Group Leader: Sustainable Materials Aerospace PFAS Substitution & Market Translation; m​/f​/d

Organisation/Company CTC gGmbH Research Field Chemistry Researcher Profile Leading Researcher (R4) Positions Other Positions Final date to receive applications 31 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Berlin) Country Germany Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 39 Offer Starting Date 29 Sep 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

The Center for the Transformation of Chemistry (CTC) is a newly founded national research hub in Germany with €1.25 billion in funding through 2038 dedicated to redefining the role of chemistry to tackle global challenges. It brings together researchers from chemistry, physics, engineering, data science, and the social sciences to develop sustainable materials, processes, and technologies that support a circular economy.

The CTC is structured around
collaborative, mission-driven research groups and state-of-the-art facilities, fostering open science, innovation, and industry partnerships. Researchers benefit from access to advanced research infrastructure and close collaboration with the CTC colleagues doing transformative work in a wide range of chemical fields.

We are looking for an exceptional Group Leader to join the Talent Factory with a clear and singular mission:
develop a PFAS-free alternative for sealing and insulation materials used in the aerospace industry and translate that discovery into market ready products.
PFAS-based materials remain the industry standard in aerospace sealing materials and insulators because of their outstanding thermal, chemical, and mechanical performance. Their environmental persistence, however, places them at the center of upcoming regulatory restrictions worldwide. This position aims to close that gap: to design materials with no environmental concern that meet or exceed the performance parameters currently delivered by PFAS chemistry, and to bring that solution to market.
This research directly advances the CTC's mission of transforming the chemical industry from a linear to a circular model and contributes to the CTC's moonshot of a Completely Recyclable Car – using its principles into an adjacent, high-performance sector.
The position targets outstanding researchers who are eager to see their scientific discoveries create value beyond academia. The successful candidate will establish and lead a research group at the interface of cutting-edge research, product development, and technology transfer. Beyond advancing fundamental and applied research, the Group Leader is expected to identify promising application opportunities and translate scientific discoveries into innovative products, technologies, and market-ready solutions.
A strong focus will be placed on technology transfer and research valorization. To support these activities, CTC provides dedicated structures and expertise in intellectual property management, industry collaboration, product development, licensing, and venture creation.
A distinguishing feature of this position is a committed consulting and evaluation partner: as leading European aerospace OEM Airbus is going to advise on performance requirements throughout the project and is one of the potential customers for technologies in this area, next to other future markets such as in the automotive sector. Airbus will support defining material requirements for aircraft applications, provide data and samples of current PFAS-based materials, evaluate the performance of newly developed alternatives, and participate in project-related committees.

This gives the Group Leader direct access to industrial validation and a realistic,…