International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory Careers

Postdoctoral Researcher – Development of Organic and Metal Organic Compounds for Electric Energy Storage

Job Reference: Ref.24.26.408

Employer: International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL)

Location: Braga, Portugal

Group/Unit: Muñoz Research Group

Number of Vacancies: 1

Employment Type: Full time

Contract Duration: 12 months

Salary Range: 37K – 40K

Open Date for Applications: August 3rd, 2026

Closing Date for Applications: August 23rd, 2026 23h00m (Lisbon Time)

Key words: #electrochemicalenergystorage #rechargeablebatterytechnologies

Overview

The Muñoz research group is focused on the development of advanced materials for energy storage and conversion targeted for the integration of renewable energy sources, transport applications, power release under harsh conditions and efficient energy distribution. The group has broad experience in the synthesis of new materials as well as on the structural, morphological, physicochemical and electrochemical characterisation using a wide variety of experimental techniques that are combined with theoretical simulations aimed at the correlation between structure and properties.

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join the team under the European CellPacT project.

Job Duties

The job duties will be the following:

• Develop, synthesise, and optimise organic, polymeric, and metal-organic materials for rechargeable battery technologies.
• Design and perform electrochemical studies of electrodes, electrolytes, and complete cell configurations.
• Conduct materials characterisation and correlate structure, composition, and electrochemical performance.
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals, present findings at scientific conferences, and contribute to project reporting and proposal preparation.
• Support the supervision of MSc and PhD students and collaborate with national and international research partners.

Mandatory Qualifications

Education

• PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Electrochemistry, or a related field.

Experience and Technical Skills

• Demonstrated experience in the synthesis and characterisation of functional materials for electrochemical energy storage.
• Proven expertise in lithium-ion and/or sodium-ion battery technologies, including electrode fabrication and cell assembly.
• Hands-on experience with electrochemical techniques such as galvanostatic cycling, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
• Strong scientific writing skills, evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Other Valued Skills

• Experience with polymer electrolytes, solid-state electrolytes, or gel-polymer systems
• Experience with organic electrode materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), or coordination polymers.
• Familiarity with advanced characterisation techniques such as XPS, SEM/TEM, XRD, FTIR, Raman, or thermal analysis.
• Experience supervising students, participating in collaborative projects, or preparing research proposals

Personal Skills

• “Hands-on” approach together with a high commitment in respecting working deadlines;
• Problem Solving ability;
• Customer orientation;
• Ability to work independently and as team player;
• Good communication skills.

Our Benefits

• Competitive salary.
• Tax benefits and other Diplomatic privileges.
• Private health insurance.
• Family allowances (according to family situation).
• Free nursery service at INL premises (subject to availability).
• Support for education fees of dependent children.
• Relocation support.
• 30 working days of annual leave.

How to Apply

The application must be in English and include the following mandatory documents:

a)     Cover letter

b)     Curriculum Vitae

c)      Academic and/or Professional diplomas

d)     Recognition of academic degrees (only academic degrees awarded by non-Portuguese higher education institutions) *

*The selected candidate(s) with an academic degree granted by a non-Portuguese higher education institution must present, for hiring purposes, the certificate of recognition of that degree(s), issued by the Portuguese Directorate General for Higher Education or by a Portuguese Public Higher Education Institution. Please consult the website of the Portuguese Directorate General for Higher Education: https://www.dges.gov.pt/en.

Online application instructions:

1. The application is made online by clicking the “Apply” button;
2. The candidate must complete all required sections of the online application form;
3. The candidate must submit the mandatory documents mentioned above in pdf format by including them in the “Additional files” section using the “Add portfolio” button.

Important note:

Incomplete applications including the failure to provide mandatory documents or providing inaccurate information will result in the application not being considered.

How the Selection Process works
 

A. Applications eligibility check

This stage will be carried out on the basis of the mandatory requirements, education, experience and technical skills defined for the job, as well as the validation of the mandatory documents. Only candidates who meet the eligibility criteria will move forward to the next stage.

B. CV Assessment

The Selection Committee will evaluate the eligible applications based on their CV and other submitted documents and the suitability for the position. The best ranked candidates will be shortlisted for the interview stage(s).

C. Interview(s)

The interview(s) may be done in different formats: video recording, online or onsite.

The question based interview will evaluate the match between the candidate’s profile and the requirements for the position, including the technical and personal skills. To better support this stage, the candidate may be requested to prepare a short presentation.

D. Nomination

The selected candidate will be nominated and formally offered the position, including the disclosure of the contractual conditions. 

Additional Information

Application feedback

We highly value your interest in becoming part of the INL experience and it is important for us to maintain good communications with all candidates. No matter the outcome of your application, we will always provide you with feedback.

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Principle

INL follows a non-discrimination and equal access principle, wherefore no candidate can be privileged, benefited, impaired or deprived of any rights whatsoever, or be exempt of and duties based on any possible discriminatory issues.

The advertisement deadline may be extended at any time without previous notice in order to improve the suitability and effectiveness of the recruitment process.

About INL

The International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory – INL (http://www.inl.int), is the first and only Intergovernmental Organisation in the world entirely focused on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

It was founded under an international legal framework to perform interdisciplinary research, deploy and communicate nanotechnology for the benefit of society. INL aims to be a recognised leading global nanotechnology innovation hub.