Postdoc: Multifunctional Biopolyester Additive Replacing Pfas and Plastic in Paper Packaging

**Welcome to Maastricht University**
You are a highly motivated researcher with a PhD degree in chemistry, holding skills in organic and polymer synthesis. You are willing to collaborate closely with private partners on the development of multifunctional biopolyester additives replacing PFAS and plastic in paper packaging.

**Post-doc: Multifunctional Biopolyester additive replacing PFAS and plastic in paper packaging**
- **Our goal**: is to develop a multi-functional biobased, biodegradable and non-toxic additive to replace fossil-based synthetic paper additives.
- **Your colleagues**: The post-doc will be appointed at the Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials of Maastricht University, which is part of the Faculty of Science and Engineering. You will work in the group of Associate Professor Katrien Bernaerts, which focusses on the synthesis and design of polymer materials with tunable properties and recyclability exploiting the functionality of biobased building blocks. You will operate from the Brightlands-Chemelot Campus in Geleen (Nl), where the labs are located.

The project falls under the Biobased Circular theme of EKOO Part D3.2: Biobased Circular 3.2 Nieuwe generatie bouwstenen en biopolymeren. The project aims to create novel bio-based polyesters to replace fossil-based synthetic and harmful additives in food contact paper packaging. We aim to use fatty acid polyesters with various biobased diols/polyols (polysaccharides) to mimic the properties provided by polyacrylates, latex, PFAS, as paper additives. The envisioned additive is both biodegradable and recyclable, supporting closed-loop material use in packaging. For scalability, the applicant makes use of industrially available byproducts from agriculture (biomass), readily available in the Netherlands and Europe.

**Are you ready to set the course for the years ahead? Then we’d love to meet you.**

**What you bring**
We’re not looking for checkboxes—we’re interested in who you are and what you bring. Do you recognize yourself in this? The Postdoc:

- holds a PhD degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related fields;
- has skills in organic synthesis, polymer synthesis and chemical characterization;
- has interest in the material characterization (DSC, TGA, DMA, rheology,);
- has experience with colloids is a plus;
- aims at helping to create ready-to-market products from the insights gained during the post-doc - in balance with profound scientific publishing in peer review journals;
- likes to interact with academic and industrial partners;
- is result driven, inventive, creative, counts with potential impact, works ‘accountable’ and works with ownership;
- masters scientific English for speaking, reading, and writing. Knowledge of Dutch is not required.

**What we offer**
**As Postdoc** **at**Faculty of Science & Engineering**, you will be employed by the most international university in the Netherlands, located in the beautiful city of Maastricht. In addition, we offer you**:

- Good employment conditions. The position is graded in scale 11 according to UFO profile Researcher, with corresponding salary based on experience ranging from €4.728 and €6.433 gross per month (based on a full-time employment of 38 hours per week). In addition to the monthly salary, an 8.0% holiday allowance and an 8.3% year-end bonus apply.
- An employment contract for a period of 24 months with a scope of 1.0 FTE. Preferred starting date is 1 January 2026.
- At Maastricht University, the well-being of our employees is of utmost importance, we offer flexible working hours and the possibility to work partly from home if the nature of your position allows it. You will receive a monthly commuting and internet allowance for this. If you work full-time, you will be entitled to 29 vacation days and 4 additional public holidays per year, namely carnival Monday, carnival Tuesday, Good Friday, and Liberation Day. If you choose to accumulate compensation hours, an additional 12 days will be added. Furthermore, you can personalize your employment conditions through a collective labor agreement (CAO) choice model.
- As Maastricht University, we offer various other excellent secondary employment conditions. These include a good pension scheme with the ABP and the opportunity for UM employees to participate in company fitness and make use of the extensive sports facilities that we also offer to our students.
- Last but certainly not least, we provide the space and facilities for your personal and professional development. We facilitate this by offering a wide range of training programs and supporting various well-established initiatives such as 'acknowledge and appreciate'.

The terms of employment at Maastricht University are largely set out in the collective labor agreement of Dutch Universities. In addition, local provisions specific to UM apply. For more information, click here.

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