PhD fellowship in Applied Chemistry

Project: Development of Novel “Green”
High-Energy Materials Based on Algae.
Dr. Alexander Golberg and Prof. Michael Gozin
Tel Aviv University
http://www.tau.ac.il/~agolberg/

Bio-economy is a new type of economy, which does not depend on fossil fuels. The basic unit of bio-economy is a bio-refinery that converts sustainably-grown biomass into food, chemicals and fuels.

To phase out the fossil fuels, alternative, sustainable and high quality chemicals must be developed. Although of a great importance, only few molecules for energy applications were produced from the biomass until today.

This project is a joint effort of Prof. Michael Gozin (School of Chemistry) and Dr. Alex Golberg (Porter School of Environmental Studies) to develop novel high energy density materials from offshore-grown algae biomass.

The fundamental part of this project deals with development of a new process to produce alternatives to nitrocellulose from macro-algae derived biopolymers. This technology should lead to a development of a new type of energetic materials for aerospace industry, automotive safety systems and many other important applications.

Requirements: Undergraduate Student or BSc/MSc Degree in Material or Chemical Engineering, Chemistry