Dr. Sebastian Unger Tel.: +49 351 260 3225

Job-Id: 2025/169 (2179)

At HZDR, we promote and value diversity among our employees. We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds regardless of gender, ethnic and social origin, belief, disability, age, and sexual orientation. Severely disabled persons are given preference in the event of equal suitability.

Helmholtz-Zentrum

01328 Dresden

PhD Student (f/m/d) Dynamic Process Modelling and Value Chain Assessments for Sustainable Methanol from Renewable Energy

With cutting-edge research in the fields of ENERGY, HEALTH and MATTER, around 1,500 employees from more than 70 nations at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) are committed to mastering the great challenges facing society today.

The Institute of Fluid Dynamics is conducting basic and applied research in the fields of thermo-fluid dynamics and magnetohydrodynamics in order to improve the sustainability, the energy efficiency and the safety of industrial processes.

The Department of Thermal Energy and Process Technology is looking for a PhD Student (f/m/d) Dynamic Process Modelling and Value Chain Assessments for Sustainable Methanol from Renewable Energy.

Your tasks

• Analysis and evaluation of various technologies for green methanol production with regard to efficiency, costs, and environmental impact
• Development of dynamic process models for electrified methanol processes under fluctuating power supply from renewable sources
• Simulation and optimization of the operating behavior of flexible systems, including control and operating strategies
• Creation of a technology and process database for selecting suitable production pathways and scenarios
• Techno-economic analyses of regional methanol production and supply chains in Europe and neighboring regions
• Contribution to the design and experimental validation of innovative reactor concepts (e.g., membrane reactors) for future demonstrations
• Scientific documentation and communication of results in the form of conference contributions and journal publications

Your profile

• Completed university studies (Master/Diploma) in the field of chemical engineering, process engineering, mechanical engineering, or a comparable and closely related field of study
• Knowledge of thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer phenomena, process engineering, and process technology
• Knowledge in process control theory (e.g., model predictive control, fuzzy control, etc.)
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills in an interdisciplinary and international research environment
• Motivation and self-discipline to carry out research independently
• Willingness to work on numerical and experimental tasks
• Programming skills (e.g., Matlab, SIMULINK, Python) or other common process simulators
• Excellent command of English (spoken and written)

Our offer

• A vibrant research community in an open, diverse and international work environment
• Scientific excellence and extensive professional networking opportunities
• A structured PhD program with a comprehensive range of continuing education and networking opportunities - more information about the PhD program at the HZDR can be found here
• Salary and social benefits in accordance with the collective agreement for the public sector ( TVöD-B und) including 30 days of paid holiday leave, company pension scheme (VBL)
• We support a good work-life balance with the possibility of part-time employment, mobile working and flexible working hours
• Numerous company health management offerings
• Employee discounts with well-known providers via the platform Corporate Benefits
• An employer subsidy for the "Deutschland-Ticket Jobticket"

We look forward to receiving your application documents (including cover letter, CV, diplomas/transcripts, etc.), which you can submit via our online-application-system.