Research Assistant (m/f/d), EG 13 TV-H - Section Grassland Science and Renewable Plant Resources

Part-time position with 65% of the working hours of a full-time employee. This is a fixed term-position of three years (position for academic qualification corresponding to § 65 HHG i. V. m. § 2 Abs. 2 WissZeitVG; opportunity for PhD project) for collaboration in the INTERREG project “Three C: Creating and Sustaining Charcoal Value Chains to Promote a Circular Carbon Economy in NWE Europe”. The project aims to develop and investigate sustainable utilisation strategies for residual biomasses in Northwest Europe. This includes, inter alia, the following aspects:

• Suitable treatment processes for residual biomass types for the regional production of high-quality biochar and activated carbon products as well as renewable energy sources
• Development of adapted and standardized pyrolysis and activation processes for various residual biomass types
• Characterisation of the produced biochar and activated carbon products for relevant application areas and for substitution of conventional activated carbon from fossil or imported raw materials.
• Utilization of the produced plant and activated carbons in relevant application areas in Northwest Europe
• Life cycle assessment

Place of employment is Witzenhausen.

Tasks:

• Development and investigation of adapted pyrolysis and activation profiles for residual biomass types using a standardised pyrolysis and activation reactor on a laboratory scale
• Extensive chemical and physical characterization of the produced biochar and activated carbon products and its feedstocks
• Investigation and evaluation of the produced activated carbons for wastewater treatment in wastewater treatment plants and for substitution of conventional activated carbon
• Identification of relevant biomass, process and activated carbon parameters and their impact on the quality and physico-chemical characteristics of activated carbons
• Independent cooperation with project partners in different European regions
• Independent data analysis and interpretation
• Production of scientific papers in international journals
• Presentation of research work on scientific conferences
• Integration of research work in ongoing and planned teaching courses

Requirements:

• Successfully completed study at a university (MSc or Diploma II) in Environmental Engineering or related areas
• Excellent understanding of technical processes and coherences
• Proven ability of independent scientific work, particularly considering the implementation and evaluation of laboratory experiements
• Experience with large datasets and good knowledge of data analysis and statistical software
• Openness and creativity considering cooperation in the overall project and capacity for teamwork
• Very good command of written and spoken English

Advantages are:

• Experience in the use of activated carbon products
• Experience in planning and adaptation of interdisciplinary research projects
• Thorough and independent mode of operation
• High level of organisational capacity
• Experience in data processing for scientific publications

For further information please contact Prof. Dr. Wachendorf, Tel.: 0561-804-1334, E-Mail: mwach[at]uni-kassel[dot]de.

The protection of your personal information is very important to us, so we will handle your personal information with care. By your application, you allow us the storage and use in the sense of the Hessian Data Protection and Freedom of Information Act. You can object to this at any time. Your personal data will be deleted. Information according to Art. 13 DSGVO for the application process at the University of Kassel can be found at www.uni-kassel.de/go/ausschreibung-datenschutz

The University of Kassel is an equal opportunity employer and aims at a clear increase of the proportion of women in research and teaching. Qualified women are therefore expressly requested to apply. Under the precondition of equal qualification, disabled persons will be preferred. Applications indicating the Position Number, which may be in digital form, should be sent to the President of the University of Kassel, 34109 Kassel, Germany or bewerbungen[at]uni-kassel[dot]de, quoting the applicable reference number in the subject.