Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action DESIRE offers 15 PhD positions (2025-2028) in the area of renewable synthetic fuels for decarbonizing energy-intensive industries

About DESIRE

Climate change and energy security challenges demand a rapid transition from fossil-based energy production to sustainable alternatives. The European Green Deal and the REPowerEU Plan highlight the urgency of decarbonizing Energy-Intensive Industries (EIIs) while ensuring energy supply resilience. However, many industrial and transport applications still rely on combustion-based technologies due to their need for high energy densities and thermal process requirements. A promising solution lies in electrofuels (e-fuels)—synthetic fuels produced from renewable electricity and sustainable feedstocks, offering a practical and scalable route to reducing carbon emissions.

The DESIRE project (Decarbonising Energy-intenSIve industries with REnewable synthetic fuels) is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Doctoral Network, designed to train the next generation of specialists in e-fuel utilization. DESIRE will equip 15 PhD researchers with cutting-edge expertise in combustion science, chemical kinetics, fluid dynamics, and digital modeling, preparing them to revolutionize industrial energy systems and accelerate Europe’s energy transition. This ambitious goal will be achieved by developing advanced experimental and computational tools to characterize e-fuel combustion processes, optimize fuel-flexible technologies, and integrate machine learning-driven digital twins for predictive combustion modeling. The research program will cover a wide range of e-fuels (H₂, NH₃, CH₃OH, DME, OME) and their applications in industrial furnaces, gas turbines, burners, and transport engines, ensuring compatibility with existing infrastructures. 

DESIRE’s strong academic-industrial consortium, including leading universities, research institutes, and industrial partners, will provide interdisciplinary training spanning chemical and mechanical engineering, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), experimental combustion diagnostics, and techno-economic feasibility analysis. Through structured secondments, industry collaborations, and high-level scientific training, DESIRE aims to create a cohort of highly skilled researchers ready to drive the next generation of sustainable energy solutions in industry and academia.

At once, the project will pave the way for large-scale adoption of renewable synthetic fuels, enabling a climate-neutral economy while offering PhD candidates a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of Europe’s sustainable energy transformation.

• Polytechnic University of Milan – POLIMI (Italy) - 4 PhD positions

• Technical University of Darmstadt – TUD (Germany) - 3 PhD positions

• Université Libre de Bruxelles – ULB (Belgium) – 4 PhD positions

• University of Paris-Saclay – CNRS, CentraleSupélec (France) – 4 PhD positions

The recruited researchers will be trained for 3 years and will be enrolled to a 3-year Ph.D programme at the host institution. Two secondment periods are foreseen for each candidate: a 12-month secondment at co-hosting academic institution and a 3 month secondment at one of the Associated industrial Partners:

• Air Liquide (France)

• Condevo S.p.A. (Italy)

• ENGIE Laborelec (Belgium)

• MITIS (Belgium)

• Rolls-Royce Deutschland (Germany)

• Safran SA (France)

• The T.I.M.E. Association (France)

List of Open Positions

The 15 PhD positions offered in this Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network will focus on different aspects of chemical kinetics, CFD simulations, combustion experiments, and techno-economic feasibility studies across multiple universities, research centers, and industrial partners.

The methodology of DESIRE relies on a multi-scale approach, with open positions in the following areas.

Modeling and experimental characterization of e-fuels chemical/kinetic mechanisms

• Development of a reduced virtual chemical scheme for modeling combustion of NH3 & CH3OH, including pollutant formation (DC1; CNRS, POLIMI)* Supervisor: Benoit Fiorina (CNRS)

• Numerical and experimental study of combustion of H2-enriched natural gas premixed laminar flames (DC2; POLIMI, CNRS)* Supervisor: Alberto Cuoci (POLIMI)

• Experimental investigation of multi-regime combustion of carbon e-fuels and their blends with traditional fuels for laminar and turbulent flow conditions (DC4; TUD, CNRS)* Supervisor: Andreas Dreizler (TUDa)

• Detailed kinetic mechanisms of CH3OH, DME and OME, including formation of carbonaceous particles (soot) (DC5; POLIMI, ULB)* Supervisor: Alessio Frassoldati (POLIMI)

• Uncertainty Quantification of kinetic mechanisms and assessment of radiative heat transfer in NH3 reactive mixtures (DC7; CNRS, POLIMI)* Supervisor: Ronan Vicquelin (CNRS)

• Reduction and optimization of kinetic mechanisms for applications in MILD combustion (DC9; ULB, POLIMI)* Supervisor: Alessandro Parente (ULB)

• Co-firing of e-fuels with conventional and renewable fuels for transportation applications (DC13; POLIMI, ULB)* Supervisor: Marco Mehl (POLIMI)

Multiscale modeling and experimental characterization of combustion

• Modelling and simulation of multi-regime turbulent combustion and pollutant formation of carbon e-fuels and their blends with traditional fuels (DC6; TUD, CNRS)* Supervisor: Christian Hasse (TUDa)

• Modeling and simulation of turbulent flames in distributed combustion regime via a hybrid RANS (Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes approach) / LES (Large Eddy Simulation) formulation (DC8; CNRS, ULB)* Supervisor: Denis Veynante (CNRS)

• Modeling and simulation of turbulent combustion of liquid e-fuels based on the Transported FDF approach (DC10; TUD, POLIMI)* Supervisor: Christian Hasse (TUDa)

• Advanced modelling of single droplet evaporation and combustion of liquid carbon e-fuels (DC11; POLIMI, TUD)* Supervisor: Tiziano Faravelli (POLIMI) 

Applications – feasibility assessment

• Experimental study of the combustion of NH3 and its blends with H2 for swirled turbulent flow conditions (DC3; CNRS, TUD)* Supervisor: Benoit Fiorina (CNRS)

• Advanced MILD combustion technologies for NH3 and NH3/H2 mixtures in micro gas turbine combustors (DC12; ULB, CNRS)* Supervisor: Marco Lubrano Lavadera (ULB)

• H2/NH3 combustion in a reverse-flow, pressurized, rich-quench-lean combustor (DC14; ULB, TUD)* Supervisor: Alessandro Parente (ULB)

• Techno-economic and global life cycle assessment of e-fuels in energy-intensive industrial applications (DC15; ULB, POLIMI)* Supervisor: Axel Coussement (ULB)

Candidates must fulfil the following minimum eligibility criteria:

1. They do not hold a Ph.D. degree at the start of their assignment at host institution.

2. They have not resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of host institution for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their date of recruitment.

3. Must fulfil the conditions for enrolment to PhD programme at the host institution. For details about the criteria, please refer to detailed description of positions found at https://desire-msca.eu/ or contact desire-project@polimi.it.

For all recruitments, the eligibility of the researcher will be determined at the date of their first recruitment in the action. Date of Recruitment means the first day of the employment of the researcher for the purposes of the action (i.e. the starting date indicated in the employment contract).

Baseline for gross amounts:

• Polytechnic University of Milan – POLIMI (Italy): Gross salary is 3.911 €/month

• Université Libre de Bruxelles – ULB (Belgium): Gross salary is 4.000 €/month.

• University of Paris-Saclay – CNRS (France): Gross salary is 4.557 €/month.

• Technical University of Darmstadt – TUDa (DE): Gross salary is 5.000 €/month

Candidates are eligible also of 660 €/month family supplement, if applicable. The net salary depends on specific Country National taxation and social security contribution.

• Carry out their research projects within 36 months culminating in a PhD thesis.

• Participate in Secondments both in Academia and Industry.

• Participate in research and training activities within the DESIRE network.

• Disseminate their research in the scientific community and through public engagement activities ensuring visibility.

Procedure

The selection process will have two phases: a first curricular phase and a second interview phase for the shortlisted candidates of the first phase. Details about the second phase will be made available to the candidates by the evaluation committees.

Required documentation (see below link to application form)

1. Application form with privacy consent

2. CV using the European template

3. List of publications, including M.Sc. thesis, if available

4. Copy of up to three selected publications, if available

5. Copy of academic degree/diploma (if available) and/or academic transcripts (course grades / subject scores) at the time of application

6. Certificate of English language, if necessary

7. Signed copy of passport / identity card

8. Motivation letter

9. Contact details of two referents (included the academic mentor)

 Any application that is not compliant to the above will not be considered for the selection process.

IMPORTANT STATEMENT: Each candidate may apply for a maximum of 4 different DC positions that are more suitable for their profile.