LimnoPlast Project’s overall goalsMicroplastic is one of the planetary pollution problems that affects practically all habitats, including freshwater. LimnoPlast is an European research project designed to address the problem of microplastics pollution in freshwater systems and train 15 early stage researchers (ESRs). The transdisciplinary project covers the chain of events from emissions to impacts and explores mitigation strategies such as end-of-pipe approaches and polymer redesign.
The early stage researcher described in this vacancy advertisement will be hosted by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and cover the topic:
From freshwater to drinking water and food-human exposure to microplastics. The ambitious mandate is to investigate plastic particles and determine these in matrices associated with human exposure, i.e., drinking water and freshwater-related food (e.g., fish from aquaculture) in order to provide the world’s first estimate of human exposure to plastic particles. The researcher will determine if plastic particles have contaminated the living environment of humans, tracking plastic particles sources in the Amsterdam hydrosystem as a case study. In close collaboration with two other early stage researchers working in LimnoPlast, the candidate will design a sampling plan according to best practices, taking into account statistical power, modelling, cost-effectiveness, fit for purpose and needs of data users. Attention to method validation and collection of QA/QC data will be key in this project. The ultimate objective is to understand the potential exposure routes of plastic particles for humans.
Your dutiesDevelop and validate analytical methodologies to detect, identify, and quantify plastic particles in several different environmental and biological matrices to use in generating an analytical dataset that gives insights into plastic particles.
- investigate plastic particle distribution in the aquatic environment
- modelling of plastic particle environmental distribution
- ensure QA/QC of data produced
- gather data on potential exposure routes of microplastics for humans
- inter/transdisciplinary collaborations with other PhD students in the consortium
- execution of an external secondment at SIAAP - Greater Paris Sanitation Authority (https://www.siaap.fr/siaap-greater-paris-sanitation-authority/)
- supervision of research traineeships and literature theses of master students within the scope of the LimnoPlast project
- regular progress updates at LimnoPlast project meetings and group meetings
- dissemination of results in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences
- write and defend a PhD thesis at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam