Chemical Reaction Engineer

Chemical Reaction Engineer – DUDE CHEM

DUDE CHEM is a Green Chemistry startup originating from the German Cluster of Excellence in Catalysis at the University of Technology Berlin. We are a small but mighty team dedicated to building a green chemical‑pharmaceutical industry based on the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry. Our goal is to reduce the industry’s consumption of fossil resources, which currently accounts for more than 13% of all fossil resource use.

We have built a strong IP portfolio and validated the technology, enabling us to reduce or reuse costly resources in the production of chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Digitalisation is an integral part of how we implement greener, more sustainable production processes.

We are expanding our development team to bring our first greener manufactured products into the plants and to help customers produce in a more sustainable and controlled way. Your help is needed to bring our greener processes into manufacturing as part of our Chemistry & Engineering Team.

As a Reaction Engineer you will support the development team with reaction engineering know‑how and modelling & optimisation expertise. You will develop and implement complex mechanistic reaction models for our greener processes, up‑scale the processes, and run them in the optimal way.

As a Reaction Engineer, you will accompany our manufacturing processes from early development to implementation in the manufacturing plant. You will scale up the reaction of one of our developed processes using dynamic, kinetic models, optimise it, and transfer it into the plant.

• Further develop the reactions of our greener processes in collaboration with our chemists.
• Work together with our chemists to determine detailed reaction networks and pathways.
• Build up and dimensionally scale down the experimental equipment needed for kinetic studies.
• Design, plan, set up, execute and evaluate experimental kinetic studies of different reactions to provide safe, efficient, robust and scalable processes.
• Determine the reaction kinetics and model the chemical reaction and reactor.
• Predict and determine experimentally needed physical and chemical properties.
• Coordinate the experimental work with our chemists and lab technicians.
• Perform parameter estimation based on experimental data and validate the developed models.
• Use the developed models for the scale‑up of the processes from lab scale to plant scale.
• Define optimisation problems, implement them and use the models to find the optimal operating conditions for plant scale.

• Degree (M.Sc., Dipl.
  
  -Ing or Ph.D.) in chemical engineering or a related discipline.
• Knowledge in reaction engineering, especially reaction kinetics, reactor design, multi‑phase reaction systems and thermodynamics.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary teams, leading discussions with chemists, and driving joint solutions to complex problems.
• Experience planning, executing and evaluating reaction kinetic experiments in the lab or kilo‑lab.
• Experience scaling up reactions from lab to plant using state‑of‑the‑art modelling approaches.
• Experience solving complex Differential‑Algebraic‑Equation (DAE) systems with sophisticated parameter‑estimation methods.
• Experience in Python or a similar programming language such as MATLAB.
• Experience using modelling and simulation tools such as Aspen Plus, gProms, Dyno Chem or IDAES.
• Experience with optimisation tools such as Pyomo, GAMS or AMPL.
• Good organisational and project–as‑well‑as‑time‑management skills.
• Highly self‑driven, professional personality with an aspiration to excel in the role.
• Excellent written and oral communication, presentation skills; fluent in English is a must, German a plus.

We regard your skills and conscience as our highest assets. Every team member has a veto right on projects—for instance, you can opt out of a project for moral reasons; our CEO has used this right as well.

You will receive an unlimited work contract, flexible working hours (results orientation) and the option to work from home at least one day per week. We offer a dynamic, flat hierarchy, open…