PFAS pollution is a slow-moving environmental crisis. These highly persistent chemicals continuously contaminate water resources, ecosystems and food webs, while current treatment technologies often transfer PFAS between waste streams rather than eliminate them. Join us at Chalmers to develop a treatment train where PFAS are first concentrated from complex water matrices and subsequently destroyed using catalytic and photocatalytic approaches, supported by advanced analytical verification methods. The research is conducted in close collaboration with IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Örebro University and municipal wastewater treatment plants.
About us
The Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering pushes the knowledge of chemistry and chemical engineering forward in a broad field of research and education. We offer an international environment, with scientific areas ranging from fundamental chemistry, health and medical technology, materials science, renewable energy, to chemical engineering processing, material recycling, nuclear chemistry, theory and modelling.
About the research group
The Ergang Wang group focuses on the synthesis of organic semiconductors for organic electronics and the development of photocatalysts for sustainable chemistry applications (e.g., hydrogen generation and polymer degradation). The group is international and currently consists of 1 Professor, 1 permanent researcher, 6 postdocs and 2 PhD students.
About the research project
The doctoral position is part of the Formas-funded COAST PFAS, led by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and conducted in collaboration with Chalmers, Örebro University and municipal wastewater treatment plants to develop practical and scalable solutions for reducing PFAS emissions to coastal waters by combining upstream source control, advanced analytical methods, treatment technologies and governance innovation. Within COAST PFAS, this PhD project focuses on developing and evaluating treatment trains that combine PFAS pre-concentration, catalytic and photocatalytic destruction and advanced analytical verification to achieve robust PFAS elimination in complex water matrices.
Instead of only capturing PFAS and creating waste streams, the project targets upstream “treat-the-fraction” solutions: concentrating PFAS into manageable side streams followed by catalytic and photocatalytic destruction, supported by robust verification (defluorination/organofluorine metrics) to avoid hidden byproducts.
The project is conducted in close collaboration with IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Örebro University. Experimental work will involve visits to IVL’s Sjöstadsverket Water Innovation Centre (SWIC) in Stockholm and collaboration with researchers at Örebro University.
Who we are looking for
The following requirements are mandatory:
- To qualify as a Doctoral student, you must have a Master's degree (masterexamen) of 120 credits or a Master’s degree (magisterexamen) of 60 credits in material science, chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental engineering or equivalent.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
- Experience in at least one of the following areas:
- catalysis / heterogeneous catalysis / electrochemistry
- photocatalysis / photochemistry / photoredox processes
- environmental chemistry / water treatment processes
- analytical chemistry relevant to environmental samples (e.g., chromatography, spectroscopy, ion analysis)
*for students with an education earned outside of Sweden, a 4-year Bachelor’s degree is accepted.
The following experience will strengthen your application:
- Experience working with PFAS or other persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
- Experience with water and wastewater treatment processes, including membrane filtration, flotation, foam fractionation, adsorption, or pilot-scale treatment systems
- Experience with advanced oxidation/reduction processes (AOP/ARP), radical chemistry, or reaction kinetics
- Experience with mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS and/or HRMS), organofluorine-related methods (EOF/TOF), and/or fluoride analysis
- Experience with reactor design/operation (batch/flow photoreactors, catalyst immobilisation, scale-up considerations)
- Experience with complex matrices (wastewater, landfill leachate, concentrates) and QA/QC routines (blanks, spikes, recoveries)
- Programming/data handling skills (e.g., Python, MATLAB, R) for data processing and modelling
- Experience in organic synthesis or materials synthesis
What you will do
- Take courses at an advanced level within the Graduate school of Materials Science or Chemistry
- Develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing
- The position generally also includes teaching on Chalmers' undergraduate level or performing other duties corresponding to 5-10 percent of working hours
- Develop, optimise and evaluate PFAS treatment trains combining pre-concentration and catalytic/photocatalytic destruction in complex water matrices
- Evaluate pre-concentration and destruction performance in PFAS-rich water matrices using laboratory and pilot-scale treatment systems (define operating windows, kinetics and robustness)
- Identify and quantify degradation products to distinguish true destruction from transformation (e.g., short-chain PFAS and other organofluorine intermediates), and assess residue fate
- Use analytical insights and mass-balance assessments as feedback to improve treatment performance in iterative design–test–learn cycles
- Learn and apply computational methods (e.g. Density Functional Theory) to understand reaction pathways, adsorption and activation mechanisms, and structure–activity relationships.
- Work in an interdisciplinary environment spanning catalyst development, PFAS analytics, water treatment and systems assessment.
- Contribute to publications, project deliverables, and collaboration with partners (IVL, Örebro University, and water-sector stakeholders)
- The position involves collaboration across partner organisations and periodic travel to IVL’s Sjöstadsverket Water Innovation Centre (SWIC) in Stockholm and to Örebro University for experimental work and joint research activities.
Contract terms
- The Doctoral student positions are fully funded from start.
- The position is a fixed-term appointment of four years, with the possibility to teach up to 20%, which extends the position up to five years.
- A starting salary of 35,725 SEK per month (valid from May 1, 2026).
- Doctoral studies require physical presence throughout the entire study period. A valid residence permit must be presented by the study start date; otherwise the admission may be withdrawn.
What we offer
- As a Doctoral student at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits. Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.
- A dynamic and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.
- Read more about Sweden’s generous parental leave, subsidized day care, free schools, healthcare etc at Move To Gothenburg.
Chalmers is dedicated to improving gender balance and actively works with equality projects, such as the GENIE Initiative for gender equality and excellence.
If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses to help you settle in.
Find more general information about doctoral studies at Chalmers here.
Application procedure
The application should be written in English and attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.
CV
Personal letter
- A brief introduction about yourself.
- A brief motivation as to why you are interested in this position.
Bachelor’s and, if available, master’s thesis together with the transcripts.
Use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.
A background check may be conducted as part of the application process.
Please note: The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application is complete. Incomplete applications and applications sent by email will not be considered. Contact details to references will be requested after the interview.
We welcome your application no later than August 10, 2026.
For questions, please contact:
Name: Ergang Wang
Email : [email protected]
Name: Linda Önnby
Email: [email protected]
Name: Leo Yeung
Email: [email protected]
We look forward to your application!
*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***
Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level. The university has 3100 employees and 10,000 students, and offers education in engineering, science, shipping and architecture. With scientific excellence as a basis, Chalmers promotes knowledge and technical solutions for a sustainable world. Through global commitment and entrepreneurship, we foster an innovative spirit, in close collaboration with wider society.
Chalmers was founded in 1829 and has the same motto today as it did then: Avancez – forward.
