Postdoctoral Research Associate in Sustainable Chemical and Biological Catalysis

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Sustainable Chemical and Biological Catalysis

Department of Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry Laboratory, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3QR

Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Associate with expertise in heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis applied to hydrogenation reactions.

This post is part of the ESPRC-funded Sustainable Chemicals and Materials Manufacturing Hub (SCHEMA), and is associated with a project entitled, ‘Hydrogen-driven bio- and chemo-bio-catalysis to unlock diols and carboxylic acids from hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural’. The post holder will be a member of Prof Kylie Vincent’s research group and will work on developing bio- and chemo-bio catalyst systems for transformation of biomass derived chemicals into valuable diols and carboxylic acids. This will exploit the ability of the nickel-iron hydrogenase enzyme to activate hydrogen gas under mild conditions to unlock mild and selective hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes.

Research on this project will involve catalyst design, setting up small-scale hydrogenation reactions in batch and continuous flow, immobilisation of enzymes, combination of enzymes with metal nanoparticle catalysts, product analysis (primarily using NMR and mass spectrometry), and reaction intensification. The project includes industrial partner, HydRegen (https://hydregenoxford.com/) and also involves collaboration with Dr Simon Freakley, University of Bath.

Applicants should possess a PhD in Chemistry or a related area (or be close to completion), prior to taking up the appointment. They should be experienced in running hydrogenation reactions using both heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, and have experience in catalyst design and reaction intensification in batch and continuous flow. A high level of competence is expected in the use of analytical methods including proton NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry for reaction monitoring. Ideally candidates will also be experienced in synthetic organic chemistry and biocatalysis.

The post holder will be linked into the SCHEMA Hub, and will liaise with other researchers on the wider project to share research findings. There will be a range of opportunities to attend Hub events, including symposia, project meetings, networking events and industry mentoring. 

The University of Oxford and the Department of Chemistry offer an inclusive and supportive working environment and welcome diversity.