PhD fellowships in experimental materials chemistry and electrocatalysis Full-time

PhD Fellowship In Experimental Materials Chemistry And Electrocatalysis

The Department of Chemistry and Center for High Entropy Alloy Catalysis (CHEAC) invites applicants for two PhD fellowship positions in experimental materials chemistry and electrocatalysis.

The start date is expected to be 1 September 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

Project 1

Project 1 will focus on the synthesis/structure/property relations in disordered high entropy oxide materials with a strong emphasis on structural analysis using x-ray scattering techniques. The project will concern how structural disorder can be controlled in metal oxide synthesis. The candidate will be involved in the development of synthesis methods for oxides with structural disorder and will advance structural characterization of the materials using high-level synchrotron techniques. The candidate will be especially involved in understanding the structural changes taking place during synthesis reactions, and in situ synchrotron experiments will be central for the work. A major part of the PhD project will be data acquisition and high-level analysis. The project will be supervised by Kirsten M. Ø. Jensen.

Project 2

Project 2 concerns the electrocatalytic properties of mixed metal oxides. Mixed-metal oxides represent a promising strategy for the design of economically and environmentally scalable catalysts and supports for water electrolyzers. However, finding optimal materials requires exploration of a vast composition space, the exploration of which requires medium- to high-throughput methods of synthesis, characterization and testing. We are looking for a PhD candidate to develop and apply such methods.

The project will be supervised by Søren B. Scott, Matthias Arenz, and Kirsten M. Ø. Jensen.

Who Are We Looking For?

We are looking for candidates within the field(s) of chemistry and nanoscience.

For project 1, applicants must have a background in materials synthesis and characterization. Experience in structural characterization using X-ray scattering with e.g. Rietveld refinement and/or Pair Distribution Function analysis is required along with experience in material synthesis. Experience and interest in programming using e.g. Python is an advantage.

For project 2, applicants should ideally have experience with electrochemistry, catalysis and surface science.

Our Group And Research And What Do We Offer?

The projects will be done within Center for High Entropy Alloy Catalysis (CHEAC) at University of Copenhagen. Our research focuses on development of new electrocatalysts, and understanding synthesis-structure-property relations in advanced materials. Kirsten M. Ø. Jensen, Matthias Arenz and Søren B. Scott are all co-PIs in CHEAC, which is lead by Jan Rossmeisl. The center has ca. 40 members, which includes postdocs, PhD students, MSc and BSC students.

The center is a part of Department of Chemistry, Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. We are located in Copenhagen. We offer creative and stimulating working conditions in dynamic and international research environment.

Principal Supervisor

Associate Professor Kirsten Marie Ørnsbjerg Jensen, kirsten@chem.ku.dk, Direct Phone: +45 35 33 47 97.

The PhD Programme

Depending of your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:

Option A: A three year full-time study within the framework of the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme), if you already have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master's degree.

Option B: An up to five year full-time study programme within the framework of the integrated MSc and PhD programme (the 3+5 scheme), if you do not have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree – but you have an education equivalent to a Danish bachelor’s degree.

Application And Assessment Procedure

Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

Please include:

1. Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
2. Your motivation for applying for the specific PhD project. Please describe clearly which of the two projects you are applying for.
3. Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
4. Original diplomas for Bachelor or Master and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
5. Publication list (if possible)
6. Reference letters (if available)

Application deadline: 1 April 2026, 23:59 GMT +2

We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.

The further process After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.

The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 19.

Questions For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.

General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School's website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.

The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.