We offer you a unique opportunity to join the PlastChain project with the aim to develop a process for chemically recycling end of life plastic waste by gasification to form syngas of a quality that can be converted to methanol. Overall, the process consists of (1) Gasification of plastics in a fluidized bed, (2) Tar destruction in a downstream partial oxidation reactor, (3) Gas cleaning and (4) Methanol synthesis. The company SemperCycle has established a pilot scale setup at DTU’s campus Risø to demonstrate the process, while a lab scale unit (~1 kg/h) is available at DTU-Chemical Engineering. For the current PhD position, you will work mainly on the lab-scale setup covering step (1) and (2), both experimentally and through reactor modelling, but you will also be involved in the work on the pilot reactor in Risø.

The partners in the project are SemperCycle, Hysata, GreenLab Skive and DTU-Chemical Engineering.

You will interact closely with employees from the partners, especially SemperCycle and a post doc associated to the project. You will be based at DTU Chemical Engineering, at the CHEC research center in a dynamic international research environment. 

Responsibilities and qualifications
More specifically the position will involve the following tasks:

• Literature study of the gasification of plastics with focus on effective methods to reduce the tar yield to acceptable levels for downstream chemical synthesis.
• Lab-scale gasification trials in DTU’s ~1 kg/h bubbling fluidized bed reactor, coupled to a gas phase partial oxidation tar reformer (POX). Focus will be on the development of an effective tar removal strategy. The work will cover a comprehensive feedstock study, including characterization of pure plastic fractions, mixed plastics, and contaminated real waste streams representative of municipal and industrial sources. 
• For selected feedstocks the operating conditions (steam-to-carbon ratio, equivalence ratio, oxygen concentration, temperature) will be varied to analyze effects on syngas composition and tar levels. 
• The influence of catalytic bed materials (e.g. olivine, dolomite, alumina) will be assessed for their effectiveness in tar reduction for selected feedstocks. It will be investigated if the process overall runs most efficiently with high tar load before the POX or if a low tar load is preferred.
• Modelling (chemical engineering models, computational fluid dynamics and/or models with detailed chemistry) of the reactors (fluid bed and POX) to understand the chemistry and direct process modifications.

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree, within chemical engineering or possibly chemistry/physics and must have documented knowledge/experience in experimental studies of complex chemical processes and in mathematical modeling of chemical processes/reactors. The candidate must be self-paced, highly ambitious and with very good skills to collaborate with other researchers and technicians in the project and in the CHEC research center.

Approval and Enrolment  
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education . 

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility. 

Salary and terms of employment 
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. 

The period of employment is for 3 years and the starting date is as soon as possible. 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information 
Further information may be obtained from Prof. Anker Degn Jensen: 45 2217 1723, e-mail aj@kt.dtu.dk .

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 24 March 2026 at 23.59 (Danish time) . Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file . The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it. 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

At DTU Chemical Engineering it is our mission to develop and utilize knowledge, methods, technologies and sustainable solutions within: Chemical and biochemical process engineering and production, Design of chemical and biochemical products and processes, Energy and environment. You can read more about DTU Chemical Engineering at  www.kt.dtu.dk/english . 

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.