Post-doctoral Fellowship in Process Engineering

A post-doctoral fellowship is available to develop research in “Analysis and optimization of the biodiesel production process integrated to the production of bioethanol (1G-2G)”. With supervision by professor Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, the research is linked to the Thematic Project "From the Cell Factory to the Biodiesel-Bioethanol Integrated Biorefinery: a Systems Approach Applied to Complex Problems in Micro and Macroscales" (Grant number 2016/10636-8), funded by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation -- FAPESP through its Bioenergy Research program (BIOEN-FAPESP), and coordinated by Professor Roberto de Campos Giordano.

As part of his/her activities, the post-doctoral fellow will carry out the simulation of integrated processes of production of bioethanol 1G-2G in Aspen Plus simulator associated to technical-economic analysis. The study of the residual glycerol (from the biodiesel production) purification and the thermal evaluation of this compound are also contemplated. In addition, the post-doctoral fellow will determine parameters and analyze models of heterogeneous catalysis and biocatalysis in the biodiesel production. 

The post-doctoral fellow will develop his/her research activities in the EXTRAE laboratory (Laboratory of Extraction, Applied Thermodynamics and Equilibrium) at School of Food Engineering/ State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Sao Paulo State, Brazil. 

Communication between the post-doctoral fellow and several teams, working in different sub-projects of the Thematic, will be a part of his/hers everyday activities, since information delivered by the lab teams and by the simulation team must follow a continuous, bi-directional, flow.

Candidates must have obtained their PhD degree within the last 7 (seven) years, in Brazil or abroad. 

This research program requires expertise in: 

1) Phase equilibrium data analysis (vapor-liquid equilibrium, vapor-liquid-liquid equilibrium and liquid-liquid equilibrium) and thermodynamic models;
2) Proven experience in activities such as physical-chemical and instrumental analyzes, and in experiments in laboratorial and/or pilot plant scales in processes of project interest: bioethanol, biodiesel and biocompounds. 

It is desirable the candidate familiarity in the use of process simulators and technical-economic and environmental analysis, but it is not an exclusion criterion. 
This opportunity is open to candidates of any nationalities. The selected candidate will receive a FAPESP’s Post-Doctoral fellowship in the amount of R$ 7,174.80 monthly and a research contingency fund, equivalent to 15% of the annual value of the fellowship which should be spent in items directly related to the research activity.  

Contact information: 
The applicants should send their résumé (in pdf) before April 16th, 2018, showing his/her experience in these techniques and highlighting his/her publications in indexed scientific journals according to FAPESP instructions (short CV FAPESP Instructions - http://www.fapesp.br/en/6351).

E-mail: pd.2016106368@gmail.com. The e-mail subject must include the text “PD – Process Engineering”, with an attached pdf file of 2 MB at most. 

The selection will be based on the candidates' curriculum with proven experience in the topics required through publications in the area and in the potential contribution to the area of the Thematic Project that integrates this FAPESP’s Post-Doctoral fellowship. The candidate will receive an e-mail informing if he/she was indicated or not to the post-doctoral fellowship. 
More information about the fellowship is at fapesp.br/oportunidades/2013.

Eligible destination country/ies for fellows: Brazil
Eligibility of fellows: country/ies of residence: All
Eligibility of fellows: nationality/ies: All