PhD student field of numerical simulation of plasma- methane decomposition

PhD student in the field of numerical simulation of plasma-based methane decomposition

Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting‑edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well‑being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

To strengthen our team and enhance our knowledge and understanding in pyrolysis processes we are looking for a PhD student for scientific analysis, investigations and optimization of hydrogen production via methane pyrolysis for decarbonization of industrial high‑temperature processes with potential for negative carbon emissions.

• Setup of Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD environment and simulations including:
  • Computation of the microwave field, Coupling of the microwave field with the plasma
  • Computation of elementary ionization, recombination and diffusion processes in the plasma resulting in the ionization of the initial gas
  • The decomposition of CH4, including detailed reaction sequence and chemical kinetics in a multiphase environment and flow field interactions
• Tuning of the CFD models with experimental results
• Artificial Neural Network training and development
• Scientific publications in journals and at conferences
• Supervision of students

• University Master's degree in process engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering or materials science with some (CFD) experience.
• Good technical knowledge and/or high interest in scientific work with CFD.
• Interest in working in interdisciplinary teams.
• Good knowledge of the German and English language.

• Interesting and responsible tasks in the field of applied research.
• Development opportunities in an economically and socially important field.
• Contacts to international partners, customers and suppliers.
• Attractive working conditions of the ETH Domain.

We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation, CV, diplomas with references and contact details of two reference persons. Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e‑mail and by post will not be considered.