About the Job

Department of Chemical Engineering at NTNU has strategic efforts within sustainable hydrometallurgy and application of chemical engineering to extract and recycle valuable elements from secondary sources including electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The department is a part of the Gemini Centre – HYPROS (Hydrochemical Processing Technology in the Circular Economy) which is a model for strategic interaction between parallel professions at NTNU, SINTEF and the University of Oslo. 

The current position will be part of the Particle Engineering Centre, located within the Environmental Engineering and Reactor Technology (EEART) group at the department.

The position is a 2-year temporary position. 

Your immediate leader is Particle Engineering Centre Manager.

The candidate will work within the Horizon Europe Project REVITALISE - REcycling of low Value components using high purity pre-treatment, dIrecT recycling and green hydrometallurgical approaches for recycling of Lithium Ion and Sodium Ion BatteriEs. This project has received funding from the European Union.

REVITALISE aims to deliver a holistic solution for green, low-cost, and low environmental impact recycling of NMC (especially high Ni content) LFP and Na-Ion batteries. The project will focus on developing innovative pre-treatment technologies that will achieve very high levels of material stream purity whereby enabling commercially viable recycling of low-value components as well. There will be high focus on recovery of Li, graphite, phosphates and fluorides resulting in development of flowsheets that can handle mixed feeds of battery materials with maximised recovery rates and minimal environmental impact. The project represents a pan-European EU consortium of world leading organisations that are looking to commercialise these technologies of European origin. The consortium features a total of 9 project partners including industries and academia located in 5 different countries.

The researcher will focus on recycling of high Ni content end-of-life NMC batteries, with specific focus on 

Duties of the position

The research work will involve:

• Hydrometallurgical processes for recovery of valuable materials from EV batteries.
• Characterization using state-of-the art infrastructure at Department of Chemical Engineering, Particle Engineering Core Facility and NTNU Nanolab.
• Understanding fundamentals of leaching, solvent extraction, ion-exchange, precipitation and/or other unit operations with applications in recycling.
• Scaling up of unit operations.
• Process flow diagrams for recycling operations.
• Statistical analysis of datasets.

The researcher will be an integral part of the Particle Engineering Centre. The candidate is expected to participate actively in various centre-related activities, including mentoring and co-supervision of students. More information about the centre can be found here: https://www.ntnu.edu/chemeng/particle-engineering-centre 

Travelling with respect to conferences, meetings, workshops may be expected as part of the positionLab

Required selection criteria

• You must have a PhD within Chemical Engineering, Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Chemistry or allied fields or allied fields with specialization in hydrometallurgy.
• You must have strong experimental background in hydrometallurgy with experience in several unit operations such as leaching, solvent extraction, ion-exchange, adsorption, precipitation, crystallization, etc.
• You must have experience in characterization techniques such as atomic emission or mass spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X ray fluorescence, electron microscopy, and/or other metal quantification techniques.
• You must be able to demonstrate research experience within lithium-ion battery recycling using hydrometallurgy.
• You must be able to demonstrate previous student co-supervision experience in related topics.
• You must have the willingness to design and build equipment and scientific instruments.
• You must have good written and oral English language skills.

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience in attracting research funding internationally.
• Knowledge in software such as MINTEQ, HSC or other related thermodynamic software.
• Techno-economic assessment of chemical processes and/or knowledge of software such as UNISIM, ASPEN, HYSIS, etc.
• Experience and/or interest in circular chemical engineering, value chain evaluations (LCA, MFA etc.).

Personal characteristics

• Positive, creative, result oriented and enthusiastic.
• Seeks new challenges at work.
• Has keen interest working in interdisciplinary teams.
• Communicates information and results with clarity and ease, both orally and in writing.

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

The gross salary for the position of Researcher (code 1109) is remunerated depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund,

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite that you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily. 

About the application

The application and supporting documentation must be in English.

Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.  If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include:

• CV, certificates and diplomas 
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 10 works) 
• A description of the academic/artistic works that you regard as most relevant and that you particularly want to be taken into account in the assessment 
• Research plan 
• Details of the projects you have managed, with information about funding, duration and size 
• Names and contact information for three relevant referees 

Joint work will also be considered. If it is difficult to identify your specific input to a joint project, you must include evidence of your contributions.  

In the assessment of the best qualified applicant, we will emphasize education, experience and personal suitability as well as your motivation for the position. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA. This means that we pay special attention to the quality and professional breadth of these works. We also consider experience from research management and participation in research projects. We place great emphasis on your scientific work from the last five years.

General information

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is a strength. We want our faculty and staff to reflect Norway’s culturally diverse population and we continuously seek to hire the best minds. This enables NTNU to increase productivity and innovation, improve decision making processes, raise employee satisfaction, compete academically with global top-ranking institutions and carry out our social responsibilities within education and research. NTNU emphasizes accessibility and encourages qualified candidates to apply regardless of gender identity, ability status, periods of unemployment or ethnic and cultural background.  

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted. 

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Sulalit Bandyopadhyay, telephone +4745071041, email: sulalit.bandyopadhyay@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Advisor Merete Thyholdt, email: merete.thyholdt@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation. 

Application deadline: 02.07.2024

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Department of Chemical Engineering 

We take chemistry from laboratory scale to industrial production. This demands a wide range of knowledge, from molecular processes and nanotechnology to building and operation of large processing plants. We educate graduates for some of Norway's most important industries. The Department of Chemical Engineering is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Natural Sciences.  

Deadline 2nd July 2024

Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Municipality Trondheim

Scope Fulltime

Duration Temporary

Place of service Høgskoleringen 1, 7491 Trondheim