Agroscope
PhD student: Bioavailability of pesticides in the soil
8046 Zürich (from 2026: 1725 Posieux) | 100%
good food, healthy environment
The 'Environmental Analytics' Research Group supports and serves Agroscope researchers in chemical-analytical matters. In addition, it contributes with methodology development and its own research projects to an improved understanding of the fate and behaviour of substances in the anthroposphere, the agricultural sector and the environment. Its target analytes range from heavy metals to microplastics by way of organic micropollutants.
As part of the Action Plan for Risk Reduction and Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products, Agroscope is developing a programme for monitoring soil pesticide residues. In the doctoral thesis, the total content to be measured is to be supplemented with the determination of the bioavailable fractions so as to allow a more precise and realistic evaluation of environmental exposure to these chemicals.
The 'Environmental Analytics' Research Group supports and serves Agroscope researchers in chemical-analytical matters. In addition, it contributes with methodology development and its own research projects to an improved understanding of the fate and behaviour of substances in the anthroposphere, the agricultural sector and the environment. Its target analytes range from heavy metals to microplastics by way of organic micropollutants.
As part of the Action Plan for Risk Reduction and Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products, Agroscope is developing a programme for monitoring soil pesticide residues. In the doctoral thesis, the total content to be measured is to be supplemented with the determination of the bioavailable fractions so as to allow a more precise and realistic evaluation of environmental exposure to these chemicals.
This is how you can contribute
- Determining total soil pesticide content by means of QuEChERS extraction and liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry
- Developing and validating methods for determining the bioavailable fractions of pesticides in soils, based on various passive collection techniques
- Analysing and interpreting the data collected, including chemico-environmental and ecotoxicological findings
- Planning and conducting additional experiments in the laboratory or greenhouse
- Authoring scientific articles for publication in specialist journals and presenting the results at national and international conventions and conferences
This makes you unique
- MSc in Chemistry or in Agricultural or Environmental Sciences
- In-depth knowledge of environmental organic chemistry
- Knowledge and laboratory experience in analytical chemistry, particularly LC-MS
- An independent way of working with cross-team collaboration skills
- Knowledge of two official Swiss languages and a very good command of written and spoken English
Additional information
If this challenge appeals to you, we look forward to receiving your online application (English is not an official Swiss language, please choose German, French or Italian as correspondence language).
For further information please contact Thomas Bucheli, Head of 'Environmental Analytics' Research Group, thomas.bucheli@agroscope.admin.ch, tel. 058 468 73 42.
Start date: 1 January 2025 or to be agreed. This is a fixed-term job finishing on 31 December 2028. The dissertation will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Juliane Hollender (Eawag) and Prof. Dr. Kris McNeill (ETH).
Reference number: JRQ$540-12516
What sets us apart
The 'Methods Development and Analytics' Competence Division has the expertise and infrastructure to develop and validate cutting-edge analytical and molecular-genetic technologies and methods, and to use them in research projects or enforcement tasks. This includes e.g. quality assurance in the production of feed and foods via analytical, microbiological and sensorial monitoring.
Agroscope is the Swiss federal centre of excellence for research in the agriculture and food sector. Its researchers work at a number of sites in Switzerland. Headquartered in Bern-Liebefeld (as of 2026: Posieux), Agroscope is attached to the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER.
We offer you a varied job in an interesting work environment as well as thorough training and a modern research infrastructure. Flexible working hours and good employee benefits are additional perks of the job.
