Expected Start Date: October 2025
Job Description
We are seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral researcher with expertise in vanadium and rare-earth element (REE) recovery, thermodynamic modeling, and materials characterization to join a cutting-edge research team. The project focuses on developing sustainable and optimized processes for vanadium extraction and purification, with the goal of enabling large-scale redox flow battery deployment for energy storage.
Scope of Work
The successful candidate will work on:
- Designing and optimizing extraction processes for vanadium from primary and secondary sources (e.g., slags and industrial wastes).
- Developing purification pathways to produce battery-grade vanadium for energy storage applications.
- Applying thermodynamic modeling tools (CALPHAD, FactSage) to simulate vanadium phase behavior and guide process improvements.
- Performing advanced characterization of vanadium-bearing materials to understand their transformation and recovery mechanisms.
- Evaluating environmental sustainability via Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis.
- Contributing to the integration of vanadium flows within a circular economy model for battery materials.
Key Responsibilities
- Development and optimization of hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical vanadium recovery strategies.
- Advanced thermodynamic simulation using CALPHAD-based methods, including phase equilibrium modeling in multi-component systems.
- Comprehensive use of characterization tools, including:
- SEM, TEM, HAADF-STEM, XRD, and EDS for micro- and nano-scale phase analysis.
- LA-ICP-MS for ultra-trace elemental quantification.
- Investigation of impurity phase removal (e.g., Fe, P, Si, REEs).
- Environmental and economic evaluation of processes via LCA and techno-economic models.
- Preparation of high-impact publications and contribution to collaborative proposals.
- Support of graduate student mentorship and lab coordination.
Required Qualifications & Experience
- PhD in Materials Chemistry, Extractive Metallurgy, or Chemical Engineering with a focus on resource recovery or battery materials.
- Research experience in metal recovery from slags or mineral concentrates, including both experimental and computational methodologies.
- Proven proficiency in thermodynamic modeling using FactSage, CALPHAD, and complementary simulation platforms like Aspen Plus.
- In-depth knowledge of electron microscopy, spectroscopy, and structural analysis methods for complex materials.
- Familiarity with REE and vanadium chemistry, oxidation states, and redox equilibria.
Desirable Competences
- Prior research on critical metals (e.g., V, Ce, La, Nd) in slag systems.
- Simulation of monazite and rare-earth phosphate precipitation from multi-component melts.
- Strong background in slag thermochemistry, particularly oxygen fugacity control and partition coefficient modeling.
- Experience in integrating modeling with leaching and separation processes for scale-up.
- Advanced data interpretation using electron diffraction, dendritic growth modeling, and REE behavior in Fe-rich matrices.
Competences & Personal Qualities
- Excellent English communication skills (oral and written).
- Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
- Capable of both independent and collaborative interdisciplinary research.
- Demonstrated ability to lead sub-projects, mentor students, and contribute to scientific dissemination.