Research Assistant (m/f/d) in the area of Microplastics in terrestrial systems

Decades of careless use, and improper disposal have resulted in plastic pollution accumulating almost everywhere on earth, and microplastics have now been documented in even the most remote environments. Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than 5 mm in size which are increasingly being demonstrated as having a negative impact on animal reproductive health and well-being across a diverse number of species. Microplastics mainly originate from fragmentation of larger plastic objects and chemical additives in plastics have been shown to adsorb organic contaminants from the surrounding medium and increase the exposure of human and domestic and wildlife animals to the combined toxic substances.

Microplastics have already been isolated in fresh and sea waters, air samples, food, soil, human stool and, alarmingly, in 97% of blood and urine samples from children in Germany. Negative consequences on reproduction by microplastics have been described in oysters, hydra, waterflea and, recently, in male mouse. However, current understanding of the effects of microplastics on mammalian reproductive and overall health is very limited, and there is an urgent need for rapid progress. Our group will thoroughly investigate the effects of microplastic accumulation in terrestrial ecosystems and in large animal tissues and investigate their potential influence on health.

We are based at the Gene Center Munich and at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of LMU. Our group is embedded in the stimulating, interdisciplinary environment of the life sciences campus Großhadern of the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU) and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, located in Oberschleißheim. Downtown Munich can be reached by public transport within 20 minutes, the German Alps in just over 1 hour.

We are seeking highly motivated candidates (bachelor or similar degree - MTA, BTA, VMTA, BSc…) who share our dedication to science and enthusiasm for interdisciplinary research with background on biology, biochemistry, or similar. You are expected to be able to develop and perform experiments independently, and work well in a team.

The application should include a CV, a letter of motivation and contact information for 2 references. The salary will be in accordance with the German model for the public sector (TV-L). Please send your application to [email protected] . Since we work with continuous selection and appointment, we encourage you to send your application as soon as possible.

The University of Munich is an equal opportunity employer. Handicapped candidates with equal qualifications will be given preference.

For more information about our research please visit the Ferraz Lab.