The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne (EPFL ...

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
at Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
Is seeking candidates for two positions in its doctoral program under the following fields of
study:
Techno-Economic and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Biorefinery
Concepts
Research areas include:
• Biorefinery process design and evaluation
• Techno-economic evaluation of processes
• Environmental life cycle assessments (LCA) of biofuels
The research aims to design, document and assess various concepts and configurations of
Palm tree based biorefinery, including biodiesel production.
Applicants will preferably hold a Master’s degree in chemistry or biotechnology and be
interested in multidisciplinary research works on biofuels and biorefineries. The positions are
as follows:
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Researcher in the field of thermochemical conversion processes
This position will involve the following activities:
1) Process design and development as well as materials and energy balances of
Palm Tree Biorefinery schemes including biodiesel, thermo-chemical conversion
of ligno cellulosic materials (fibers and brunch) into ethanol and biofuels, and
thermal-catalytic cracking of glycerol, soap-stock palm fatty acids distillates
2) Process simulation and design of Palm Tree Biorefinery schemes using Aspen-
Hysys
3) Techno-economic and environmental lifecycle assessment.
_________________________________________
Researcher in the field of biochemical conversion processes
This position will involve the following activities:
1) Process design and development as well as materials and energy balances of
Palm Tree Biorefinery schemes including biodiesel, biochemical conversion of
ligno cellulosic materials (fibers and brunch) into ethanol
2) Process simulation and design of Palm Tree Biorefinery schemes using Aspen-
Hysys
3) Techno-economic and environmental lifecycle assessment.
Applicants should have experience in, or be interested in mastering, process design.
Knowledge and skills in Aspen-Plus and/or LCA, while not required, are recommended.
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The EPFL offers state-of-the-art computational and experimental facilities, an inspiring and
international working environment as well as internationally competitive salaries.

Although EPFL is situated in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, graduate level studies
at EPFL are conducted in English and the eventual thesis, as well as other written works
related to the studies, are to be prepared in English. Competence in both written and oral
English is required to carry out the research projects and to participate in the EPFL doctoral
program. Since the proposed project is to be carried out in collaboration with several
Brazilian universities, knowledge of the Portuguese language is necessary. Those who wish
to may take French language classes at EPFL, but knowledge of French is not a
requirement.
The EPFL offers state-of-the-art computational and experimental facilities, an inspiring and
international working environment as well as internationally competitive salaries. The
duration of the program is anticipated to last four years with a starting salary of 50'900 CHF
(approximately R$101,500) for the first year with a 2’000 CHF annual increase thereafter.
The starting date for these positions is mid-2012, and the application should be submitted to
the Civil and Environmental doctoral programme of the EPFL as soon as possible.
_________________________________________
Application Form & Enclosures
In order to enter the application system of EPFL, go to the online application login
(https://isa.epfl.ch/imoniteur_ISAP/!farforms.htm?x=edoc) where you will be asked to create
a user account. Once you have set up a user account, you will be able to work on parts of
the application and to save your progress over multiple sessions if need be. You will first
have to fill in the online application form. You will be asked to provide information on your
personal details and your academic background, the doctoral program you wish to apply to,
as well as your statement of objectives and the contact details of three referees.
You will be asked to upload a pdf version of the following documents:
• Official transcripts of diplomas and grades from all academic institutions of higher
education you list in your application (after and not including high-school)
• Certified translations of diplomas and grades into English if not originally in French,
German, Italian or English
• Statement of objectives
• A copy of your passport or official identity document showing your name in full
Once you have uploaded all these documents and confirmed all the details you have
provided, you will be asked to complete and submit your application by validating it. Your
application will not be reviewed until you have completed, validated and submitted it online.
Recommendation Letters
Every Doctoral School applicant is requested to provide the contact details of three referees
who can supply a recommendation. These recommendations are confidential and will only
be accepted if they are received through the electronic application process.
Each recommendation consists of two elements:
• A form to be filled out by the referee.
• An additional letter with the referee's comments.
Please allow your referees sufficient time to complete the form, write the letter and send this
material back to EPFL before the deadline for submissions. Remember that EPFL will not

equest references until you have validated and submitted your application: don't wait until
the deadline date to send your application! Please be aware that it is not possible to change
your referee details once you have submitted your application.
You will be notified by email when each referee has provided his or her recommendation to
the doctoral program.
_________________________________________
Contact:
Prof. Edgard Gnansounou
Edgard.gnansounou@epfl.ch