Position(s) Available

Research Associate (s)/Postdoc (s) (Appointment for 12 months with possibility of extension)

Duties

(1) Assist to set up a research program on advanced biorefinery at the School of Energy and Environment of City University of Hong Kong.
(2) Develop advanced biorefining technologies to convert biomass and biowastes cost-effectively into high-value industrially applicable products (e.g., sustainable aviation fuels, green hydrogen, bio-based chemicals and bio-polymer materials, etc.).
(3) Work closely with academic collaborators and industry collaborators.
(4) Assist to supervise or mentor student’s research projects.

Requirements

• A PhD degree in chemical engineering/applied chemistry or related fields, with no more than 3 years’ experience after the award of PhD degree;
• Relevant research experience in biorefinery (bioenergy, biofuels, bio-based chemicals/materials), high value utilization of biomass and biowastes, catalysis and catalysts;
• An excellent track record in high-quality publications;
• Good command of written and spoken English; and
• Advanced knowledge and skills in chemistry or catalysis/catalysts will be an asset.

Salary and Conditions of Service

Salary offered will be highly competitive, commensurate with qualifications and experience.  Fringe benefits include leave, medical and dental consultations at the campus clinic.

Application

Applications will be accepted until the position(s) are filled. Please submit your application through the CityU e-Recruitment System. For more information, please contact Professor XU by email (chunbaxu@cityu.edu.hk).

PhD scholarships

PhD scholarships are available in the areas of 

• Environmentally friendly and cost-effective fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.  
• Production of bio-polymers from cellulose and lignin via chemical modifications.
• Production of oxygenated bio-chemicals and C5-C18 alkanes from C5/C6 sugars via catalytic conversion.
• Production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) from lignin, biocrude/pyrolysis oils by catalytic hydrotreatment.
• Development of a scalable hydrothermal reforming (HTR) technology for green H₂ generation from aqueous bio-feedstocks derived from biomass and biowastes.
• Development of chemical hydrogen storage technologies: ammonia, methanol and formic acid.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a four-year postgraduate research degree. The PhD Scholarship rate for 2022/23 is HK$17,510 per month (~US$2,245). The maximum award period is 4 years for full-time PhD students. Scholarships are available via Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Assistant (TA) Scheme, University Grants Committee (UGC) Research Assistant (RA) Scheme, or by self-finance. Applicants whose first degree was obtained from an institution where the language of teaching is not English should satisfy the minimum English proficiency requirements: a score of 79 (Internet-based test) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), or an overall band score of 6.5 in International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or other test scores that may be regarded as equivalent to TOEFL 79 (Internet-based). Prospective students should follow the CityU research degree programs application instructions (http://www.pd4n48r.xyz/pg/research-degree-programmes). Before proceeding to application, candidates should express your interest to Prof. Charles XU and provide supporting documents including CV with a list of published works by email at chunbaxu@cityu.edu.hk.

Visiting Professor/Researchers/Students

We welcome collaborative research visits. Potential sources of financial support include prestigious Hong Kong Scholars Program and other short-term visiting schemes. Please contact Prof. Charles XU at chunbaxu@cityu.edu.hk for more information.

City University of Hong Kong is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to the principle of diversity. We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, especially applicants who will enhance the diversity of our staff.

Publications

Prof. XU’s complete list of publications (>300) can be found at:
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=w_6hEzkAAAAJ&hl=en;
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=35207737400

Five most representative publications in recent five years:

1. Hu M*, Ma J, Wang J, Pan Z, Hu Z-T, Tan S, Guo D, Rong H, Beims R, Xu C*, 2023. New insights into nitrogen control strategies in sewage sludge pyrolysis toward environmental and economic sustainability. Science of the Total Environment 882, 163326. (IF: 9.8).
2. Beims RF, Rizkalla A, Kermanshahi-pour A, Xu CC*, 2022. Reengineering Wood into a High-Strength, and Lightweight Bio-Composite Material for Structural Applications. Chemical Engineering Journal 454: 139896. (IF: 15.1)
3. Rezayan A, Wang K, Nie R, Lu T, Wang J, Zhang Y*, Xu CC*, 2022. Synthesis of bifunctional tin-based silica-carbon catalysts, Sn/KIT-1/C, with tunable acid sites for the catalytic transformation of glucose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Chemical Engineering Journal 429: 132261. (IF: 15.1)
4. Rao KTV, Hu Y, Yuan Z, Zhang Y, Xu C*. 2021. Nitrogen-doped carbon: A metal-free catalyst for selective oxidation of crude 5-hydroxymethylfurfural obtained from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS-90) to 2,5Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Chemical Engineering Journal 404: 127063. (IF: 15.1)
5. Xu C*, Dessbesell L, Zhang Y, Yuan Z., 2021. Lignin Beyond Energy - Has Lignin’s Time Finally Come? Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining 15:32–36 (A perspective article, featured in the BIOFPR back cover).

Five representative publications beyond the recent five-year period:

1. Xu C, Ferdosian F. Conversion of Lignin into Bio-based Chemicals and Materials (Book), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, June 2017. ISBN 978-3-662-54959-9.
2. Nazari L, Yuan Z, Ray MB*, Xu C*, 2017. Co-Conversion of Waste Activated Sludge and Sawdust through Hydrothermal Liquefaction: Optimization of Reaction Parameters Using Response Surface Methodology. Applied Energy 203: 1-10. (IF: 11.2)
3. Behnia I, Yuan Z, Charpentier P, Xu C*. Supercritical water gasification of aqueous fraction of pyrolysis oil in the presence of a Ni-Ru catalyst. AIChE Journal 62: 2786–2793. (IF: 4.2)
4. Shui T, Feng S, Yuan Z, Kuboki T, Xu C*, 2016. Highly efficient organosolv fractionation of cornstalk into cellulose and lignin in organic acids. Bioresource Technology 218: 953–961. (IF: 11.4)
5. Mahmood N, Yuan Z, Schmidt J, Tymchyshyn M, Xu C*. 2016. Hydrolytic Liquefaction of Hydrolysis Lignin for the Preparation of Bio-based Rigid Polyurethane Foam. Green Chemistry 18, 2385–2398. (IF: 9.8)