PostDoc or Scientist responsible for assessing and quantifying the potential of biobased and biodegradable polymers to substitute fossil based non-biodegradable polymers
Empa, Materials Science and Technology
Publication date:
29 March 2025Workload:
100%Contract type:
Unlimited employment- Place of work:St. Gallen
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Job summary
Join Empa, a leading research institution in materials science. Be part of a team that fuels sustainable innovations!
Tasks
- Model mass flows of biobased and biodegradable polymers in society.
- Assess environmental impacts and effectiveness against microplastics.
- Collaborate within an interdisciplinary team on sustainability research.
Skills
- Master's or PhD in environmental/natural sciences or engineering required.
- Experience in computational modeling and risk assessment is preferred.
- Excellent scientific writing and communication skills in English.
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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.
PostDoc or Scientist responsible for assessing and quantifying the potential of biobased and biodegradable polymers to substitute fossil based non-biodegradable polymers
Empa's Technology & Society Laboratory (TSL) is dedicated to creating and sharing knowledge supporting the transformation to a sustainable society within planetary boundaries by analyzing and evaluating novel materials and technologies from a circularity, life cycle impacts and safety perspective, and providing guidance for designing more sustainable materials, technologies and systems.
The Environmental Risk Assessment and Management Group (ERAM) has great experience in modeling mass flows and environmental releases of plastics and in assessing their sustainability.
Your tasks
The postdoc or scientist will model the mass flows of biobased and biodegradable polymers through our society and their releases into the environment. A special focus will be on agricultural uses and their accumulation in soils. Using the results, the potential of biodegradable polymers to mitigate microplastic pollution will be assessed, comparing their effectiveness to conventional, non-biodegradable polymers.
Your profile
- Master Degree or PhD in environmental/natural sciences or engineering or similar
- Experience with development of computational models
- Preferably some experience with plastics, e.g. release studies or risk assessment
- Experience in scientific writing and publishing
- Excellent communication skills and fluency in English (both written and oral)
Our offer
- A highly stimulating interdisciplinary research environment in a laboratory with more than 50 scientists dedicated to sustainability transformation
- Opportunities to present your work at scientific conferences and to publish in high quality journals
- Personal and professional development support
The position is located in St. Gallen and temporary for 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.
