Junior Researcher in Catalyst Development for Energy Fuels
The Sustainable Fuels group at IREC is offering an exciting opportunity for a motivated early-career researcher or engineer to join a multidisciplinary team working on advanced shaping of porous catalytic materials for sustainable energy applications. This position is centered on the development and structuring of catalyst supports for key fuel technologies, including hydrogen production from alcohols, sustainable aviation fuels, and methanol synthesis. The candidate will play a leading role in shaping activities, from wet paste formulation to scalable structuring techniques, with potential to continue into a PhD and contribute to innovation initiatives.
Responsibilities:
Designing and optimizing wet paste formulations for shaping porous powders into structured supports.
Shaping of new porous supports (zeolites, ZnO, ZrO₂, La2O3).
Implementing scalable shaping techniques (extrusion, spheronization) to produce mechanically robust and catalytically active materials.
Collaboration with the research team for catalyst validation of shaped supports in lab and pilot reactors (Fischer-Tropsch, hydrocracking, alcohol reforming, methanation).
Analyze results, write reports, and present findings.
Collaborate with industrial partners.
Candidate Profile
BSc or MSc in Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Renewable Energies, or related fields.
Hands-on experience in laboratory work including catalyst synthesis, shaping and characterization (e.g., BET, XRD, SEM, TGA). Prior involvement in experimental TFG, TFM, or industrial practices is highly valued.
Experience in shaping and structuring porous materials: Wet paste formulation and shaping techniques such as extrusion and spheronization. Familiarity with plasticizers, binder, fillers and their role in shaping consistency
Problem solving oriented. Capacity to optimize shaping protocols and adapt support structures to different reactor configurations and catalytic processes.
Research motivation. Strong interest in applied research with industrial relevance, including technology transfer.
Analytical capacity. Ability to assess mechanical robustness, surface morphology, and catalytic activity of shaped supports
Fluency in English; Catalan and Spanish are advantageous.
Motivation to contribute to energy transition and decarbonization challenges.
Communication skills: Ability to document experimental procedures, analyze results, and present findings clearly.
Required documents :
Applicants must submit the following documents by email to irecjobs@irec.cat and jguilera@irec.cat
Curriculum Vitae.
Motivation letter with relevant experience, qualifications and value proposition related to the vacancy.
Indication at the subject of the email: Position: 2025/21
Offer of job position :
We offer a position within the framework of the ROAD2H2 collaborative project, in collaboration with companies and technological centers. Salaries will be paid in accordance with IREC’s salary policy, depending on the candidate’s qualifications and professional experience.