start-ups and Europe’s leading lithium-ion battery manufacturers.
This position is part of CIRCULOOP, a Horizon Europe project (Cluster 5 – Batteries and Energy) developing a scalable direct-recycling platform for LFP, LMFP and sodium-ion cathode materials recovered from gigafactory production scrap. Rather than breaking materials down to their elements, CIRCULOOP recovers cathode materials with their structure intact and regenerates them to near-virgin performance. The consortium brings together eight partners across six countries, coordinated by EURECAT (Spain), with ISSP UL leading the project’s Design-for-Direct-Recycling work.
The position
You will establish whether recovered and regenerated battery materials actually perform — characterising them, validating them electrochemically, and translating what the consortium learns into practical guidance on how batteries should be designed for recyclability. The role is roughly half hands-on characterisation and electrochemistry, half analysis, synthesis and consortium coordination.
Within the team, your main responsibilities will be:
- Characterise recovered and regenerated materials (XRD, XPS, Raman, SEM-FIB) to quantify contamination, alkali restoration and structural and morphological integrity against virgin-material benchmarks, supporting the dry-delamination and green-solvent purification routes
- Validate regenerated cathode active materials electrochemically (coin-cell testing) across LFP, LMFP and Na-ion chemistries to confirm capacity and performance recovery meets project targets
- Build and maintain the consortium’s Design-for-Direct-Recycling evidence base — collecting friction-point data from partners on disassembly, delamination, purification and regeneration, and structuring it into a constraint matrix linking cell design choices to recyclability
- Translate validated process data into practical design guidance, co-authoring a ranked set of design rules and a policy brief aligned with the EU Battery Regulation (2023/1542)
- Serve as ISSP UL’s technical point of contact within the consortium, coordinating data exchange with EURECAT, AVESTA, FZJ, CellCycle, RWTH, MTC and HOLOSS, and co-authoring the associated work-package deliverables and reports
You will have access to state-of-the-art synthesis labs, materials characterisation infrastructure and electrochemical testing facilities within ISSP UL.
Requirements
- PhD in Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics, Chemical Engineering or a related field — or an MSc with substantial relevant experience
- Hands-on experience with materials characterisation: XRD essential; XPS, Raman and SEM/FIB strongly preferred
- Experience in electrochemical testing, ideally including coin-cell assembly and cycling
- Ability to turn data from many different sources into structured, defensible conclusions
- Good written and spoken English
What would make you shine:
- Experience or interest in battery recycling, circularity or battery manufacturing
- Experience coordinating within international academic and industrial consortia
- Experience in EU-funded R&D project implementation
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a highly interdisciplinary environment
Compensation and benefits
- Salary: €12–19 gross per hour depending on experience and qualifications (approximately €2,000–€3,200 gross per month at full-time)
- Full-time position on a 2-year contract, with the possibility of extension
- Travel support for consortium meetings, partner visits and international conferences
- Social benefits including health insurance and full statutory coverage
Location
Energy Materials Laboratory, Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, Kenģaraga iela 8, LV-1063, Riga, Latvia
How to apply
Your application is preferred in PDF format and should include:
- A cover letter describing your previous experience and your motivation for applying, including a brief answer to one question: which characterisation technique would you prioritise for detecting residual binder contamination in recovered cathode material, and why?
- Latest CV with publication list
Referee details will be requested at shortlist stage and referees contacted only with your permission.
Send by e-mail to arta.zikmane@cfi.lu.lv, subject line “CIRCULOOP Researcher”. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled; the deadline is one month from the publication date of this call.
Where to apply
E-mail: arta.zikmane@cfi.lu.lv
Requirements
- Research Field: Chemistry » Physical chemistry
- Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available: 1
- Company/Institute: Energy Materials Laboratory
- Country: Latvia
- City: Riga
- Postal Code: LV-10163
- Street: Kengaraga street 8
Contact
- State/Province: Riga
- City: Riga
- Website: https://lzp.gov.lv/en/
- Street: Smilsu street 8
- Postal Code: LV-1050
- E-Mail: darja.aksjonova@lzp.gov.lv
