Postdoc in Elevated Temperature and Pressure Electrolysis - DTU Physics

Water electrolysis to hydrogen has immense potential, however there are many challenges that need to be overcome to make a meaningful societal impact.  One of the challenges is that while commercial electrolyzers typically operate at 70-90 °C and increasingly at elevated pressures, research still tends to focus at 25 °C and 1 bar.  Because of this a large amount of scientific insight is lost due to difference in operating conditions.

This postdoc position will analyze oxygen evolution catalysts for water electrolysis at 30 bar and 80 °C. A major focus will be on stability, thus we will use an electrochemical quartz microbalance to denote degradation in the catalysts as a function of time. This project will involve building a setup that can handle these conditions, thus there will be a fair amount of practical engineering involved with this project.

This project will also analyze the oxygen evolution reaction via an electrochemical mass spectrometer (EC-MS).  This will start with testing via the EC-MS at DTU that operates at ambient conditions.  The company Spectro Inlets is working on a high temperature, high pressure (80 °C, 10 bar) upgrade and will provide this to DTU.  Thus, part of this project will be to validate the upgraded EC-MS while analyzing oxygen evolution catalysts at these more industrial relevant conditions. The project will also look for new and creative ways to use the EC-MS with these upgraded capabilities. 

This is a joint project with India, specifically Sebastian Peter’s group from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) and the Indian water electrolysis company Spirare Energy. As part of this, we will test catalysts developed at JNCASR and report our findings to Spirare allowing them to integrate this knowledge into their electrode development. Additionally, this position could potentially involve travelling to India for a short research stay (~ 1 week) to share knowledge between the partners.

Given that our group works on other forms of electrolysis, most notably CO₂ and CO electrolysis, this position may also collaborate with those projects by taking the high pressure, elevated temperature setup built for water electrolysis and modifying it for other electrocatalysis reactions.

Responsibilities 
The main responsibility of this position is testing oxygen evolution catalysts for water oxidation.  However, as part of this a setup need to be built, thus this position will be responsible for building the pressurized system ensuring a safe and reliable setup is built.  An electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance needs to be integrated into the electrolyzer setup so this is not a trivial task. In terms of testing catalysts we will be analyzing for O₂ via a gas chromatograph, so this needs to be attached for inline product detection and the GC calibrated.

While Spectro Inlets will develop the elevated temperature and pressure EC-MS, this is a collaborative project, thus there will likely be interactions and lab visits to Spectro Inlets to help validate this device (Both DTU and Spectro Inlets are in the Copenhagen area). Thus there will be a high degree of technical analysis, benchmarking, and determining the capabilities and limits of this device. It will be a very hands-on type of project.

Catalysts will both be given to us from our partners as well as produced in-house.  Therefore, this position will involve catalyst production via at least one of the following techniques: magnetron sputtering, electrodeposition, wet chemical methods. The catalysts will be characterized via XPS, XRD, and electron microscopy and we will likely use ICP-MS to measure catalyst degradation in the electrolyte after testing.

The potential to teach, advise Bachelor/Master student thesis projects, or be involved in proposal writing is also available to those that are interested in further developing their careers in any of those directions.

Our approach is highly collaborative at DTU, thus it is expected that you will have substantial collaborative interactions with both other experimentalists as well as computational chemists in working with catalysts and understanding the phenomena related to electrolysis. 

The work will take place at the Surface Science and Catalysis(SurfCat) labs of DTU Physics. In the SurfCat laboratories we have 3 EC-MS devices, 20 potentiostats, 4 RDE set-ups, 6 gas chromatographs, 2 magnetron sputter chambers, 2 mass-selected cluster source devices, 5 XPS, 3 gloveboxes, 3 XRD set-ups, ICP-MS, FTIR, 3 full time technicians, and a sufficient number of wet-labs, fume hoods, and furnaces. 

This project will also collaborate with the CAPeX center and have access to clean room facilities and electron microscopy via DTU Nanolab, as well as consultants on innovation and routes for start-up companies.

Qualifications
The successful candidate should be highly ambitious as well as open minded, culturally adaptable, and willing and able to work as part of a team. As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) or are expected to have one by the time of the start of the position. The degree should be preferably in Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Material Science or a similar field. Quality in research is the core principle in which we strive for, thus a strong fundamental scientific approach and knowledge base is essential.

The candidate must have extensive experimental experience working with electrocatalytic techniques and reactions. Experience in building pressurized electrochemicals setups and expertise in either electrochemical mass spectrometry (EC-MS) or differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) would be highly beneficial. Experience with electrochemical quartz microbalances, ICP-MS, GC and mass flow controllers as well as characterization techniques such as electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy would also helpful for this position. Basic programming skills (in Python) is another skill desired for this position.

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility. 

Salary and terms of employment 
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union.

The period of employment is 18 months. The starting date is expected to be either 1 June 2026 or 1 August 2026, though there is some room to move this a few months if need be. 

You can read more about career paths at DTU here.

Further information 
Further information may be obtained by contacting Prof. Brian Seger.

You can read more about the Department of Physics at https://physics.dtu.dk/. 

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark.

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 21 February 2026 (23:59 Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD – in English)
• List of publications 

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

The SurfCat section of DTU Physics consists of 8 professors and approximately 40 PhD’s and postdoc with the overarching theme of catalysis.  Roughly the section consists of 2/3 xperimentalists and 1/3 computational catalysis modelers, thus there is ample opportunity to collaborate with people in supporting aspects of catalysis.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.