Every year we host several national and international master students and a smaller selection of bachelor students and interns for projects that relate to our activities in fundamental and applied research. We support your stay in St. Gallen with an allowance and housing. The ideal length of a project work is around 6 months. Our open and international research environment as well as our good contacts to industry and ETH Zürich are assets, highly esteemed by students. We have many years of experience in hosting Master projects from many different countries and a very intercultural open spirit.

You can always send an unsolicited application with a CV and letter of interest to (manfred.heuberger-at-empa.ch), or, more specifically contact the responsible person as listed for the currently open project topics following below.

Manfred Heuberger

Currently open project topics:

Are you a motivated master student and looking for opportunities to challenge and strengthen skills in Polymer, organic and Material chemistry? Are you eager to do a master-project, while gaining valuable experience in a research project for industrial needs? The following projects are offered on immediate basis:

• Title: Development of Flame-Retardant Composite Materials from Covalent Adaptable Networks (CANs) via Melt Extrusion

Duration: 4-6 months, longer is possible as well

Hiring period: ASAP, or from February – September, 2026.

Objectives:

In this Master Thesis / Internship project, the candidate will work with us to design and formulate flame-retardant CANs that can be melt-processed together with thermo-plastics such as nylon, PLA, or polyesters. By tuning the thermal properties (T_g, T_5%, and melting points), the goal is to create low-creep, flame-retardant composites suitable for packaging, coatings, or fiber-spinning applications.

The work will involve:

• Synthesizing flame-retardant CAN precursors
• Characterizing thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties of the CANs
• Processing CAN-thermoplastic blends using melt extrusion techniques
• Evaluating the flame retardancy and performance of the resulting composites

Skills:

You are the perfect fit for this position if you:

• are currently a Master’s student with experience in organic/polymer chemistry, material science, or composites processing.
• have experience (or strong interest) in polymer synthesis, thermal analysis, or extrusion techniques.
• are enthusiastic about interdisciplinary research involving chemistry, materials science, and processing technologies.
• can work independently while collaborating effectively within a research team.

Supervisor: Dr. Arvindh Sekar

Contact: 

• Title: Development of High-Performance Vitrimer Epoxy Resins for Structural Composite Applications

Duration: 4-6 months, longer is possible as well

Hiring period: ASAP, or from February – September, 2026.

Objectives:

In this Master Thesis / Internship project, the candidate will work with us to develop low-viscosity vitrimer epoxy resins with high glass transition temperatures (Tg) for structural applications. These resins will be used to produce fiber-reinforced composites (e.g., carbon/basalt fiber strips or bars) via pultrusion. The resulting materials aim to replace conventional steel rebars in construction, combining lightweight, corrosion resistance, and reprocessability in a single system.

The project will provide:

• Hands-on experience in epoxy vitrimer formulation and processing

• Exposure to advanced composite manufacturing techniques (pultrusion, curing, thermal characterization)
• Industrial collaboration experience, including interaction with multiple industrial partners on technology development and scale-up.

Skills:

You are the perfect fit for this position if you:

•           are currently a Master’s student in polymer chemistry, materials science, or composite materials engineering

•           have experience or interest in epoxy chemistry, thermal analysis, or composite fabrication

•           are motivated to work on applied research projects with industrial exposure

•           can communicate effectively and coordinate across research and industrial teams

Supervisor: Dr. Arvindh Sekar

Contact: 

• Title: Development of Sustainable Dynamic Thermoset Adhesives and Primers for Circular Composite

Type: Internship or master’s project

Project:

Composites are critical materials in the transportation and wind energy sectors, where adhesives and primers play a central role in ensuring structural integrity and long service life. Currently, most adhesives are based on epoxy thermosets that form permanent covalent networks, which hinder recyclability and repair. This is a major limitation for meeting EU and Swiss circularity targets, as valuable components cannot be recovered at end-of-life. This project focuses on the design and development of novel thermoset adhesives and primers that integrate dynamic covalent bonds to enable debonding on demand, repair of cracks, and enhanced recyclability. The core concept is the synthesis of phosphonate- and phosphonamidate-based covalent adaptable networks (CANs). These materials incorporate P–O and P–N dynamic bonds in addition to traditional covalent linkages, providing unique advantages: solvent-free processing, cost-effective precursors, improved adhesion to metallic substrates, and potential for large-scale application.

Your Role:

As an intern, you will contribute to different stages of the project depending on your background and interests. Possible responsibilities include:

• Synthesizing tailored phosphonated epoxies and dynamic hardeners .
• Formulating and processing adhesives and primers with dynamic thermoset networks.
• Characterizing materials using thermal analysis, mechanical testing, rheology, and adhesion tests.
• Investigating recyclability, repair, and debonding performance under thermal or radiation triggers.
• Collaborating with researchers to evaluate industrial potential in composite and membrane applications.

Profile:

• Background in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or polymer science (Master’s or final-year Bachelor level).
• Interest in organic synthesis, polymer materials, and/or fire safety.
• Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary and applied research setting.
• Laboratory experience (synthesis or material characterization) is an asset.

Period during which the internship can take place: The internship period is flexible and can take place at any time in 2025 or 2026

Supervisor: Dr. Cedric Hervieu

Contact:

• Title: Development of Sustainable Flame-Retardant Additives for High-Performance Polymers

Type: Internship or master’s project

Project:

Thermoset and thermoplastic materials are essential in aerospace, automotive, construction, and electronics thanks to their high strength, chemical resistance, and thermal stability. However, current flame-retardant (FR) systems often rely on additives that raise concerns about toxicity, environmental persistence, or cost.

This project focuses on the design and development of a new generation of phosphorus-based flame retardants, specifically P-N containing molecules tailored for integration into high-performance polymers such as polyamides. By combining organic synthesis, polymer processing, and advanced characterization, the project aims to deliver efficient, safe, and sustainable FR solutions for industrial applications.

Your Role:

As an intern, you will contribute to different stages of the project depending on your background and interests. Possible responsibilities include:

• Synthesizing novel phosphorus-based flame-retardant molecules using cost-effective precursors.
• Incorporating these additives into polymer matrices (e.g., polyamides) through blending and processing.
• Characterizing materials using thermal analysis (TGA, DSC), mechanical testing, and fire performance tests (LOI, cone calorimetry, etc.).
• Assisting in mechanistic studies with advanced analytical techniques to understand flame-retardant action.
• Collaborating with researchers to evaluate scalability and industrial potential of the most promising additives.

Profile:

• Background in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or polymer science (Master’s or final-year Bachelor level).
• Interest in organic synthesis, polymer materials, and/or fire safety.
• Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary and applied research setting.
• Laboratory experience (synthesis or material characterization) is an asset.

Period during which the internship can take place: The internship period is flexible and can take place at any time in 2025 or 2026

Supervisor: Dr. Cedric Hervieu

Contact:

• Project: Next-Generation of Catalytic Plasma Coatings for Green Water Purification

Water contamination is a pressing issue for society, with Emerging Contaminants posing growing risks to human health and the environment. These substances include Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), often referred to as 'forever chemicals' due to their tendency to accumulate in water, soil, and living organisms. Even if emissions ceased today, existing environmental contamination would still require immediate and continuing remediation to ensure access to clean water for future generations. Addressing this urgent challenge demands innovative solutions from the scientific community. This project focuses on developing a new generation of catalytic nanomaterials designed to degrade POPs in water, with an emphasis on improving their stability and long-term performance.

The research will take place in the Plasma & Coating Group (Laboratory of Advanced Fibers) at Empa in St. Gallen, Switzerland, within an international and multidisciplinary environment. The student's project will involve tasks such as (1) fabricating nanoscale materials using low-pressure plasma technology, (2) evaluating the performance of these materials with different analytics, and (3) assessing their stability and potential for long-term use. The specific project tasks will be tailored to the student’s interests, as we believe enthusiasm and curiosity are key drivers of success.

Duration: minimum 5 months

Starting date: flexible, to be discussed.

Contact: Dr. Paula Navascués. Please, send a CV and a short motivation letter to the following e-mail address: . Feel free to contact for further information.

• Melt-spun biopolyester fibers for biomedical and sustainable applications     

This master project or internship will focus on biocompatible liquid-filled biopolyester fibers for drug-delivery applications. Liquid filled fibers with different processing parameters and thus different diameters and core/sheath ratios will be produced using a continuous melt-spinning technique. Liquids of varying viscosities and eventually also a variety of drug or drug-simulating molecules are to be tested. Drug-release trials will be performed on the produced fibers. Furthermore, liquid filled fibers, that do not contain drug molecules, will be immersed in reservoirs containing, e.g. fluorescein, in order to study the diffusion behavior of such molecules into the liquid core. The latter will be tested in order to study if impregnation with drug molecules would also work. Finally, methods have to be developed to render the fibers responsive to different external triggers (e.g. mechanical, thermal, pH). A second part of the internship may focus on studying the structure of sustainable biopolyester monofilaments for other types of applications. The filaments will be studied using x-ray diffraction, Raman and infrared spectroscopy to identify how processing parameters affect the fiber structures. Special attention will be paid to mesophases and their correlation to mechanical properties of the fibers. Polarized Raman mapping is to be used in order to study the microstructure (mesophases, crystallinity, molecular alignment) of these filaments.

This work will be conducted at the EMPA institute (St. Gallen) in Switzerland under the supervision of E. Perret in the group of R. Hufenus.

Duration: Minimum 4 months.

Starting date: To be discussed.

Contact: Dr. Edith Perret 

• The Role of Ions in Plasma Polymer Deposition

Plasma deposition involves ionic and neutral radicals as film-forming species. This Master project or Internship (4-6 months) investigates their role in order to obtain functional plasma polymer films for adhesion promotion and biomaterials. You will work in one of the worldwide leading teams in this field using plasma reactors, plasma diagnostics and surface characterization methods. As your background materials science, engineering, chemistry, physics or similar is beneficial.

For details, please contact: