PhD Replacing Chemicals with Electricity: Engineering Local pH Environments

Career at WUR

About Us

• Plenty of variety and challenges
• Pleasant working atmosphere
• Time for personal development
• Proper work-life balance
• Internationally leading
  
  

Your job

Can electricity replace acids, bases, and cleaning chemicals used throughout industry today? How do local pH conditions develop near electrodes and membranes in electrochemical systems, and how can they be controlled? In this PhD project, you will investigate these questions by combining modelling and experimental data to develop electrically driven alternatives for industrial cleaning and separation processes.

What will you do?

Many industries rely on acids, bases, detergents, and other chemicals to clean equipment, recover valuable products, and produce high-quality process water. These chemicals increase environmental impact, complicate water re-use and require downstream treatment. In this project, we take a different approach: rather than adding chemicals, we aim to create the required chemical conditions directly using electricity.

A key challenge in replacing these chemicals with electricity is that electrochemical systems create localized pH environments near electrodes and membranes. These local conditions often differ strongly from bulk solution properties, yet they determine chemical speciation, surface interactions, selectivity, cleaning efficiency, and fouling behavior. The aim of this PhD project is to understand, predict, and engineer these local pH environments in electrochemical systems.

As a PhD candidate, you will investigate how local pH environments develop near electrodes and membranes in complex water matrices. You will integrate theory, modelling, and experiments to determine how local pH conditions develop, how they depend on water composition and material properties, and how they can be engineered for practical applications. The insights obtained in this project can be used to develop electrically driven, chemical-free technologies for industrial cleaning and separations.

You will be part of the Electrically-driven Chemical-free Operations (ECO) consortium , a collaboration between the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology, the University of Twente, TU Delft, the University of Groningen, the University of Copenhagen, Wageningen University & Research, and industrial partners from the food, chemical, paper, and water sectors.

Your Duties And Responsibilities Include

• investigate how electrically induced local pH environments develop in electrochemical systems;
• develop theoretical and computational models to predict local pH conditions in complex water matrices and investigate the impact of water composition, electrode materials, and membrane materials on pH conditions;
• design experiments to quantify local pH environments near electrodes and membranes and integrate experimental observations and modelling results to develop design principles for electrically driven processes;
• use the obtained insights to guide the design of electrochemical cleaning and separation technologies in close collaboration with the industrial partners in the consortium;
• present research results at consortium meetings, international conferences, and scientific workshops and publish findings in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals.
  
  

You will work here

The research is embedded within the Environmental Technology group . You will join the Electrified Interfaces group, a research group studying transport, reactions, and selectivity at charged interfaces in environmental technologies, including electrochemical systems, membrane processes, adsorption and ion-exchange materials. You will be supervised by Dr. Jouke Dykstra and Dr. Hanieh Bazyar from TU Delft.

Your qualities

You are an enthusiastic and curious researcher who enjoys working on complex scientific challenges. You combine analytical thinking with creativity and have a strong interest in understanding fundamental processes at interfaces. You are a team player and open to collaborating in a consortium of other researchers and industrial partners, with regular consortium meetings. You can communicate your research to people with a broad, technical background, and you can contribute to defining your own research, in agreement with the consortium.

You Also Possess

• a successfully completed MSc degree in Chemical Engineering, Water Technology, Environmental Technology, Physical Chemistry, Process Engineering, or Applied Physics, or a related discipline;
• demonstrated affinity with electrochemistry, transport phenomena, membrane processes, colloid and interface science, and/or water technology;
• experience with experimental methods, modelling, or both, and enthusiasm to combine theory and experiments;
• excellent English communication skills and the motivation to publish your work in leading scientific journals.
  
  

For this position your command of the English language is expected to be at C1 level . Sometimes it is necessary to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. More information can be found here .

We offer

Wageningen University & Research offers excellent terms of employment . A few highlights from our Collective Labour Agreement include:

• partially paid parental leave;
• working hours that can be discussed and arranged so that they allow for the best possible work-life balance;
• there is a strong focus on vitality and you can make use of the sports facilities available on campus for a small fee;
• a fixed year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• excellent pension scheme.
  
  

In addition to these first-rate employee benefits, you will receive a fully funded PhD position and you will be offered a course program tailored to your needs and the research team.

The gross salary for the first year is € 3.204,- per month rising to € 4.051,- in the fourth year in according to the Collective Labour Agreements for Dutch Universities (CAO-NU) (scale P). This is based on a full-time working week of 38 hours. We offer a temporary contract for 18 months which will be extended for the duration of the project if you perform well.

We encourage development and internal mobility within our organisation. Our recruitment and selection policy sets out the conditions that apply specifically to you as a (former) employee. If you have any questions, we are happy to help.

You will work on the greenest and most innovative campus in the Netherlands, in an international and open working environment.

Coming from abroad

Wageningen University & Research is the university and research centre for life sciences. The themes we deal with are relevant to everyone around the world and Wageningen, therefore, has a large international community and a lot to offer to international employees.

Because we expect you to work and live in the Netherlands our team of advisors on Dutch immigration procedures will help you with the visa application procedures for yourself and, if applicable, for your family.

Feeling welcome also has everything to do with being well informed. Wageningen University & Research's International Community page contains practical information about what we can do to support international employees coming to Wageningen. Furthermore, our Welcome Center can assist you with any additional advice and information about for example housing, opening a bank account, dual career programs or schooling. Finally, certain categories of international staff may be eligible for a tax exemption on a part of their salary during the first five years in the Netherlands.

Important information

For more information about the position, please contact Jouke Dykstra, Associate Professor, via email: Jouke.Dykstra@wur.nl.

Questions about the procedure? Get in touch with Rutger Voorrips Corporate Recruiter, via email: rutger.voorrips@wur.nl.

Ready to apply?

You can apply directly using the apply button on the vacancy page on our website which will allow us to process your personal information with your approval. Only applications submitted through our website will be considered.

To apply, please send the following documents (max. 3 pages in total ):

• complete and up-to-date curriculum vitae (max. 2 pages);
• motivation letter (max. 1 page).
  
  

The maximum length of the documents must not exceed 3 pages. If it exceeds, applications will not be considered. Additional files such as grades and transcripts are not required during this stage and will not be considered.

You can apply up to and including October 26th, 2026. The first interviews are scheduled shortly after the closing date.

Welcome, safe, and valued

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) highly values diversity and inclusion because we believe that different insights lead to innovative solutions. We create a work environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, and appreciated, regardless of background, identity, or experience. Together, we are building a culture where everyone's unique contribution adds to the success of our organization.

We are

The mission of Wageningen University & Research is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. Under the banner Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen University and the specialised research institutes of the Wageningen Research Foundation have joined forces in contributing to finding solutions to important questions in the domain of healthy food and living environment. With its roughly 30 branches, 7,600 employees (6,700 fte) and 13,100 students and over 150,000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning, Wageningen University & Research is one of the leading organisations in its domain. The unique Wageningen approach lies in its integrated approach to issues and the collaboration between different disciplines.

Read the 5 reasons why your future colleagues enjoy working at WUR and watch the video below to get an idea of our green campus!

We will recruit for the vacancy ourselves, so no employment agencies please. However, sharing in your network is appreciated.

Locations

Wageningen

Professional field

PhD & EngD

Educational level

Masters degree

Apply before

27-10-2026

Salary range

€3204 - €4051

Hours

38 - 38