PhD Stipend within Dynamic Recipes for Sustainable Plastics

Aalborg Universitet; Aalborg; On-site; DKK 360,000 - 420,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

International collaboration

PhD stipend

Job summary

Aalborg University in Aalborg invites a PhD candidate to join the TRACE 2025 project, linking polymer processing, machine learning and sustainable plastics.

You will develop data-driven recipes for processing mixtures, perform lab work with extrusion, compounding and injection moulding, and collaborate with international partners in Greece, South Africa and Nigeria.

The position blends experimental and computational work with teaching duties and participation in conferences.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant engineering/science field.
• Experience applying ML to materials and production systems.
• Experience with laboratory work on polymers or willingness to develop it.

Responsibilities

• Develop data-driven recipes for polymer processing with ML.
• Perform extrusion, compounding and injection moulding experiments.
• Collaborate internationally with TRACE partners.
• Document results and contribute to scientific publications and conferences.

Skills

Machine Learning

Data analysis

Polymer processing

Lab work

Education

MSc in Virksomhedsteknologi or engineering/science

Strong analytical foundation

Tools

Python

ML frameworks

Job description

Your work tasks

In this PhD project, you will work at the intersection of polymer processing, materials science and Machine Learning to develop dynamic recipes for sustainable plastics. In a typical plastics production line, several types of materials are fed into the machines at the same time. These may include virgin materials from different suppliers, recycled content of varying quality, colourants, stabilizers and other masterbatches. Together with variations in processing parameters, this complexity makes it challenging to ensure that specific material properties remain stable from batch to batch.

You will explore how Machine Learning can be used as a practical tool to identify and adjust recipes that, for a given machine and processing window, fulfil defined target criteria. Building on existing evidence that Machine Learning can support recipe optimisation for well‑controlled materials and processes, you will investigate whether similar methods can be applied to mechanical recycling from heterogeneous waste streams. The ambition is to show how data‑driven tools can support circular production based on inherently low‑quality input materials, and how such tools can be adapted to contexts with limited waste management infrastructure.

Your work will include a substantial amount of laboratory activity related to polymer processing. You will prepare and process various blends using techniques such as extrusion, compounding and injection moulding, and you will test specific mechanical and physical properties in order to generate high‑quality data for training and validating Machine Learning models. You will use these models to analyse how different feedstock compositions and processing conditions influence performance, and to evaluate the ability of the models to serve as robust tools for dynamic recipe design in real production environments.

The project is embedded in TRACE 2025’s ambition to scale Proof‑of‑Concept Circular Economy Systems internationally. You will contribute to understanding how circular plastics systems can move from isolated pilots to integrated, scalable solutions across sectors and geographies. As part of this, you will engage with partners in international pilots and contribute to comparative insights on enabling and hindering factors for scaling, including market conditions, policy frameworks and local infrastructures.

You will work closely with colleagues in the Materials Science and Engineering research group and collaborate with other departments at Aalborg University, including Energy, Biotechnology and Chemistry. International collaboration is a core element of the project, and you will be part of joint activities with the National Technical University of Athens, the University of Johannesburg in South Africa and partner universities in Nigeria. Through these collaborations, you will help document and share conditions for successful scaling of circular plastics systems and contribute to TRACE’s broader learning and impact framework.

As a PhD candidate, you will also be involved in the academic life of the department. You may take part in limited teaching activities, such as giving lectures in relevant courses or supporting project‑based learning activities, and you will supervise or co‑supervise student projects at bachelor and master level. You will participate in dissemination within TRACE, including meetings, workshops and learning activities, and you will attend project meetings in Denmark and abroad. The position offers opportunities for presenting your work at international conferences and for shorter research visits with project partners, subject to project needs and agreements.

Your competencies

You hold a master’s degree in Virksomhedsteknologi from Aalborg University or a similar degree in engineering or science that provides you with a strong technical and analytical foundation. Your educational background equips you to work with both materials and processes, and you are comfortable operating at the interface between experimental work and computational modelling.

You have experience with Machine Learning and data analysis and are motivated to apply these skills to complex materials and production systems. You are familiar with polymer materials and processing, and you have knowledge of techniques such as extrusion, compounding and injection moulding. You either already have experience with laboratory work on polymers or you are ready to develop this competence as a central part of your PhD project.

You communicate clearly in English, both in writing and speech, and you are prepared to work in an international environment with partners from different countries, disciplines and sectors. You approach scientific problems in a systematic way and you are able to document and analyse your results carefully, including handling experimental data for Machine Learning workflows.

As a person, you are collaborative and enjoy working in teams where expertise and perspectives differ. At the same time, you are able to work independently and take responsibility for planning and executing your own tasks. You thrive in an environment that is both international and cross‑disciplinary, and you are comfortable moving between theoretical analyses, practical laboratory activities and discussions with partners from academia, industry and other organisations. You are at ease in a setting where you contribute to both scientific objectives and applied outcomes and where your work can have impact on how circular plastics systems are designed and implemented in practice.

Qualification requirements

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. It is a prerequisite for allocation of the stipend that the candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Engineering and Science in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1124 of September 19, 2025 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time. As part of the PhD study, you are among other things required to complete PhD courses corresponding to 30 ECTS, gain experience with teaching or other forms of knowledge dissemination and complete an external research stay outside of Aalborg University, preferably 3‑6 months at a foreign research institution.

Who we are

The Materials Science and Engineering research group at Aalborg University is a multidisciplinary team working at the interface of polymer science, biotechnology, nanomaterials and energy systems. We explore the materials that define our physical world, from the atomic and molecular level to complex structures, processes and properties. Our research bridges fundamental science and applied engineering, with core strengths in sustainable materials development, enzyme engineering, rheology, gels and nanocomposites, and electrochemical systems. We are driven by an ambition to develop circular and sustainable technologies, health‑related materials and green energy solutions, with a strong emphasis on translational research and collaboration with industry and other external partners.

Within the Department of Materials and Production, we actively engage with other research groups wherever our expertise in materials science and engineering can create added value. This collaborative mindset extends across Aalborg University, where we build interdisciplinary partnerships that foster innovation and impact across scientific and technological domains. The group has established a strong international reputation across multiple areas of science and engineering, and our work is widely cited, reflecting global recognition of our expertise and impact.

We are internationally known for contributions to the biophysical and biochemical understanding of enzymes and proteins, especially structure‑function relationships and protein stability. In complex materials, we have made significant contributions to understanding the mechanics, thermodynamics and physical behaviour of polymers, polymer nanocomposites, hydrogels and glasses. In nanophysics and applied nanotechnology, our research addresses quantum transport in nanoscale systems, nanomaterials characterization, molecular electronics and nanotechnology for biological and energy applications. Across these fields, we combine fundamental physics and materials science with applied research, positioning the group at the forefront of interdisciplinary nanoscience and engineering.

As a PhD candidate, you will join a supportive, informal and international working environment on campus Aalborg. You will be part of a TRACE project that includes international pilots and partners in Denmark, Greece, South Africa and Nigeria, and you will collaborate closely with other departments at Aalborg University and external partners. The position offers good opportunities for professional development, including participation in conferences and shorter research visits abroad, and you will contribute to a project that aims to show how circular plastics systems can be designed and scaled in ways that create value from waste materials and support more resilient societies.

Aalborg University - Knowledge for the world

Aalborg University is an international workplace with more than 3,700 employees. We offer real‑world‑oriented education and create world‑class research results through collaboration between researchers, students, and public and private companies. This is how we achieve insights, new solutions to societal problems, and knowledge that changes the world. Our main campus is in Aalborg, but we also have campuses in Esbjerg and Copenhagen.

Salary and terms of employment

The employment is in accordance with the Ministerial Order on the Appointment of Academic Staff at Universities and the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities. Furthermore, your terms of employment and salary are in accordance with the collective agreement between the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations and the state (AC collective agreement).

You can find information about the salary and salary structure for the position in the Salary Overview for Recruitment - Scientific positions (VIP). Please refer to the introductory section of the page and the section entitled “PhD Fellow”.

There is a mutual probationary period of 3 months for the position.