Junior Scientist/Engineer - Modeling and Simulation of Flow Batteries (PhD)

Junior Scientist/Engineer - Modeling and Simulation of Flow Batteries (PhD)

Are you ready to make a change in the energy transition and have a positive impact on the climate? Join the Unbound Potential (UP) team, a Swiss startup founded in 2023 by a group of passionate engineers, chemists, and economists from ETH Zürich.

We envision a resilient electrified society, independent not only from fossil fuels, but also from critical mined materials, such as Lithium-ion or Vanadium. How can we reach this goal? By developing a disruptive innovative solution: a membrane-less redox flow battery that works exclusively with organic chemistry. Despite the name, our system is the simplest large-scale stationary energy storage you can imagine, usable by energy-intensive industries as well as energy utilities seeking cheap and sustainable energy storage solutions.

As a member of our Science and Engineering team, you will develop models and simulations to capture multiphysics phenomena at the core of our technology and leverage this understanding to inform the design of our membrane-less systems. You will collaborate closely with the engineering team to validate your findings with experimental data, playing a key role in predicting the performance of our systems.

What you will do:

• Develop mathematical models to capture the multiphysics phenomena driving our systems, spanning from microscale processes to system performance.
• Perform computational (FEM) analyses to evaluate design trade-offs concerning cell structure, flow distribution, and operational parameters.
• Collaborate closely with our engineering team and academic partners to compare your findings with experiments.
• Explain the assumptions and limitations of the model to non-experts, and describe their effects on the results.
• Inform and guide the design of next-generation membrane-less redox flow batteries.

What you will bring:

• Ph.D. in mechanical/chemical/process engineering, applied mathematics, applied physics, or related fields.
• Strong interest in understanding and modeling the interaction between flow fields with transport and electrochemical phenomena.
• 3+ years experience in modeling and performing FEM simulation in at least one of these domains: fluid mechanics, liquid interfaces, mass transport.
• Solution-oriented mindset with out-of-the-box thinking.
• Experience with modeling electrochemical devices (i.e., alkaline batteries, flow batteries, electrolyzers, fuel cells) (desirable but not mandatory).
• Experience with redox flow batteries (desirable but not mandatory).

You are

• Motivated to work in a dynamic, high-performance, collaborative, young and fun start-up environment.
• Strongly interested in the climate-tech space.
• Independent and detail-oriented.
• Passionate about driving the renewable energy transition.
• Excellent team player.

What We Offer?

Join a highly motivated and young team. Be at the forefront of developing the next-generation large-scale energy storage solutions. Your role in the early stages of our exciting journey will make you key in developing and evolving UP, overcoming challenges, and celebrating success together.

For recent graduates, we offer an initial 1-year contract, with the possibility to transition to a permanent contract upon mutual agreement.

Attractive salary package with multiple benefits.

Trainings & Events

Trainings for professional growth and social events.

Sports

Frequent sport activities and outings with colleagues.

Work-Life Balance

Tons of opportunities to enjoy the time and do activities together.

Sounds like you? We are looking forward to meeting you! Send us your CV and Motivation Letter combined in a single PDF through the "Apply Now!" button below!