PhD Position in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry of Natural Toxins

The Department of Environmental Chemistry seeks a candidate for a PhD Position in Environmental and Analytical Chemistry on natural toxins. The candidate will investigate the production dynamics and environmental behaviour of natural toxins. 

Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is an internationally networked aquatic research institute within the ETH Domain (Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology). They conduct research, education, and expert consulting to meet direct human needs for water. Additionally, they aim to maintain the function and integrity of aquatic ecosystems.

The Project

The project’s main objective is to advance the knowledge of toxin fingerprints in cyanobacteria. The team aims to improve suspect screening workflows using high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry to identify secondary metabolites in environmental samples and laboratory cultures. Additionally, they will design a controlled laboratory experiment to investigate transformation kinetics. This will focus on enzymatic pathways. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, they will explore the lethal and sublethal effects on primary consumers at the base of the food web. The PhD position will last for four years, and the candidate will be based in the Department of Environmental Chemistry (UChem) at Eawag in Dübendorf. PD Dr. Elisabeth Janssen will supervise the candidate, and the PhD degree will be awarded by the ETH-Zürich Department of Environmental Systems Sciences. 

Your Profile

The ideal candidate is highly motivated, creative, and open-minded. They should have strong self-motivation and independence to explore new topics. Fluency in English is essential. Strong candidates will hold an MSc degree in Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, or related fields. Experience in analytical chemistry (LCMS/MS), transformation studies of organic molecules, culturing of (cyano)bacteria, programming in R, and scientific writing will be valuable assets.

Application details

The submission deadline is August 30, 2024, or until the position is filled. And the application should include:

  • A letter of motivation for this specific position (2 pages maximum);
  • A CV;
  • MSc and BSc grades;
  • MSc and/or BSc thesis abstract (if applicable);
  • Contact information of 2-3 academic references.

The start date is flexible but would ideally begin mid-January 2025.

For any questions, you can contact Elisabeth Janssen (elisabeth.janssen@eawag.ch). 

For application submission details go to the application portal.