Aalto University is where science and art meet technology and business. We shape a sustainable future by making research breakthroughs in and across our disciplines, sparking the game changers of tomorrow and creating novel solutions to major global challenges. Our community is made up of 13 000 students, 400 professors, and more than 4 500 other faculty and staff working on our dynamic campus in Espoo, Greater Helsinki, Finland. Diversity is part of who we are, and we actively work to ensure our community’s diversity and inclusiveness. This is why we warmly encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to join our community.

The School of Chemical Engineering is one of the six schools of Aalto University. It combines natural sciences and engineering in a unique way.

The Bioproducts Chemistry group offers

a Master thesis project related to veneer functionalization and understanding the underlying interfacial phenomena         

The Bioproducts chemistry group (https://www.aalto.fi/en/department-of-bioproducts-and-biosystems/bioproduct-chemistry) is dedicated to replacing fossil-oil based materials by renewable biomaterials from natural resources, such as forest biomass. We conduct interdisciplinary research on bio-based material science and surface chemistry of lignocellulosics. Efforts are laid on finding novel application possibilities for the main plant polymers; cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose. The approach to reach these goals is to focus on fundamental insight in surface chemistry of biomaterials, with a special focus on interaction forces.

Description

The development of safe and sustainable chemicals and energy-efficient processes is more important than ever. Veneer is a widely used bio-based material, however oil-based coatings and finishes make the material less green. An MCC-based coating has showed promising results in smoothening the surface and providing a basis for functionalization. In this MSc thesis, the aim is to understand how the coating interacts with the surface, what happens during drying, and how the whole system can be tweaked to alter desired properties of the veneer surface. Important techniques that will be used are SEM, AFM, transverse strength measurements and WCA. The work will be carried out in a co-creation project between Aalto University and companies.

Who we are looking for?

• You are an ambitious and hard-working student

• You are interested in surface chemistry

• You like solving problems and are good at keeping timetables 

• You are interested in continuing with PhD studies

How to apply

Please submit your application through our online recruitment system no later than 14.4.2024 by using the link on Aalto University’s webpage (“Apply now”).

If you are an Aalto employee or visitor, please apply via the Workday system (internal jobs).

To apply, please include the following documents in English and in PDF format:

• Cover letter (start as follows: “I am interested in this position because… “)

• CV

• Transcript of course records with grades

The employment contract for a M.Sc. thesis will be for five months. Most of the experiments will be performed in the research group of Professor Monika Österberg. The project will start according to agreement with the selected candidate.

For additional scientific information, please contact Dr. Nina Forsman, nina.forsman(at)aalto.fi.

The call is open until April 14th, 2024, but the position might be filled before the deadline. Aalto University reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.

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