POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER (PostDoc_PhageLand)

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JOB

• Job location:  ICRA – Catalan Institute for Water Research, Girona (Spain)
• Number of positions available: 1
• Expected start: March 2023
• Temporal Position. The position is for 18 months (approximately).
• Gross Annual Salary package: 24.000-29.000 € (based on the merits)

OFFER DESCRIPTION

The position aims at working in the framework of the Project PhageLand – “Phage treatment and wetland technology as intervention strategy to prevent dissemination of antibiotic resistance in surface waters”. PhageLand has a duration of 3 years (2021-2024) and it aims to develop a novel wastewater treatment strategy combining the low-cost and eco-friendly purification capacity of constructed wetlands (CW), with a dedicated phage-based treatment to prevent the transmission of antibiotic resistance (AR) from wastewater into surface waters. During the project we will assess: a) the self-purification capacity of model full-scale CWs operating in Spain and Moldova in removing antibiotic residues, ARB, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs); and b) the potential risk associated with the dissemination of ARB and ARGs within indigenous bacterial communities and among animals inhabiting CWs.

https://www.icra.cat/projecte_detall.php?&id=204&lang=3

https://phageland.com

KEY DUTIES

The researcher will evaluate the presence of selected antibiotics as well as their transformation products in environmental samples collected in the field and in lab-scale case studies (mesocosms and pilot plants) throughout the treatment train systems. The tasks to be accomplished by the postdoc fellow involve: i) Upgrade of analytical protocols based on LC-MS for the analysis of selected antibiotics in water, sediments, and biota; ii) Designing of sampling campaigns, sampling protocols, and sample preparation in collaboration with the rest of partners; iii) Monitoring the concentration of antibiotics residues in both field and lab studies to evaluate their fate and impact in the environment.

Participation in project meetings, writing protocols, scientific reports, and scientific papers. As with the rest of ICRA staff, a small proportion of the time will be allocated to communal services such as joint laboratory maintenance, etc.