Postdoc in CO2 Electrocatalysis Coupled with Nitrogen Containing Reactants - DTU Physics

Postdoc position at the SurfCat section of DTU Physics in CO2 electrolysis

As renewable energy continually become cheaper, the overall approach to sustainability is to electrify as much as possible.  However carbon based chemicals like plastics and organic coating will by default need to be derived chemically, and most likely starting with the CO2 that they will eventually degrade to.  On this basis upconverting CO2 to a variety of chemicals via CO2 electrolysis is a very promising approach.  Through intensive research, much of the fundamental science behind the electrochemical reduction of CO2 is becoming well established, which now allows us to evolve beyond pure CO2 electrolysis.

This project will build on electrochemical CO2 reduction by adding amines into the electrolyte with the goal of getting the amines to react with CO2 intermediates resulting in the production of amides. It has been shown that CO2 reduction goes through a ketene intermediate, which is known to easily desorb from the catalyst.  Ketenes are stable, but highly reactive molecules that are well known to react with amines to form amides.  Furthermore, there has been a proof of concept publication showing that CO2 reducing in the presence of amines can produce amides. The goal of this project will to investigate this science further analyzing both how to stabilize the ketene intermediate from CO2 electrolysis and finding societally relevant amines that can acetylate to amides within the confines of CO2 electrolysis.

Cu will be the primary catalyst used for this, but may be modified with Ag, Au or other species to increase ethenone/oxidized products versus the competing ethylene.  Operating potential, temperature, pH, cations, etc.  will all be varied with the goal to maximize ethenone production while not having it further reduced to acetaldehyde or ethanol. This work will primarily take place using a flow cell electrolyzer, but an H-cell type elecrolyzer may also be useful.  Both gaseous and liquid products will be measured at both the anode and cathode. 

Responsibilities 
The primary responsibility of this position is characterizing and testing electrocatalysts for either CO2 or CO reduction in the presence of solvated amines. This also may entail varying the solvent and electrolyte to ensure sufficient solubility is obtained of the reactant amine.  In-line gas chromatography or mass spectrometry will be used to measure gas products whereas HPLC or NMR will be used to measure liquid products.  We have H-cells, gas diffusion flow cells, and zero gap membrane electrode assembly cells and any of these reactor designs could be used for this project.

Either magnetron sputtering or wet chemical nanoparticle synthesis will be the primary means of  synthesizing catalysts with XPS, XRD, and electron microscopy the primary ways of analyzing these.

The potential to teach, advise Bachelor/Master student thesis projects, or be involved in proposal writing is also available to those that are interested in further developing their careers in any of those directions.

Our approach is highly collaborative at DTU, thus it is expected that you will have substantial collaborative interactions with both other experimentalists as well as computational chemists in designing new catalysts and understanding the phenomena related to electrolysis. 

The work will take place at the Surface Science and Catalysis(SurfCat) labs of DTU Physics. In the SurfCat laboratories we have 3 electrochemical mass spectrometer devices, 20 potentiostats, 4 RDE set-ups, 6 gas chromatographs, 2 magnetron sputter chambers, 2 mass-selected cluster source devices, 5 XPS (one with in-line electrochemical set-up), 3 gloveboxes, 2 XRD set-ups (one allowing in-situ annealing with gas flow), ICP-MS, FTIR, 3 full time technicians, and a sufficient number of wet-labs, fume hoods, and furnaces. 

This project will also collaborate with the CAPeX center and have access to clean room facilities and electron microscopy via DTU Nanolab, as well as consultants on innovation and routes for start-up companies.

Qualifications
The successful candidate should be highly ambitious as well as open minded, culturally adaptable, and willing and able to work as part of a team. As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) or are expected to have one by the time of the start of the position. The degree should be preferably in Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or a similar field. Quality in research is the core principle in which we strive for, thus a strong fundamental scientific approach and knowledge base is essential.

The candidate must have extensive experimental experience working with electrocatalytic techniques and reactions. Experience with gas chromatographs, HPLC, NMR, ICP-MS and mass flow controllers would be beneficial as well as characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Basic programming skills in Python would be helpful. 

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 2 years. The starting date is expected to be 1 February 2026, though there is some room to move this a few months if need be. 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information 
Further information may be obtained by contacting Prof. Brian Seger (brse@fysik.dtu.dk). 

You can read more about the DTU Physics at https://physics.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.

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 10 November 2025 (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:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications 

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.

The SurfCat section of DTU Physics consists of 7 professors and approximately 40 PhD’s and postdoc with the overarching theme of catalysis.  Roughly the section consists of 2/3 experimentalists and 1/3 computational catalysis modelers, thus there is ample opportunity to collaborate with people in supporting aspects of catalysis.

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.