Master Thesis within Agriculture & Food at Nouryon

Nouryon; Stenungsunds kommun; On-site; SEK 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Nouryon invites a Master’s student to undertake a 20-week MSc thesis in the Agriculture & Food area at Nouryon Stenungsund in spring 2027. The project examines how surfactants and polymers influence spray from agricultural drone nozzles, with supervision from leading researchers.

You will characterize formulations, capture droplet dynamics, and analyze performance to guide drift control. The collaboration between Chalmers University of Technology and Nouryon offers rheology and fluid mechanics

Qualifications

• Master’s level background in chemical engineering, materials science, applied mechanics, physics or related field.
• Interest in rheology, fluid mechanics, colloid and surface chemistry.
• Hands-on laboratory work and an independent, curious approach.

Responsibilities

• Study liquid behavior when atomized by rotary disc nozzle.
• Use high-speed camera to capture droplet formation and analyze with image analysis system.
• Test how surfactants and drift-reducing polymers affect liquid behavior and spray.
• Link fluid properties to atomization performance to understand drift control.

Skills

Rheology

Fluid mechanics

Colloid chemistry

Lab work

Independent work

Education

Master’s degree in chemical engineering / materials science / physics

Tools

High-speed camera

Image analysis system

Job description

At Nouryon, our global team takes positive action every day to reach higher collectively and individually. We create innovative and sustainable solutions for our customers to answer society’s needs – today and in the future.

About the Thesis project

MSc thesis (30 p, 20 weeks) at Agriculture & Food, Nouryon Stenungsund, spring 2027

Master's Thesis: Controlling the Spray Behavior of Liquids from Agricultural Drone Nozzles with Surfactants and Polymers

Background Spraying crops with drones is one of the fastest-growing trends in modern agriculture. Agricultural drones are shifting to a new type of nozzle, the rotary disc atomizer. It breaks liquid into droplets at spinning. This is very different from conventional hydraulic nozzles, and we still know little about how spray liquids behave in it. Droplet size, drift and tank-mix compatibility all depend on the fluid's surface and flow properties. Surfactants and polymers could be used to tune these properties.

The project You will study how liquids behave when they are atomized by a rotary disc nozzle, and how this behavior can be changed with surfactants and polymers. You will:

• Set up lab-scale methods to characterize formulations, for example shear and extensional rheology, dynamic surface tension and droplet size distribution.
• Use high-speed camera to capture droplet formation and analyze with image analysis system
• Study how selected surfactants and drift-reducing polymers affect the liquid's behavior and the resulting spray.
• Link fluid properties to atomization performance, to understand which properties matter for drift control.

The project is a collaboration between Chalmers University of Technology and Nouryon. You will be supervised by Dr. Marko Bek, Dr. Ases Mishra and Prof. Roland Kádár, and Dr. Ruifei Wang with access to rheology and fluid mechanics expertise and to Nouryon's surfactant and polymer chemistry. The work could help shape future agricultural spray practices using drones.

Great if you have

• A Master’s-level background in chemical engineering, materials science, applied mechanics, physics or a related field.
• An interest in rheology, fluid mechanics, colloid and surface chemistry.
• An interest in hands‑on laboratory work and an independent, curious approach.
• An ongoing MSc education at Chalmers University of Technology (preferred)

We offer you

At Nouryon, we value the contributions of students undertaking their Master Thesis with us and offer the following compensation based on the scope of their projects:

30 ECTS Master's Thesis: For a 30 ECTS master's thesis, you will receive compensation equivalent to 60% of the current price base amount (prisbasbelopp). This reflects our appreciation for your dedication and contribution to the project. Please note that the compensation is paid upon completion and approval of the thesis by the institution.

To receive compensation, the following steps must be fulfilled:

• Insurance: If you are studying at a foreign institution, confirm that you are insured through your university or college.
• Thesis included in your education: The thesis must be an integral part of your academic program to qualify for compensation.
• Coordination Number: Obtain a coordination number from the Swedish Tax Agency to receive payment. Payments can only be made to Swedish bank accounts.

Good to know

Students from all universities are welcome to apply. However, due to the collaboration with Chalmers, students currently enrolled at Chalmers University of Technology are preferred.

As part of our selection process, the final candidate will undergo a background check before being offered the thesis project. Further information will be provided at a later stage of the process.

If you have any questions about the process or your application, or need assistance, please contact [e-mail].

For questions related to the content of the thesis project, please contact [e-mail]

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Contact

If you have any questions about the process or your application, or need assistance, please contact [e-mail].

For questions related to the content of the thesis project, please contact [e-mail]