Department of Inorganic Chemical Technology and Environment Engineering announces a competition for a PhD Student position in the frame of the OPUS 28/LAP project entitled “Investigating the mechanisms and efficiency of green hydrogen formation as a by-product of the photoreduction of carbon dioxide in the aqueous and gas phases” (acronym: PhotoH2), under the supervision of dr hab. inż. Ewelina Kusiak-Nejman, prof. ZUT.
JOB/POSITION DESCRIPTION
Position: PhD Student
Disciplines: Field of engineering and technical sciences, Discipline: Chemical Engineering
Remuneration arrangements: Scholarship
Number of positions: 1
Envisaged starting date: 1 October 2026, according to the Doctoral School schedule
Period of doctoral scholarship: 27 months; The scholarship funded from the project is granted until 31.12.2028, with the possibility of extension in the event of a prolongation of the project and subject to the availability of funds.
Expected gross remuneration: 1st year: approx. 3571 PLN, 2nd year: approx. 3571 PLN, 3rd year (after the month of the mid-term evaluation of PhD students): approx. 5501 PLN monthly.
Organization: Department of Inorganic Chemical Technology and Environment Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Engineering, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin
Principal Investigator: dr hab. inż. Ewelina Kusiak-Nejman, prof. ZUT
NCN call type: OPUS – ST
Project title: Project NCN OPUS 28/LAP no. UMO-2024/55/I/ST8/01898 entitled “Investigating the mechanisms and efficiency of green hydrogen formation as a by-product of the photoreduction of carbon dioxide in the aqueous and gas phases” (acronym: PhotoH2)
Brief project description:
The PhotoH2 project concept goes a step further, and it was planned to determine the feasibility of using photocatalytic water splitting as a side reaction of the carbon dioxide photoreduction process. The project’s premise is to generate hydrogen while reducing carbon dioxide emissions, a major source of air pollution.
The project will be executed by research groups from the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin and VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic. The Polish research group works on hydrogen generation in the gas phase. In contrast, the Czech research team has well-established knowledge and extensive experience in hydrogen production and the photoreduction of carbon dioxide in the water phase.
Significant studies are planned to be conducted in the gas phase, containing water vapour and carbon dioxide, in the presence of modified titania photocatalysts co-deposited via reactive DC magnetron sputtering. This will involve the simultaneous co-deposition of three different metal ions in an inert or oxidising atmosphere, supported by high-temperature heating of the sample carrier to obtain the photoactive anatase form of titania.
The photocatalysts will be deposited on solid supports, including glass fibre cloth, microporous uniform activated carbon fibre felts and solid powder carbon spheres, at the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
- Curriculum vitae,
- motivation letter explaining the Candidate’s interest in the position and describing research experience,
- a copy of the document confirming the award of an MSc degree,
- scans of documents confirming work placements, scientific training, fellowships or apprenticeships,
- a list of publications, including the number of citations, h-index and ORCID number,
- a list of conference presentations, both oral and poster,
- information on research projects,
- a list of inventions and patents,
- a list of awards,
- other documents confirming qualifications and scientific achievements,
- a statement that, if employed, the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin will be the employee’s primary place of work,
- consent to the processing of personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with the Act of 10 May 2018 on the protection of personal data and Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016.
If the MSc degree was not granted by a Polish university, the Candidate should verify whether recognition of the diploma is required. More information is available on the NAWA website. The recognition of the diploma, if applicable, must be attached to the application for the PhD Student position.
REQUIRED PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
- a master’s degree in chemical technology, chemistry, materials engineering or a related discipline,
- advanced knowledge of the principles of basic instrumental methods, including FTIR and DRIFT, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis/DRS, low-temperature N2 adsorption/desorption, CO2 adsorption/desorption, fluorescence measurements, photocurrent and quantum efficiency measurements,
- advanced knowledge of the fundamentals of gas adsorption processes on solid surfaces and the fundamentals of photocatalytic oxidation and reduction processes using semiconductors,
- basic knowledge of the DC magnetron sputtering method,
- the ability to work with scientific articles and search for scientific information,
- very good knowledge of basic data-processing programs, mainly MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, Teams, OriginPro, Chemix, MolView, NIST, BioRender, Avogadro and ChemSketch,
- advanced proficiency in English.
Moreover, the Candidate must meet the National Science Centre criteria for a PhD Student position. The Candidate must successfully complete the recruitment procedure to the Doctoral School and, on the envisaged starting date of 1 October 2026, must be a PhD Student at the Doctoral School.
SCOPE OF WORK
Scientific activities:
- preparation and modification of photoactive TiO2 thin layers deposited onto solid or powder supports via DC magnetron sputtering, subject to the acceptance of the Principal Investigator and postdoctoral researcher,
- preparation of powder solid supports based on a method developed by the supervisor,
- optimisation of the synthesis method for obtaining modified titania thin films,
- preparation of samples for physicochemical characterisation,
- independent characterisation of the tested composites using basic and advanced instrumental methods, including FTIR and DRIFT, Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis/DRS, low-temperature N2 adsorption/desorption and fluorescence measurements to estimate hydroxyl radical formation,
- cooperation in designing systems for studying sorption and photocatalytic properties and implementing the units under the supervision of the Principal Investigator and postdoctoral researcher,
- preparation of samples for sorption and photocatalytic activity tests, performance of analyses and correct ongoing interpretation of the results,
- detailed interpretation of the results obtained,
- preparation of patent applications and scientific papers,
- active participation in scientific conferences,
- preparation of a doctoral thesis within the project’s research topic.
APPLICATION SUBMISSION DEADLINE
31 July 2026, 15:00 CET
APPLICATION PROCEDURE AND CONTACT
Method of submission: e-mail
E-mail address for submissions: ekusiak@zut.edu.pl
Please use the following e-mail subject line: PhD Student – OPUS 28/LAP.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- The Selection Committee reserves the right to interview selected candidates. Candidates will be informed by e-mail by 7 August 2026 about the venue and time of the interview.
- One person will be recommended for appointment.
- Competition documents must be prepared in English.
- Any enquiries regarding the competition should be addressed to dr hab. inż. Ewelina Kusiak-Nejman, prof. ZUT, by e-mail: ekusiak@zut.edu.pl.
