PhD Student in Environmental Chemistry

Department of Chemistry
PhD Student in Environmental Chemistry
60 %
The Fenner Group at the University of Zurich and Eawag is inviting applications for a PhD Student in Environmental Chemistry.
The project
The recently communicated Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Design (SSbD) framework of the European Union aims to develop new chemicals in a way that they are inherently environmentally safe. Implementation of this goal requires appropriate methods for high-throughput assessment of key environmental hazards, including chemicals' persistence in the environment and their potential for causing (eco-)toxicological effects.
Your responsibilities

• You will work in a research project that aims to develop and test new hazard indicators (cumulative and persistent toxicity equivalents (CTE and PTE)) that have the potential to modernize PBT assessment for use in the SSbD context
• You will develop miniaturized, high-throughput biodegradation assays and validate them against existing regulatory endpoint data on persistence
• You will collaborate with scientists developing high-throughput toxicity assays to couple degradation and toxicity assays for the implementation of the CTE/PTE concept
• You will apply the coupled assays to a number of case study compounds
• You will present results at international conferences and prepare publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• You will assist with teaching at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Zurich

Your profile

• Master's degree in environmental sciences, chemistry, biochemistry, analytical chemistry or related fields
• Research experience with mass spectrometry
• Skills in data evaluation and modeling and/or laboratory automation are a plus
• Excellent interpersonal skills and oral/written communication skills (English required, German desirable)
• Motivation to work in an interdisciplinary team and across institutions

What we offer
Our well-funded research program combines inspiring international research environment with access to state-of-the-art scientific infrastructure. The project will be led by Kathrin Fenner, and will be conducted in close collaboration with Prof. Beate Escher (Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, UFZ Leipzig). Kathrin Fenner is professor in Environmental Chemistry at the Chemistry Department of the University of Zurich and group leader at the Department of Environmental Chemistry at Eawag. In your PhD project, you will be working across both institutions. Both Eawag and the University of Zurich are located within the Zürich metropolitan area.
As a PhD Student, you will become part of the PhD program offered by the Graduate School of Chemical and Molecular Sciences Zurich . The University of Zurich is a modern employer and offers an excellent working environment where staff can contribute their strengths, experience and ways of thinking. We promote gender equality and are committed to staff diversity and inclusion. The compatibility of career and family is of central importance to us.
Place of work
University of Zurich Irchel, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, Switzerland
Start of employment
Employment start date will be mutually agreed upon (preferably as soon as possible).
We ask strongly motivated candidates to submit their applications containing a motivation letter, a research summary of past accomplishments (1 page), a CV (resumé), and 1 letter of support (or the names and contact details of 2 referees) in a single pdf file by 2nd March 2023.
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