Postdoc - Understanding and controlling catalytic pathways through atomic-scale active site design (within the SNU/FZJ Energy Fellow Program)

Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres; Deutschland; Presencial; EUR 50.000 - 70.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Forschungszentrum Jülich invites applications for a postdoctoral research position in catalysis under the SNU/FZJ Energy Fellow Program. The appointee will work on designing atomically dispersed catalysts and study active sites with in situ X-ray methods.

The two-year program starts with one year at FZJ, followed by a second year at Seoul National University, with cross-institution collaboration and a strong emphasis on activity, selectivity, and catalyst stability.

Formación

• Master's degree with PhD in physics, chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, or related disciplines.
• Very good command of written and spoken English (B2 CEFR).
• Willingness for regular business trips.
• Very independent and self-motivated, plus good teamwork.

Responsabilidades

• Synthesize atomically dispersed catalysts with tailored coordination environments.
• Identify active sites under reaction conditions using in situ/operando X-ray methods.
• Investigate formation and transformation of intermediates with operando spectroscopy and kinetic analysis.
• Determine how local environment affects intermediates and reaction pathways.
• Translate insights into catalyst design and validate improvements in activity, selectivity, and stability.

Conocimientos

Independent and self-motivated work

Teamwork skills

Energy science experience

English proficiency (B2)

Educación

Master's degree with PhD in physics/chemistry/materials science/chemical engineering

Herramientas

In situ X-ray methods

Operando spectroscopy

Kinetic analysis

Descripción del empleo

Organisation/Company Forschungszentrum Jülich Research Field All Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Established Researcher (R3) Application Deadline 22 Dec 2026 - 22:59 (UTC) Country Germany Type of Contract To be defined Job Status Other Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Area of research:

Scientific / postdoctoral posts

Job description:Postdoc - Understanding and controlling catalytic pathways through atomic-scale active site design (within the SNU/FZJ Energy Fellow Program)

The SNU/FZJ Energy Fellow Program is a prestigious international postdoctoral research program between Seoul National University (SNU) in South Korea and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ). The two-year program offers the opportunity to conduct research at both institutions, starting with a one-year employment at FZJ, followed by a second year at Seoul National University in Seoul under a separate one-year employment at SNU (or vice versa).

This position is joint between FZJ’s institute division "Catalytic Interfaces for Chemical Hydrogen Storage" (IHE-1), led by Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Steinrück and Prof. Sang Hoon Joo from SNU.

The goal of this research topic is to establish how active site structure and its evolution under reaction conditions influence reaction intermediates and pathways and to use this understanding to design catalysts with improved activity, selectivity, and stability.

Your Job

• Synthesizing atomically dispersed catalysts with tailored coordination environments and metal–support interactions
• Identifying the active sites operating under reaction conditions and tracking their structural and electronic changes using in situ and operando X-ray methods
• Investigating the formation, adsorption, and transformation of reaction intermediates using both operando spectroscopy and kinetic analysis to clarify their relationship with active site evolution and catalytic performance
• Determining how the local reaction environment affects reaction intermediates, and how these effects govern the reaction pathways
• Translating the insights derived from in situ and operando analyses into catalyst design and validating the resulting improvements in activity, selectivity, and stability

Your Profile

• Master's degree with PhD in physics, chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, or related disciplines
• Experience in energy science
• Very good command of written and spoken English with extensive vocabulary is required (at least B2 level according to the CEFR

• Very independent and self-motivated way of working but also excellent teamwork skills
• High motivation to take on responsibility and develop your own research ideas
• Willingness for regular business trips

Our Benefits for You

• Meaningful tasks: The position offers a varied and diverse role in an international environment
• Work-life balance: Optimal conditions for balancing work and private life, as well as a family-friendly company policy. The option of flexible working (in terms of location) is generally available after consultation and in line with upcoming tasks and (on-site) appointments
• Vacation: You will receive 30 days of vacation plus additional days off (e.g. between Christmas and New Year's)
• Flexibility: Flexible working time models, including options close to full-time

, allow you to tailor your working hours to suit your individual needs

• Knowledge & further training: Your professional development is important to us – we provide targeted, individual support
• Health & well-being: Your health is important to us. You can look forward to a comprehensive occupational health management program with a wide range of offerings - e.g., a beach volleyball court, running groups, yoga classes, and much more. In addition, our company medical service and an experienced social counseling team are available to assist you on site
• Successful start: It is important to us that you quickly settle into the team and are given structured training for your tasks. We also support you from the very beginning and make your start easier with our Welcome Days and Welcome Guide
• Fair remuneration: Depending on your existing qualifications and the tasks assigned to you, you will be classified in pay grade 13 of the TVöD-Bund (Collective Agreement for the Public Service). All information on the TVöD-Bund collective agreement can be found on theBMI website

. The monthly salaries in euros can be found on page 74 of the PDF download

• Additional benefits: Benefit from attractive additional services such as a company pension scheme with employer contribution. In addition to the basic salary, there is an additional year-end bonus under the collective pay agreement amounting to 75% of a monthly salary, as well as capital-forming benefits
• Fixed-term: The position is limited to 1 year followed by a second year at Seoul National University in Seoul under a separate one-year employment at SNU
• Support for international employees: Our International Advisory Service makes it easier for international employees to get started
• Career Center: You will receive explicit support with regard to your career development opportunities

In addition to exciting tasks and a collegial working environment, we offer you much more:

We welcome applications from people with diverse backgrounds, e.g. in terms of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation / identity, and social, ethnic and religious origin. A diverse and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities in which everyone can realize their potential is important to us.

The following links provide further information on diversity and equal opportunities:

Start Date: To the next possible date

Application Deadline: 2026-12-22

Index number: 2026T-0838

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany's largest scientific organisation.