Mission
We are offering a position as a full-time (100%) PhD Student in the Group of Energy Materials at EPFL, Sion. Our highly interdisciplinary Lab is part of the EPFL Mechanical Engineering Institute and specialised since 30 years in fuel cells and electrolysers, both high temperature (>600掳C, solid oxide ceramics) and low temperature ( 聽
Main duties and responsibilities
As a PhD student, you will be expected to:
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Have full responsibility for your own dissertation
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Research in close collaboration with academic and industrial partners
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Experiment design and execution
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Analyze and interpret experimental results
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Write scientific articles for publication in peer-reviewed journals
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Present at international conferences
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Participate in education and supervise student projects
More specifically, within this project, you will:
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test and upgrade an existing bioelectrocatalytic reactor converting cheese whey into acetic acid
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investigate electrode mechanisms and determine the limiting steps
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perform DNA analysis to identify the bacterial strains at the cathode and anode environments
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be responsible of a dedicated project that fully funds the PhD thesis
Profile
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A MSc degree in biology, biochemistry or environmental engineering
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Prior familiarity with bacterial strains, cultures, inoculation, DNA analysis
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Good communication skills and willingness to work as part of a team
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Enthusiasm, scientific curiosity, eager to learn, good organizational skills, rigor in experimental work
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High level of motivation for academic research work
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Fluency in English is essential [French or German or Italian would be an asset]
We offer
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Employment at an institution ranked among the global leaders in engineering and technology
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Support for professional development through training and continuous learning opportunities.
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Flexible work environment promoting work-life balance
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Language courses relevant to your role
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International multilingual environment
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Discounts on public transport
Informations
聽The EPFL selection process involves multiple stages, and short-listed candidates will be requested to apply to a specific聽 EPFL Doctoral Program to qualify for a PhD at EPFL, in this case EDBB (Biotech), EDCH (Chemistry) or EDEY (Energy).
Please check this page for additional information on admission.
Please note that this is a separate application process necessary to be eligible to complete your PhD at EPFL.
Your application should contain:
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Application deadline: January 31st 2026
聽Contract Start Date: April 1st 2026 or as per mutual agreement
Activity Rate : 100
Contract Type: 1-year fixed-term contract (CDD), renewable for 4 years.
Reference: 2001
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Only applications submitted through the online platform are considered.
For more information, please contact: jan.vanherle@epfl.ch, chantal.donaghey@epfl.ch, cedric.frantz@epfl.ch