PhD in Technology Assessment of Suitable Hydrogen Carriers

The technology assessment of suitable hydrogen carriers in this subtask of the GroenvermogenNL R&D programme HyTROS focuses on evaluating various options for storing and transporting hydrogen, specifically for implementation in the Dutch ports, which is a critical component of the transition to a sustainable energy system. The objective is to perform a full technology assessment for safe, reliable, and affordable hydrogen carriers for the ports, terminals, and stakeholders based on storage performance (release, uptake, toxicity, hydrogen content, material characteristics, etc.), including newly established, less studied hydrogen carriers, resulting in a Technology Monitor Report (TMR) similar to what has recently been accomplished for underground H2 storage. The scope of the assessment includes the evaluation of performance of well-established and novel hydrogen carriers in terms of storage, release, uptake, toxicity, hydrogen content, material characteristics, and other relevant factors, such as integration in the current port infrastructure. It also involves identifying the potential risks and challenges associated with each option and developing strategies to mitigate them.

What are you going to do?

Tasks and responsibilities:

• Conducting a literature review to identify promising hydrogen carriers, incl. existing NL/EU legal frameworks and regulations for the different hydrogen carriers as these should be in line with the to be developed safety protocols;
• Performing experimental evaluations to assess the performance of different carriers;
• Modelling and simulation techniques to predict carrier behavior under different conditions;
• Conduct a risk assessment to identify potential hazards and develop safety protocols;
• Perform an economic analysis to evaluate the costs and benefits of different carriers and storage systems;
• Giving the tutorials of the MSc course on Physical Organic Chemistry;
• Supervising Msc and BSc students during their research projects.

What do you have to offer?

A recent MSc degree in chemistry, in particular theoretical or physical organic chemistry or related field

Your experience and profile:

• Good communication skills in oral and written English;
• Takes initiative and has good time management skills;
• Interest in collaborating with students and colleagues in within and outside the institute;
• Interest in collaborating with companies and research organisations within the HyTROS consortium.

Knowledge, skills and experiences which are a plus (pre) are mentioned separately from the summary in a sentence.

Our offer

We offer a temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is a soon as possible. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,770 - € 3,539 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• a complete educational program for PhD students;
• multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• partly paid parental leave;
• the possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• a pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• the possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch