ACER COE - Post-Doctoral Position in Structuring Industry Byproduct-derived Porous Adsorbents

About Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P):

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is an internationally oriented institution of higher learning, that is committed to an educational system based on the highest standards of teaching and research in fields related to the sustainable economic development of Morocco and Africa. UM6P is an institution oriented towards applied research and innovation. On a specific focus on Africa, UM6P aims to position these fields as the forefront and become a university of international standing.

More than just a traditional academic institution, UM6P is a platform for experimentation and a pool of opportunities, for students, professors and staff. It offers a high-quality living and study environment thanks to its state-of-the-art infrastructure. With an innovative approach, UM6P places research and innovation at the heart of its educational project as a driving force of a business model.

In its research approach, UM6P promotes transdisciplinary, entrepreneurship and collaboration with external institutions for developing up to date science and at continent level to address real challenges. All our programs run as start-ups and can be self-organized when they reach a critical mass. Thus, academic liberty is promoted as far as funding is developed by research teams.

The research programs are integrated from long-term research to short-term applications in linkage with incubation and start-up ecosystems.

About ACER:

The center has been recently created to address enduring process challenges in Chemistry and Engineering disciplines and create an environment for interdisciplinary research. The research program of ACER is multidisciplinary, with faculty members from backgrounds in Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental Engineering focusing on different research fields such as catalysis, separation, energy generation, conversion and storage, Plasma Science and its applications, and organic optoelectronics intelligent and advanced polymers and materials.

Job description:

The growing amount of industrial byproducts and waste streams presents both environmental challenges and opportunities for sustainable resource reuse/recovery. Upcycling these byproducts into high-performance porous adsorbent materials offers a promising route for environmental cleanup, including wastewater treatment, toxic gas capture, and removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, significant challenges remain in shaping, structuring, and scaling up these materials while preserving their adsorption and catalytic degradation abilities. This postdoctoral position aims to develop advanced porous adsorbents from industrial byproducts, focusing on their shaping and structuring (with functional binders) for practical environmental solutions (adsorption, sensing, and catalytic degradation of pollutants). The research will combine material synthesis, advanced characterization, adsorption tests, and process evaluation, in collaboration with experts in life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA).

The successful candidate will:

• Develop innovative strategies for transforming industrial byproducts into high-performance porous adsorbent materials.
• Design and optimize structuring and shaping approaches (e.g., pellets, monoliths, composite beads/fibers, thin films), both with and without binders, while preserving or enhancing material performance.
• Perform advanced physicochemical characterization (e.g., XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, spectroscopy techniques) to establish structure-property relationships.
• Evaluate materials in gas and vapor adsorption-based applications, including toxic gas capture and sensing, VOC adsorption and sensing, wastewater treatment, and catalytic degradation processes.
• Investigate adsorption mechanisms and performance under realistic conditions (e.g., multicomponent systems, dynamic conditions).
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to conduct life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno-economic analysis (TEA) of developed materials and processes.
• Prepare and present research findings at international conferences and publish in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.
• Contribute to the supervision of Master’s and early-stage PhD students.
• Support, when required, the preparation of research proposals and project development activities.

Required Candidate Qualification:

• PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Strong background in the synthesis and characterization of porous materials (e.g., silica-based adsorbents, hybrid materials, waste-derived adsorbents).
• Experience with adsorption processes, environmental remediation applications, and gas/vapor/liquid separation systems, adsorption modeling, and data analysis.
• Hands-on experience in adsorbent material structuring/shaping (e.g., extrusion, pelletization, electrospinning) is highly desirable.
• Proficiency in advanced characterization techniques (e.g., XRD, SEM-EDX, TEM, BET, TGA, XPS, …).
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving skills, and a creative approach to research challenges.
• Excellent English communication skills (written and oral), with a publication record in peer-reviewed journals.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary research environment.

Candidature submission:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their application, including the following documents:

• A cover letter specifying the candidate's research profile, achievements, and motivation for the position.
• A detailed curriculum vitae highlighting academic qualifications, research experience, technical skills, and a list of publications
• Contact information of 3 referees familiar with the applicant’s education and research.