Empa

Postdoctoral position in Method Development and Application for Micro- and Nanoplastic Quantificatication in complex Food Matrices (80 - 100%)

St. Gallen, Zwitserland

Unspecified

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Materials science and technology are our passion. With our cutting-edge research, Empa's around 1,100 employees make essential contributions to the well-being of society for a future worth living. Empa is a research institution of the ETH Domain.

Are you passionate about food safety and environmental science? We are seeking a dedicated PostDoc to ex-ecute our new project on Micro- and (Nano)plastics in food, with a focus on fruits and vegetables. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to vital research that impacts public health and environment. The Laboratory for Particles-Biology Interactions and Air Pollution and Environmental Technology are offering such a position supported by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office in collaboration with EAWAG and Agroscope.

Postdoctoral position in Method Development and Application for Micro- and Nanoplastic Quantificatication in complex Food Matrices (80 - 100%)

Your tasks
You will play a pivotal role in our project on micro- and (nano)plastics in food, specifically targeting fruits and vegetables method development. In this position, you will interact with the project partner and execute the project’s phases:

Establish and maintaining a comprehensive overview of current literature, allowing you to compile and synthesize findings critically to inform our research direction
Explore, adapt, optimize and validate analytical methodologies for quantifying microplastics in complex food matrices. Identifying the relevant types of plastics and their origins
Prepare and execute together with the project partners a pilot “food basket” study to investigate the occurrence of microplastics in commercially available products
Develop and propose original research ideas within the project’s framework. Your findings will be shared at consortium meetings and (inter)national conferences and you will contribute to the scientific community by publishing results in peer-reviewed journals.

Your profile
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic candidate with a strong background in polymer chemistry, analytical science and environmental science who wants to pursue cutting-edge research oriented towards micro- and nanoplastic research.

A completed Ph.D. degree in Materials Science, Chemistry, Analytics or a related discipline is mandatory. Hands-on experience in sampling, sample preparation and state-of-the art analytical instruments is required. Self-driven curiosity and strong observational skills during experimentation are highly desirable. Fluency in both verbal and written English is required.

Our offer
The Particles-Biology Interactions Laboratory is located in St. Gallen at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa). Our team is highly interdisciplinary and international, providing an inspiring environment for high impact research. We have internal expertise in (nano)materials engineering, biol-ogy, ex vivo models, biomedical engineering, computational biology and we are strongly connected to external collaborators and Federal Offices to ensure the project’s success. Additionally, Empa offers outstanding analytical infrastructure, career support, networking opportunities and competitive salaries. The position is available starting February 2025 or upon agreement, with a planned duration of two years.

We live a culture of inclusion and respect. We welcome all people who are interested in innovative, sustainable and meaningful activities - that's what counts.

We look forward to receiving your complete online application including a letter of motivation, CV, certificates, diplomas and contact details of two reference persons. Please submit these exclusively via our job portal. Applications by e-mail and by post will not be considered.