The Paul Scherrer Institute PSI is the largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences within Switzerland. We perform cutting-edge research in the fields of future technologies, energy and climate, health innovation and fundamentals of nature. By performing fundamental and applied research, we work on sustainable solutions for major challenges facing society, science and economy. PSI is committed to the training of future generations. Therefore, about one quarter of our staff are post-docs, post-graduates or apprentices. Altogether, PSI employs 2300 people.
The SNSF-funded project “Electron transfer across the clay mineral-water interface” aims to resolve long-standing questions regarding where, how, and why electron transfer occurs at iron-bearing clay minerals. Clay minerals are ubiquitous in sedimentary environments, contain a large amount of Fe in Earth’s Critical Zone and function as a ’geobattery’ – and hence play an important role in organic contaminant degradation, metal sequestration and release, and global element cycling. In this project, we will investigate different aspects of electron transfer using complementary methods ranging from wet-chemical experiments to atomistic simulations, to address the persisting knowledge gaps. The PhD student will focus on the experimental aspects of the work, work closely with a postdoctoral fellow carrying out atomistic simulations, and will be supported by a team of experts. The experiments will probe the reduction and oxidation of iron in the structure of clay minerals, quantify the reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, and include advanced spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrochemical methods. This multidisciplinary project is embedded in the Laboratory for Waste Management (LES) and implemented in close collaboration with partners at the University of Bern and Penn State University, USA.
For the Clay Systems Group we are looking for a
PhD Student - Electron transfer processes at clay minerals
Your tasks
You will conduct laboratory experiments on redox process of iron-bearing clay minerals. This will involve investigations of electron transfer reactions to and from clay mineral iron with the help of kinetic experiments, spectroscopies, and a range of complementary aqueous and solid phase analyses (e.g., HPLC, XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy, electron microscopy, electrochemical methods).
You will actively participate and collaborate in the larger research project (SNSF funded) on electron transfer at clay minerals. This will include collaboration with national and international team members and a research stay of up to 6 months in the laboratory of the collaborator Prof. Chris Gorski at Penn State University, USA, to conduct electrochemical experiments.
You will assess and interpret the data collected, communicate your results at conferences and in the form of publications in peer-reviewed journals, and write a PhD thesis to complete your studies.