The Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (MMK) is, with about 160 employees, one of the largest departments at the Faculty of Natural sciences at Stockholm University. A significant part of the teaching activities is at the undergraduate level with courses in General, Physical, Inorganic, and Analytical Chemistry. The teaching at the graduate level focuses on the master programs in Sustainable Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry.

Research activities of MMK focus primarily on materials, and include different classes such as ceramics, glasses, self-assembled, porous materials, and soft matter. The projects often encompass synthesis, and characterization by X-ray, neutron diffraction, electron microscopy, solid-state NMR, and computer modelling of materials with a potential for various applications. Research activities in the area of Analytical Chemistry focus on developing advanced analytical techniques for studies of organic compounds and biomolecules.

This recruitment is connected to the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE, wise-materials.org). WISE, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, is the largest-ever investment in materials science in Sweden and will encompass major efforts at Sweden’s foremost universities over the course of 10 years. The vision is a sustainable future through materials science.Read more: https://wise-materials.org

Project description
Project title: Toxicity guided inverse design of materials for environmental remediation.

Supervisors: Anneli Kruve (main supervisor); Aji Mathew and Isak Samsten (co-supervisors).

The project is at the forefront of material design, machine learning, toxicology, and analytical chemistry. The PhD training will incorporate aspects from all four fields and via collaborations with experts in these fields, will allow the PhD candidate to build a wide but strong background for further contribution to a sustainable economy. The focus of the project is the environmental remediation of water and soil as well as the clean-up of waste streams. Here we will be employing high-resolution mass spectrometry for the detection of a broad spectrum of hazardous chemicals as well as evaluate the toxicity and concentration of detected chemicals with machine learning. This knowledge will be further used to drive the design of material design for environmental remediation.

All early-stage researchers recruited into the WISE program will be a part of the WISE Graduate School, an ambitious nationwide program of seminars, courses, research visits, and other activities to promote a strong multi-disciplinary and international network between PhD students, postdocs, researchers, and industry.

Qualification requirements
In order to meet the general entry requirements, the applicant must have completed a second-cycle degree, completed courses equivalent to at least 240 higher education credits, of which 60 credits must be in the second cycle, or have otherwise acquired equivalent knowledge in Sweden or elsewhere.

The specific entry requirements for doctoral studies of analytical chemistry are that the applicant has completed at least 90 higher education credits in chemistry, and in addition has 15 approved credits in analytical chemistry in the second cycle, and 30 approved second cycle credits for a project with analytical chemistry focus. The specific entry requirements can also be met by someone who has a corresponding education from Sweden or abroad. You will find the general study plan at the Department´s website for doctoral studies.

The qualification requirements must be met by the deadline for applications.

Selection
The selection among the eligible candidates will be based on their capacity to benefit from the training. The following criteria will be used to assess this capacity: the candidate’s documented knowledge in machine learning for classification and regression tasks and/or high resolution mass spectrometry. The candidate must possess strong background in analytical chemistry and mathematics and willingness to deep the knowledge in machine learning and analytical chemistry. The assessment will be based on previous experience and grades, the quality of the degree project, references, relevant experience, interviews, and the candidate’s written motivation for seeking the position.

Admission Regulations for Doctoral Studies at Stockholm University are available at: www.su.se/rules and regulations.

Terms of employment
Only a person who will be or has already been admitted to a third-cycle programme may be appointed to a doctoral studentship.

The term of the initial contract may not exceed one year. The employment may be extended for a maximum of two years at a time. However, the total period of employment may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time study.

Doctoral students should primarily devote themselves to their own education, but may engage in teaching, research, and administration corresponding to a maximum of 20 % of a full-time position.

Please note that admission decisions cannot be appealed.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact
For more information, please contact the PI, Assoc. Prof. Anneli Kruve, anneli.kruve@su.se. For general information about the Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, please contact the Head of the Department, Prof. Niklas Hedin, niklas.hedin@mmk.su.se.

Union representatives
Ingrid Lander (Saco-S), telephone: +46 708 16 26 64, saco@saco.su.se, Alejandra Pizarro Carrasco (Fackförbundet ST/OFR), telephone: +46 8 16 34 89, alejandra@st.su.se, seko@seko.su.se (SEKO), and PhD student representative, doktorandombud@sus.su.se.

Application
Apply for the PhD student position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

Please include the following information with your application

• Your contact details and personal data
• Your highest degree
• Your language skills
• Contact details for 2–3 references

and, in addition, please include the following documents

• Cover letter
• CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of degree projects/theses
• Project proposal/Research proposal describing:
  – why you are interested in the field/project described in the advertisement
  – what makes you suitable for the project in question
• Degree certificates and grades confirming that you meet the general and specific entry requirements (no more than 6 files)
• Letters of recommendation (no more than 6 files)
• Degree projects/theses (no more than 6 files).

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.

You are welcome to apply!

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