No.: 9518
Area of knowledge: Interdisciplinary
FAPESP Process Number: 2025/09940-3
Project Title: Recovering Resources for the Future: Reusing Water for New Bioplastics with Controllable Lifespan – RENEW
Area of expertise: Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering
Number of vacancies: 1
Scholarship amount: R$ 12,570.00 (see FAPESP scholarship amounts at fapesp.br/valores/bolsasnopais ).
Principal Investigator: Eduardo Lucas Subtil
Unit/Institution: Center for Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences, Federal University of ABC (CECS-UFABC)
Application deadline: July 1, 2026
Published on: June 8, 2026
Start date: August 2026
Location: Santo André
Email for registration: eduardo.subtil@ufabc.edu.br
Activities and context
The fellow will work on the international RENEW project (co-funded by FAPESP and Horizon Europe, through the Water4All research network), focused on the production of bioplastics (PHA) from cyanobacteria cultivated in secondary effluent.
The main activities include:
– To develop and operate a pilot submerged ultrafiltration (UF) system for the separation and concentration of cyanobacterial biomass;
– Characterize fouling using physicochemical models (series resistance, Hermia);
– Perform advanced analyses (Excitation-Emission Matrix – EEM, Liquid Chromatography with Organic Carbon Detection – LC-OCD, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy – FTIR, Scanning Electron Microscopy – SEM);
– Compare UF (unprocessing) with centrifugation in terms of energy efficiency and PHA (polymethyl hemihydrate) yield;
– To contribute to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).
Mandatory requirements
PhD in environmental studies, including Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Sanitary Engineering or related fields; proven experience in membrane separation processes (UF, fouling characterization ); knowledge of wastewater treatment; ability to autonomously operate experimental systems on a laboratory scale; experience with data analysis and scientific publication in indexed journals; communication skills in English (reading, writing and oral presentation), given the international context of the project.
Desired requirements
Experience with photosynthetic bioreactors or microalgae/cyanobacteria cultivation; familiarity with advanced analytical techniques (LC-OCD, 3D fluorescence EEM, FTIR, SEM); knowledge of LCA with SimaPro software or equivalent; experience in international collaborative projects; publications in high-impact journals in the areas of membranes or wastewater treatment.
How to apply
Please submit a complete CV with a list of publications, a cover letter describing relevant experience, and two references (with email addresses). Email subject: “RENEW-FAPESP Post-Doctoral Application”. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. The fellowship – linked to the RENEW project (Water4All Joint Transnational Call 2024), in collaboration with European partners (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – UPC, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, NOVA University of Lisbon, Silesian University of Technology – SUT, Università degli Studi di Milano – UMIL) – has a duration of 24 months and is scheduled to begin in August 2026.
