Doctoral Researcher: Method development for circular economic-ecological sustainability assessment of the zPP-process chain

United Nations University (UNU)

UNU is an international community of scholars engaged in policy-oriented research, capacity development and dissemination of knowledge in furthering the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The mission of UNU is to contribute, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations and its Member States.

For the past four decades, UNU has been a go-to think tank for impartial research on human survival, conflict prevention, sustainable development, and welfare. With more than 400 researchers in 12 countries, UNU's work spans the 17 Sustainable Development Goals' full breadth, generating policy-relevant knowledge to effect positive global change. UNU maintains more than 200 collaborations with UN agencies and leading universities and research institutions across the globe.

About United Nations University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES) 

UNU-FLORES is one of 13 research and training Institutes that comprise the think tanks in the UNU system. UNU-FLORES develops strategies to resolve pressing issues in the sustainable use and integrated management of environmental resources such as water, soil, waste, energy, and other geo-resources that are of concern to the United Nations and its Member States – particularly in developing and emerging economies. Based in Dresden, Germany, the Institute engages in research, capacity development, postgraduate teaching, advanced training, and knowledge dissemination to advance the Resource Nexus. For more information, please visit https://flores.unu.edu/.

Doctoral Research: Method development for circular economic-ecological sustainability assessment of the zPP-process chain

The short and long-term implementation of the Sustainability Assessment is fundamental to the comprehensive understanding of the Resource Nexus and for driving policy creation for resource management that considers social, economic, and environmental dimensions without disregarding other facets, such as technical, institutional, and cultural sustainability. The integration of the multi-dimensional concept of resilience in sustainability assessments is also emphasized, considering the complementary character and synergetic potential of these perspectives. In general, the Sustainability Assessment has been highlighted as a valuable analytical viewpoint that can support the operationalisation of the Resource Nexus concept. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to advance the Resource Nexus and support the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Doctoral Researcher position is in the context of the project “Method development for circular economic-ecological sustainability assessment of the zPP-process chain” (original German title: “Methodenentwicklung für zirkuläre ökonomisch-ökologische Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung der zPP-Prozesskette” within the collaborative project ”Circular, sustainable technical textiles made from polypropylene (PP) for the transport sector” (original German title: “Zirkuläre, Nachhaltige Technische Textilien aus Polypropylen (PP) für den Transportbereich”).

PP generally has a very low recycling rate, and multi-material systems complicate circularity further. Our main objective is the development of Resource Nexus-based methodologies for circular, economic, and ecological assessments of the investigated process chain that will create innovative solutions for the development and manufacturing of circular, sustainable technical textiles made from polypropylene. This includes the definition of objectives, the development and integration of circularity indicators, a thorough conduct of Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing methodologies, and a further development of microplastic indicators. A special emphasis lies in the interpretation and integration with the Resource Nexus Approach, so that resource dependencies, trade-offs and synergies can be identified and managed. This is aided by scenario development, sensitivity and risk analyses. In zPP, we work with several partners from industry and research and look at production (quality analysis, mechanical or thermal recycling, fibre and textile production), (re-)use, as well as collection and distribution of secondary materials. The main products under investigation are textile tapes, curtains, filters, protection textiles and flooring. In the zPP project the main objective is the development of Resource Nexus-based methodologies for circular, economic, and ecological assessments of the investigated process chain that will create innovative solutions for the development and manufacturing of circular, sustainable technical textiles made from polypropylene. This includes the definition of objectives, the development and integration of circularity indicators, thorough conduct of Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing methodologies, and further development of microplastic indicators. A special emphasis lies in the interpretation and integration with the Resource Nexus Approach, so that resource dependencies, trade-offs and synergies can be identified and managed. This is aided by scenario development, sensitivity and risk analyses.
The successful candidate will conduct Doctoral Research under the Joint Junior Researcher Programme (Doctoral Dissertation).

Responsibilities

1. Research and Innovation Development on the Resource Nexus

• Research, write, and publish papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals;
• Develop a robust methodology to assess circularity and sustainability for PP-based technical textiles with a focus on microplastics; and
• Support the development of a Resource Nexus approach for technical textiles and plastics.

2. Education and Capacity Development

• Work closely alongside the supervising team with the eventual goal of co-supervising master theses in the research field;
• Develop strategies for the dissemination and transfer of knowledge to other regions that face similar challenges;
• Organise activities such as workshops related to the research project;
• Contribute to the Institute’s educational programme and capacity development activities;
• Publishing results in the appropriate media and presenting findings at conferences and seminars; and
• Report research progress to the supervising team and in the project management system of UNU-FLORES.

3. Outreach, Advocacy and Impact

• Contribute to the Institute’s educational programme and events; and
• Write articles, social media posts and other communication materials to promote UNU-FLORES and the Nexus Approach.

4. Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor

Key Performance Indicators

• Smooth, innovative timely and quality development and implementation of research, education and capacity-building activities.
• Timely and quality design and the delivery of projects, meeting respective external deadlines.
• Quality and quantity of outreach activities and project outcomes in conferences and events.
• Quality and level of engagement with partners in research, (inter-)governmental actors, industry, and students.
• Contribution to the positive reputation of UNU-FLORES and UNU as a reliable and trustworthy partner by research partners, governments, donors, and civil society.

Competencies

Values:

• Inclusion - Take action to create an environment of dignity and respect for all, regardless of age, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, geography, grade, language, nationality, racial identity, religion, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, social origin or any other aspect of identity.
• Integrity - Act ethically, demonstrating the standards of conduct of the United Nations and taking prompt action in case of witnessing unprofessional or unethical behaviour, or any other breach of UN standards.
• Humility - Demonstrate self-awareness and willingness to learn from others.
• Humanity - Act according to the purposes of the United Nations: peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.

Behaviours:

• Connect and Collaborate - Build positive relationships with others to advance the work of the United Nations and work coherently as One UN
• Analyse and Plan - Seek out and use data from a wide range of sources to understand problems, inform decision-making, propose evidence-based solutions and plan action
• Deliver Results with Positive Impact - Hold oneself and others accountable for delivering results and making a positive difference to the people and causes that the United Nations serves
• Learn and Develop - Pursue own learning and development and contribute to the learning and development of others
• Adapt and Innovate - Demonstrate flexibility, agility and the ability to think and act in novel ways