Openings

Ph.D positions

1. Design of Novel Adsorbents for Sustainable Metal and Contaminant Recovery

The PhD project involves the design, synthesis, and characterization of novel porous materials, particularly metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and porous polymers, followed by evaluation of their adsorption performance for metal recovery and water purification. The research will explore structure–property relationships, adsorption mechanisms, and material stability under real-world operating conditions.

Candidate profile:

• Master’s degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, or Chemical Engineering

• Experience in organic synthesis, hydrothermal/solvothermal synthesis, and materials characterization (NMR, IR, XAS, XRD, BET)

• Strong interest in porous adsorbents and separation processes

• Creativity, independence, and strong communication skills

Applicants should send a single PDF including a cover letter, CV, academic transcripts, and contact information to Prof. Wendy L. Queen at [email protected] (subject line: PhD Application_LFIM).
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. The preferred start date is April 2026.

Location: The position is located on the EnergyPolis Campus,  EPFL-Valais in Sion, Switzerland.

Master/Semester projects

Currently, we are actively providing master/semester projects for students. The following are currently available projects.

1. Development of Sorbents for Direct Air Capture of CO2

This project aims to develop novel solid sorbents for capturing CO₂ from ambient air. Work includes synthesis of porous materials, optimization of functionalization steps, and testing under realistic conditions. Selected materials will be evaluated for performance, stability, and scalability.

Candidates with a background in materials science, chemistry, or chemical engineering are encouraged to apply.

Please send your CV and transcript to Himan at [email protected]

2. Covalent Organic Frameworks for gold recovery from e-waste

This project aims to test novel COFs synthesized in-house for the recovery of gold from complex matrices, with a focus on e-waste recycling. You will synthesize and characterize the different selected materials and then assess their capacity, selectivity, stability, regenerability in the desired environment.

If interested, please contact Matthieu at [email protected] with a CV

3. Optimizing adsorbents materials for gas separations (for applications including CO2 capture and O2 production)

This project involves coating the MOF/zeolite material with hydrophobic polymers to prevent the water infusing into the materials. Different coatings will be screened through advanced characterizations and the best one will need to be identified/tested for the carbon capture/air separation application.

Candidates with a background in materials science, chemical engineering, chemistry, or related fields are encouraged to apply.

Please submit your CV and transcript to Sanjay at [email protected]

4. Structuring of Adsorbent Materials for CO₂ Capture

This project focuses on developing and optimizing structured adsorbents, specifically pellets and beads, using lab-engineered materials such as MOFs and zeolites. We will explore and compare different structuring techniques to enhance CO₂ capture performance in post-combustion carbon capture systems.

Candidates with a background in materials science, chemical engineering, chemistry, or related fields are encouraged to apply.

Please submit your CV and transcript to Sanjay at [email protected]

5. Water purification 

If you are a Bachelor’s or Master’s student and are interested in gaining hands-on experience in water treatment research, we invite you to send your CV and a short request to Dr. Nazanin Taheri ([email protected]). The research focuses on performing adsorption experiments to remove heavy metals from water. Your role will involve assisting with lab-based experiments aimed at purifying water. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your skills 

6. Scale-up and characterization of amine-grafted mesoporous silica for post-combustion CO2 capture: This project aims at designing, scaling-up and characterizing stable performing materials to be implemented in a pilot plant to capture CO2 on a kg/day scale. The project will include synthesis of the porous silica support, optimization of the flowthrough amine grafting step, and characterization of the CO2 capture performance of the produced materials.

Candidates with a background in materials science, chemical engineering, chemistry or a related field are encouraged to apply. Please submit a detailed CV and transcript to Anne at [email protected]

Students who are interested in doing other projects that are not listed above are encouraged to send an email to Prof. Wendy Queen at [email protected], including a detailed CV along with a transcript (please have the “master/semester project” as the subject).

Location: The position is located on the EnergyPolis Campus,  EPFL-Valais in Sion, Switzerland.