PhD position on Atmospheric Deposition of Microplastics in Dübendorf

Environmental pollution by microplastics is an issue of growing concern. Microplastic particles are detectable in a wide range of environmental compartments such as aquatic systems and soils. The detection of microplastics far from emission sources points to atmospheric transport and deposition as significant processes for their large-scale distribution.

In this PhD project, atmospheric deposition of microplastics is investigated. Wet and dry atmospheric deposition samples collected across Switzerland are analysed for type, amount and size of microplastic particles to obtain a quantitative understanding of microplastics deposited in the environment. The project is carried out in close collaboration with two PhD projects at Eawag and Agroscope, where microplastic pollution in aqueous systems and in soils is investigated. All three PhD projects use similar analytical techniques, such as FTIR chemical imaging and Pyrolysis-GC/MS, and will work closely together in the development of sample preparation, analytics and data analysis.