Thesis vacancies
As Circular Economy (CE) becomes more relevant in creating more sustainable societies, we must properly assess how, where and to what extent will it influence the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is little known on the methods for assessing CE and its impacts on the environment. This requires an understanding of Life Cycle Thinking, which can be evaluated through the lens of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Together, CE, SDGs and LCA must provide a robust roadmap, strategies and assessment tools toward sustainable development. However, it is yet to be analyzed if the three approaches truly align to the same goal: Sustainability.
Application deadline: 31 January 2022
Examiner: Dr. Pouya Samani (Maastricht University, Netherlands)
Daily supervisor: Cris Garcia Saravia Ortiz De Montellano (Maastricht University, Netherlands)
Project description
Project Description: The Sustainability group of Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM), Maastricht University (Netherlands) in cooperation with University of York (UK) is analyzing the relationship between three key areas for sustainable development: LCA, CE and the SDGs. The goal is to understand what is the relationship, overlaps, gaps, and opportunities between the areas. For this first stage, the analysis has been split in three:
- Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Economy
- Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainable Development Goals
- Circular Economy and Sustainable Development Goals (already in execution)
We currently look for two thesis students to focus on the first two topics. Each thesis aims at identifying the overlaps and gaps between each pair of domains by evaluating them at an indicator-level. Further details can be provided through in-person (online) meetings.
Ideal candidate
- Proactive, motivated, and passionate about sustainability
- Critical thinking, synthesis and analysis skills
- Familiar with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Familiar with Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and its principles
- Familiar with Circular Economy (CE) and value retention strategies
- Fluent in English (Reading and writing)
Key responsibilities
- Performing a comprehensive literature review and becoming familiar with the state of the art
- Developing an assessment that integrates the two domains analyzed into a set of gaps and opportunities for implementation
- Working closely with researchers across project work packages
What we can provide for this thesis work
- A place to work at Brightlands Chemelot Campus
- Access to required LCA tools such as SimaPro software and Ecoinvent database
- Daily supervision
- Close cooperation with a dynamic team
- The opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of CE, LCA, and SDGs, which is key in any sustainability-related role.
Application
Please send your cover letter and CV to Dr. Pouya Samani.
More information regarding our group and other potential thesis projects