Postdoctoral Researcher, Advanced Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Bio-based Processes and Products

Postdoctoral Researcher, Advanced Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of Bio-based Processes and Products

Aalto University

Espoo, Finland

From € 4100 up to € 4300 per month

The postdoctoral researcher will work as expert in LCA for bio-based processes and products from wood and agriculture feedstocks for textiles and packaging applications supporting two large EU funded projects. The portfolio of projects under the Sustainable Bioproducts Innovation research group provides opportunity for supporting several high impact publications.

Your responsibility and goals

• Conduct advanced research on LCA methodologies specific to bio-based products and processes.
• Develop and refine LCA models to assess the environmental impacts of bio-based products and systems using software tools such as OpenLCA.
• Analyze complex datasets to identify key areas for improvement in environmental sustainability performance.
• Build mentoring skills by helping and advising PhD researchers.
• Lead and write peer-reviewed articles for high impact journals.
• Participate in events, give expert talks, support in teaching and workshops.
• Network with scientists and industry to support your research as well as the development of new research proposals.
• Grant reporting, managing and monitoring.
• Work with researchers, and industry partners to gather data and align simulations with practical needs.

The postdoctoral researcher will be helping the PI and experts in managing projects, supervising students, funding reporting, gathering data coming from literatures and the industry partners to assess the sustainability of proposed concepts. The position is available immediately.

Your experience and ambitions

The candidate is expected to have:

• Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or a related field, with a focus on life cycle assessment and bio-based products and processes (completed within past five years).
• Experience in LCA of bio-based products or processes.
• Proficiency with LCA software tools.
• Proven experience with ex-ante or prospective LCAs.
• Ability to perform mass/energy balances bio-based processes.
• A solid track record of publishing research in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
• Exceptional analytical and critical thinking skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Effective communication skills for presenting complex information to academic and industry audiences.

Nice to have:

• Process design skills, such as develop and validate and optimize Aspen simulations related to biobased processes with experimental data from lab/pilot-scale systems.
• Experience in performing LCAs in the forest and lied sectors.
• Experience with advanced LCA methodologies (e.g., consequential LCA, dynamic LCA, absolute sustainability assessments, planetary boundaries LCA).
• Evidence of working in interdisciplinary research projects and collaboration with diverse teams.