comments

For more information and to apply, please send an email to:

Prof. Sophie Hermans

IMCN Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

E-mail: sophie.hermans@uclouvain.be

Tel. (+32) 10 47 28 10

REQUIREMENTS

Required Research Experiences

• RESEARCH FIELD

  Chemistry › Homogeneous catalysis

• YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  1 – 4

• RESEARCH FIELD

  Chemistry › Instrumental analysis

• YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  1 – 4

• RESEARCH FIELD

  Chemistry › Inorganic chemistry

• YEARS OF RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

  1 – 4

Offer Requirements

• REQUIRED EDUCATION LEVEL

  Chemistry: PhD or equivalent

• REQUIRED LANGUAGES

  ENGLISH: Good

Skills/Qualifications

Profile:

• Strong background in organometallic chemistry
• Past experience in immobilizing homogeneous catalysts
• Past experience in photocatalysis would be highly appreciated
• Preferably experience in inorganic (nanostructured) materials synthesis & characterization
• Past experience in instrumental techniques such as NMR, UV-vis, GC and similar current analysis tool in organic chemistry and/or XRD, XPS, electron microscopy for materials characterization

Specific Requirements

Requirements:

• PhD in Chemistry or Materials science (awarded recently)
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work within a collaborative network
• Strong track record of scientific accomplishments (quality of past results and publications)
• Excellent communications skills (both oral and in writing) in English