Chemicals are essential for the well-being, high living standards and comfort of modern society. However, most chemicals have hazardous properties which can harm the environment. As a PhD Candidate, your research will focus on the development, support, and implementation of a Safe and Sustainable by Design approach for chemicals.

The EU's Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability calls for the transition to a Safe and Sustainable by Design approach (SSbD) for chemicals. The aim of the current PhD project is to develop and implement an operational SSbD framework for chemicals. The SSbD concept is expected to facilitate the industrial transition towards a safe, zero pollution, climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy. Overall sustainability should be ensured by minimising the environmental footprint of chemicals. The proposed methodology (i) must be applicable during the design phase of substances, materials, processes and products, (ii) must be applicable to existing chemicals and proposed substitutes; and (iii) should further support the integration of life cycle assessment and risk assessment. The education task for this position may be up to 10% of your appointment.

• You should hold an MSc in one of the environmental, natural or engineering sciences, in which you preferably also have acquired knowledge of life cycle assessment and chemical risk assessment.
• Important selection criteria are: analytical modelling skills, motivation, and communication skills (especially a good command of oral and written English).
• Experience with environmental modelling is preferred.

Fixed-term contract: you will be appointed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).

• An appointment of 1.0 FTE.
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,434 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,111 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and  8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract).
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment  and help your family settle in Nijmegen.

Additional employment conditions
Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Due to the joint nature of this project you will spend equal parts of your PhD at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands (1st and 4th years) and the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy (2nd & 3rd years).

The main focus of the Environmental Science Group at the Faculty of Science is on quantifying, understanding and predicting human impacts on the environment. In our research we cover multiple pressures, species and spatial scales, searching for overarching principles that can ultimately be applied to better underpin environmental management and biodiversity conservation.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission's Science and Knowledge service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy. The focus of the Sustainable Resources, Bio-Economy Unit (located in Ispra, Italy), is to provide scientific support to EU policies related to the bio-economy such as the sustainable production and use of biological resources and the conversion to value added products, such as food, feed, bioenergy and bio-based products, including life cycle assessment and environmental footprint.

Additional information: During your 2nd and 3rd years you will work at - and be employed by - JRC. Please note that during this period JRC's employment conditions will apply. At JRC, you will offered a contract as a Grant Holder 20, which is the grant for PhD students working for the European Commission.

Radboud Universiteit
Wij willen het beste halen uit de wetenschap, uit anderen en onszelf. Waarom? Omdat dit hard nodig is voor de wereld om ons heen. Vooraanstaand onderzoek en onderwijs leveren een onmisbare bijdrage aan een gezonde, vrije wereld met gelijke kansen voor iedereen. Dat is wat meer dan 24.000 studenten en 5.600 medewerkers van de Radboud Universiteit samenbrengt. En wat vraagt om nog meer talent en samenwerking. Je bent nodig!