Postdoc Solvothermal Recycling of Cardiac Catheters

Delft; Delft; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ABP pension

Education & training

Job summary

TU Delft's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering invites applications for a Postdoc position in solvothermal recycling of cardiac catheters. The project EvalueWaste aims to recover metals and polymers from disposable cardiac catheters and advance circularity in healthcare.

You will scale up the solvothermal process, contribute to peer-reviewed publications, and participate in consortium meetings with industry and academia.

Qualifications

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field required.
• Experience in experimental study of mechanical processing.
• Hands-on experience in practical engineering and process design.
• Critical attitude towards results with ability to formulate new research questions.
• Ability to work both in a team and independently.
• Good communication skills in English (spoken and written).

Responsibilities

• Scale-up of a solvothermal process to recover metals and polymers from cardiac catheters for reuse.
• Publish high-quality scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and contribute to project reports.
• Participate in consortium meetings, workshops, and stakeholder events; contribute to knowledge exchange and impact activities.
• Support supervision of students and contribute to the academic life of the department.

Skills

Chemical engineering

Experimental methods

Process design

Teamwork & independence

English communications

Education

PhD in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Job description

Postdoc Solvothermal Recycling of Cardiac Catheters

Shape the future of biomaterials from waste!

We have a new Postdoc vacancy in our group on solvothermal recycling of cardiac catheters. This Postdoc position is part of the newly funded Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (LSH) project - EvalueWaste.

This project brings together a multidisciplinary consortium from industry and academia to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of the healthcare sector: single-use cardiac electro-surgical catheters. Every year, about 170,000 electro-surgical instruments and cardiac electro-surgical catheters are discarded, along with 70,000 kg of plastic handles. These single-use devices are often made of complex, highly engineered composite materials with various types of polymers and precious metals that are difficult to recycle. Thus, after used, cardiac catheters are usually incinerated, resulting in significant material losses and environmental impact

As a Postdoc within the EvalueWaste consortium at TU Delft, you will:

• Scale-up of a solvothermal process to recover metals and polymers from cardiac catheters for reuse.
• Publish high-quality scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and contribute to project reports in collaboration with the project supervisors and others.
• Participate in consortium meetings, workshops, and stakeholder events, and actively contribute to knowledge exchange and impact activities.
• Support the supervision of students where relevant and contribute to the academic life of the department.

This Postdoc position provides a unique opportunity to help redefine the circularity in the healthcare sector in collaboration with the leading industry and the unique GreenCycl initiative.

Job requirements

• You are strong in advanced chemical engineering research and enjoy hands‑on experimental work. You are eager to grow your expertise and enjoy engaging with and supporting students. You need to have:
• A PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Experience in experimental study of mechanical processing
• Hands on experince in practical engineering and process design
• A critical attitude towards results is expected, which translates into formulating new research questions.
• Ability to function both in a team and independently.
• Good communication skills. good in English, both spoken and written.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Working at TU Delft means contributing to solutions that really make a difference.

For over 180 years, we have been training engineers who make an impact worldwide in companies, government bodies, or as entrepreneurs. Our alumni turn knowledge into concrete solutions for the challenges of today and tomorrow.

These challenges are changing rapidly. That is why we focus on themes such as energy, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart mobility every day. Our education and research are directly aligned with what society needs now and in the future.

At TU Delft, our people make the difference. With their knowledge and curiosity, our staff provide a high-quality education and conduct pioneering research that extends beyond the campus. You will have the opportunity to take the initiative, work with others, and grow as a professional.

Working at TU Delft means join an international community of professionals and students. Together, we create knowledge, innovations, and solutions that help move the world forward.

Faculty Mechanical Engineering

From chip to ship. From machine to human being. From idea to solution. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to understand our environment and discover its underlying mechanisms, research and education at the ME faculty focusses on fundamental understanding, design, production including application and product improvement, materials, processes and (mechanical) systems.

ME is a dynamic and innovative faculty with high-tech lab facilities and international reach. It’s a large faculty but also versatile, so we can often make unique connections by combining different disciplines. This is reflected in ME’s outstanding, state-of-the-art education, which trains students to become responsible and socially engaged engineers and scientists. We translate our knowledge and insights into solutions to societal issues, contributing to a sustainable society and to the development of prosperity and well-being. That is what unites us in pioneering research, inspiring education and (inter)national cooperation.

Clickhere to go to the website of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.Do you want to experience working at our faculty?Thesevideos will introduce you to some of our researchers and their work.

Conditions of employment

• Duration of contract is1 years. Temporary external finance.
• A job of 36-40 hours per week.
• Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities.
• An excellent pension scheme via the ABP.
• The possibility to compile an individual employment package every year.
• Discount with health insurers on supplemental packages.
• Every year, 232 leave hours (at 38 hours). You can also sell or buy additional leave hours via the individual choice budget.
• Plenty of opportunities for education, training and courses.
• Partially paid parental leave
• Attention for working healthy and energetically with the vitality program.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service , offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands. .

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr.ir.Tim Horeman-Franse, [e-mail] .

Faculty/Department: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

FTE: 0,9-1,0

Submission is possible until: 1 Oct 2026