Postdoc in Redox-Targeted Flow Batteries (Solid Boosters, FLOWBOOST) at Empa, Dübendorf
Job Description
Empa’s Laboratory Materials for Energy Conversion is hiring a postdoc to develop solid electrode composites, called boosters, for next-generation redox-targeted flow batteries. In these systems, redox mediators in the electrolyte exchange charge with solid boosters in the tanks, decoupling energy density from solubility. The postdoc will make PFAS-free booster formulations, study mediator-booster reactions with in-flow UV-Vis, and 3D-print booster-bed reactors from mL to L scale, within the Horizon Europe project FLOWBOOST.
At a glance
- Position: Postdoc
- Lab: Materials for Energy Conversion
- Project: Horizon Europe FLOWBOOST
- Contact: Dr. David Reber
- Where: Dübendorf, near Zurich
- Apply: open until filled (re-checked 13 October 2026)
About the flow battery postdoc
- Develop solid booster formulations with PFAS-free binders
- Optimise composition and pellet morphology for mass transport, reactivity and stability
- Quantify mediator-booster reactions and dissolution with in-flow UV-Vis
- Prototype booster-bed reactors by 3D printing, from mL to L
- Validate materials in lab-scale flow batteries
Facilities
The lab has synthesis labs with gloveboxes and furnaces, several lab-scale flow battery test stands, 3D printers, and analysis including XRD, in-flow UV-Vis, Raman, FTIR, impedance, mass spectrometry, chromatography, TGA and ICP-OES, plus access to electron microscopy.
What Empa is looking for
- A PhD in materials science, chemistry or a related field with strong publications
- Good spoken and written English
Nice to have
- Flow-cell electrochemistry
- In-situ UV-Vis, Raman or FTIR
- 3D printing and polymer processing
- Basic German
Pay and location
Empa’s advert does not state a salary; it offers employment conditions of the ETH Domain. Applications go only through Empa’s job portal.
How to apply
Apply through the official Empa job posting. Empa’s posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 13 October 2026. Check the posting for location and work-authorisation details before you apply.
See all our postdoc jobs, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.
Hiring institution: Empa
Official advertisement: apply.refline.ch
How to prepare for this application
- Motivation letter: Empa asks for one page on how you would contribute to this specific topic.
- References: at least two reference letters are required.
- Flow batteries: read up on redox-targeting and solid boosters.
- Complete applications only: include CV, records, certificates and full publication list.
About Empa
Empa is a Swiss materials science and technology research institute in the ETH Domain, with about 1,100 staff and sites in Dübendorf near Zurich, St. Gallen and Thun. Energy conversion and storage is one of its main research areas.
