We are offering a Bachelor thesis or Research Project Course (RPC) on the topic “Testing nanoparticle effects in aquatic ecosystems – a feasibility study”.

Biological surface coating of D. magna after 96-h nanoparticle exposure (taken from Dabrunz et al., 2011)

Assessing the risks of nanoparticles to aquatic ecosystems is a fundamental challenge in environmental sciences and ecotoxicology. This is explained by the fact that nanoparticle fate and ultimately the effects they induce are modulated by the properties of their surrounding environment. Hence, the fate and effect of nanoparticles is strongly context dependent. Our aim is to develop a tool that can be used to assess nanoparticle effects on standard test organisms in the field.

We are looking for a motivated student that is interested to perform a feasibility study on this matter. The idea is based on the use of dialysis bags, which allow for a continuous exchange of water with the surrounding aquatic system but do hold back any nanoparticles. In this work, we would amongst others be interested in how species react when cultured in such bags and how those bags may influence nanoparticle induced effects. This work will thus provide first insights into the feasibility of using this technique in the field.

The project is a collaboration between the working groups “Functional Aquatic Ecotoxicology“, “Environmental and Soil Chemistry” and “Ecotoxicology and Environment“. It is also directly linked to the DFG funded Research Unit INTERNANO.

If you are interested in this offer please contact us:

Mirco Bundschuh (bundschuh@uni-landau.de) and Narjes Tayyebi (tayyebi@uni-landau.de)