2 PhD positions in Electrochemistry: electro-organic synthesis at University of Amsterdam

Large scale electrification of the energy and chemistry sectors is a crucial condition for the transition from a society based on fossil fuel to a sustainable society based on renewable building blocks. Electro-organic synthesis will be central to the approach to combine building blocks to organic molecules to form of 'electrofuels', as well as to use electricity to make 'electrochemicals'. Therefore, efficient electrochemical energy conversion and production of fuels and chemicals are important technologies for the future of sustainable energy. We aim to investigate at atomic and mechanism level the chemical transformations under different conditions such as; electrocatalyst, electrolyte, pH and temperature. We will focus on the coupling between building blocks and organic molecules using in-situ spectrocopic techniques. Our findings will be translated into cell design and scaling up in collaboration with industrial partners.

This project requires multidisciplinary research (materials science, (electro)catalysis, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, spectroscopic techniques and applied science).