PhD position in Analytical Chemistry / Environmental Biogeochemistry

at  Universitt Bern

75%
Institute of Geography, University of Bern
The position is available from January 2025 with negotiable starting date and offered for 4 years
The Laboratory for Inorganic Analysis and References from the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS) and the Soil Science Group, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, invite applications for a
PhD position in Analytical Chemistry/Environmental Biogeochemistry with the objectives to develop methods for the characterization of Hg nanoparticles and to study their fate in soils and sediments.
Tasks
We are looking for a talented and highly motivated candidate who is interested to take part in our interdisciplinary project titled “Analytical developments for the characterization of environmental Hg nanoparticles” This project is financed internally and will take place at both the Federal Institute of Metrology and the Institute of Geography. It will take full advantage of state-of-the-art analytical facilities present at both institutes (e.g. clean room, gloveboxes, ICP-MS and microscopy platforms, incubation facilities, etc).
Mercury (Hg) is a persistent pollutant that is efficiently bioaccumulated in foodwebs under its neurotoxic monomethylmercury (MMHg) form, resulting in global wildlife and human exposure. Hg emissions and concentration levels in the environment, including food, are thus regulated in many countries and globally since 2013 through the Minamata Convention. In the environment Hg can occur under various species, each with their own specific properties, but among those Hg nanoparticles have been found in all environmental compartments. More importantly they have been suggested to be the most important form of Hg present in water, soils and sediments, and to have a critical role in the formation of MMHg. The nature and reactivity of these nanoparticles have a large influence on Hg transport across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well as on its availability to living organisms, thereby controlling some of the most critical aspects of the Hg contamination problem. Unfortunately, their concentrations, size, elemental composition and reactivity remain poorly characterized due to a lack of appropriate analytical methods, standards and reference materials.
The objectives of this PhD project are to address research gaps by developing new methods and protocols to characterize Hg nanoparticles naturally present in pristine or contaminated waters, soils and sediments and study their fate under environmentally relevant conditions. The project will mostly take advantage of ICP-MS based techniques (HPLC, single particle) to achieve its objectives but others, such as microscopy, XRD as well as synchrotron and surface characterization techniques will also be employed.
Requirements
The successful candidate should have a Master degree, preferably in (analytical) chemistry, environmental sciences or related fields. Experience with some of the analytical techniques mentioned above and with soil sampling/incubations is desired. Specific experience with method development in ICP-MS and HPLC applications would be considered a further asset. The successful candidate should have good English writing and communication skills. A good knowledge of German is also an additional asset.
We offer
The salary is according to University of Bern guidelines, with funding guaranteed for 4 years starting at the earliest convenience.
Application/Contact
Questions regarding the position or the application process can be addressed to
Dr. Sylvain Bouchet (
Sylvain.Bouchet@metas.ch
) and/or Prof. Dr. Adrien Mestrot (
adrien.mestrot@unibe.ch
). If interested please send your application (CV, motivation letter of 1 page max, and the names of at least two references) before October 31st by email to:
hire.giub@gmail.com
. The preferred starting date is January 2025 but this call will remain open until the position is filled.
www.karriere.unibe.ch
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