PhD in Hydrogen Production via Catalytic Cracking of Ammonia

About the FSTM

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character.

The Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM) at the University of Luxembourg contributes multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences and Medicine.
Through its dual mission of teaching and research, the FSTM seeks to generate and disseminate knowledge and train new generations of responsible citizens in order to better understand, explain and advance society and environment we live in.

Your role

With the growing concern regarding the impact of the climate change to the human beings, there is a pressing need to accelerate the transformation towards a green economy. In Europe in particular, one can look in the case of the European Green Deal which was approved in 2020. In the agreement, the European Commission has agreed on a set of policies to make European Union (EU) to be climate neutral in 2050. In this respect, an ambitious plan to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions as much as 55% by 2030 will be one of the top priorities. Therefore, one of the main strategies to fulfil this objective is through the utilisation of clean energy including hydrogen as one of the promising and cleanest energy carriers. As a young university that continuously supports this transformation to secure the future of the current generations, the University of Luxembourg has been recently endowed to establish a new Paul Wurth Chair research group in 2022 focusing whose research thrust focuses in the field of hydrogen.

One of the main research agendas in the Paul Wurth Chair is then to focus in the continuous improvement of the current hydrogen production processes. For example, one of the current research focuses of the research group is the investigation of the hydrogen production through ammonia cracking. Therefore, in order to achieve this objective, the research group has recently acquired a new, state-of-the-art reactor system that is in tandem with a dedicated gas chromatograph for a continuous monitoring of the hydrogen production. In this PhD position, you will then be mostly working with the reactor. In particular, your research will be focused on developing various promising catalysts that could improve the hydrogen production processes. Thus, there are a number of research objectives that will be fulfilled by this project such as (i) investigation of the new and potential catalyst active sites (e.g. non noble-metal catalyst) and catalyst supports by testing them using our new reactor, (ii) understanding the structure-performance relationship between the catalyst and its support layer, (iii) elucidation of the reaction mechanisms involved in the hydrogen production and (iv) understanding the catalyst deactivation phenomenon and the strategies to address this issue. Moreover, even though the current research project focuses on the ammonia cracking, there is also a possibility during the duration of the project to widen the research agenda. In this case, you might then also be expected to identify and develop other promising catalysts that can be used for other hydrogen production processes (e.g. biogas reforming) and investigate them in our newly acquired reactor.

Your profile

• A Master's degree in a relevant field, e.g. chemistry, chemical engineering or materials science
• Good knowledge or experience with various characterizations techniques such as X-Ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis will be beneficial
• Good communication in English both oral and written (competence in French, German or Luxembourgish would be an added advantage)
• An ability to work independently while also becoming a good team player in a multidisciplinary environment

We offer

• Multilingual and international character. Modern institution with a personal atmosphere. Staff coming from 90 countries. Member of the "University of the Greater Region" (UniGR)
• A modern and dynamic university. High-quality equipment. Close ties to the business world and to the Luxembourg labour market. A unique urban site with excellent infrastructure
• A partner for society and industry. Cooperation with European institutions, innovative companies, the Financial Centre and with numerous non-academic partners such as ministries, local governments, associations, NGOs …

How to apply

Applications should include:

• Curriculum Vitae with list of publications
• Cover letter

Early application is highly encouraged, as the applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply ONLINE formally through the HR system. Applications by Email will not be considered.

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. In line with our values, the University of Luxembourg promotes an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and are dedicated to upholding equality and respect for our employees and students.

General information:

• Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract 36 Month (extendable up to 48 months if required)
• Work Hours: Full Time 40.0 Hours per Week
• Location: Kirchberg Campus
• Internal Title: Doctoral Researcher
• Job Reference: UOL06734

The yearly gross salary for every PhD at the UL is EUR 40952 (full time).

Contact information: Bradley Ladewig,