Titanium dioxide nanoparticles pose an increasing risk to aquatic ecosystems due to their persistence and increased release from sunscreens. In a project funded by the German Research Foundation, the release, transport and fate of the nanoparticles in bathing lakes will be investigated by means of field measurements, laboratory experiments and mathematical modelling. Important aspects are, among others, the release of nanoparticles during bathing, the formation and mobility of surface films, and the aggregation of nanoparticles with natural particles in water and sediment. For this joint project of the working groups Environmental and Soil Chemistry and Environmental Physics, two PhD students (m/f/d) with complementary expertise will work in close cooperation:

1. The person hired for the Environmental and Soil Chemistry group will be responsible for sampling and measuring TiO₂ in various environmental media, performing field experiments at a swimming lake, characterizing (electron microscopy, light scattering, ICP-MS, etc.) anthropogenic and natural particles, and performing laboratory experiments (e.g., aggregation kinetics).

2. The person hired for the Environmental Physics group will be responsible for characterizing the transport of nanoparticles by flow and sedimentation in a swimming lake, as well as for conducting laboratory experiments on the influence of wind on the accumulation of nanoparticles at the water surface. Furthermore, this person will coordinate the process-based modelling of behavior and fate of the nanoparticles.

The full position announcement with information about the application procedure is provided here.