Postdoctoral Researcher in Photocatalysis for Water-Based Paint and Coating Photocuring Leiden University in Netherlands

Leiden University’s Faculty of Science and the Leiden Institute of Chemistry are offering a postdoctoral position in photocatalysis for water-based paint and coating photocuring, focused on lowering the carbon footprint of industrial coating technologies. The project is based in the Bonnet group in Leiden, The Netherlands, and is embedded in a large Dutch consortium that connects academia and industry.

The research addresses a key sustainability challenge: conventional paint and coating curing often depends on heat or high-energy UV light. In this project, the successful candidate will help develop photocatalytically active surfactants that can be incorporated into waterborne paint formulations and enable efficient visible-light curing, including with red or NIR light. The work also includes upscaling tests and rapid optimisation of curing conditions using a robotic platform developed within the consortium. Because the system is waterborne, it brings additional challenges related to surfactants and colloidal mixtures, making the position especially relevant to researchers interested in the interface of photochemistry, supramolecular chemistry, coordination chemistry, and surface-active materials.

The project environment is highly collaborative. You will work within Leiden’s photochemistry laboratory and benefit from strong experimental infrastructure, including synthesis and measurement facilities, as well as glass-blowing, mechanical, and electronic workshops. The group is described as internationally collaborative, with connections across the university, throughout the Netherlands, and with partners abroad. The position is therefore well suited to a researcher who enjoys multidisciplinary teamwork, advanced photochemical instrumentation, and close interaction with industrial and academic partners.

Applicants should have a PhD in Chemistry and a strong interest in photochemistry, coordination chemistry, and supramolecular chemistry. Experience with photocatalysis and/or surfactant chemistry is considered an advantage. The ad also highlights the value of good technical experimental skills, excellent English, publication experience in peer-reviewed journals, and expertise in the synthesis of organic ligands and transition metal complexes, plus photochemistry or spectroscopy skills.

The appointment is for 12 months initially, with the possibility of a 1-year extension after satisfactory performance. The salary is listed as €3,546–€5,538 gross per month for a full-time 38-hour appointment, with a holiday allowance, end-of-year bonus, pension contributions, commuting reimbursement, and other employment benefits. The application deadline is 14 September 2026.

To apply, candidates should submit a motivation letter, an updated CV, a publication list with accepted papers only, and the names and contact details of at least two referees. Questions about the project can be directed to Prof.dr. Sylvestre Bonnet at bonnet@chem.leidenuniv.nl. For procedure questions, contact Yvonne Snellenberg at snellenbergy@chem.leidenuniv.nl.