The offered PhD positions are part of an interdisciplinary research project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation that aims to advance understanding of the global biogeochemical cycle of selenium. Selenium is an element that is naturally occurring in the environment and of key importance to human health. In the frame of this project two work programs have been defined that address important open questions concerning natural sources, emissions, speciation and fate of selenium in the environment. Each work program represents the topic of one doctoral thesis.

Your project will be part of the second work program, which aims at improving the understanding of terrestrial deposition of atmospherically transported selenium. Marine environments are presumed to be a major natural source of Se to the atmosphere. Even though estimated marine fluxes of selenium are substantial, the pathways of atmospheric transfer of selenium from oceanic to continental environments are not well known. Results from previous studies imply that selenium levels in soils could be related to atmospheric sources. Further research is required to investigate this hypothesis.

An important task of the PhD project is to study the presence of selenium in continental archives such as loess deposits and peat bogs. Therefore this PhD project has a strong focus on solid phase materials, i.e. rocks, soils and peat and involves the use of HG-AFS, ICP-MS/ICP-OES, XRF, XRD and synchrotron-based techniques. The mobility of selenium in these materials will be investigated in lab- and fieldwork. We offer a lively research environment that involves collaborations with leading international partner institutes.

We are looking for a skilled and highly motivated person interested in challenging interdisciplinary research with interests in Quaternary geology and inorganic geochemistry. The successful candidate holds a master degree in geosciences, soil science or equivalent and has a strong background in instrumental analyses. Fluency in English is mandatory and good knowledge of German is an additional asset. Ideally, the work begins between August 2011 and October 2011. The workplace for this position is Eawag in Dübendorf (close to Zurich) (www.eawag.ch). The candidate is enrolled as doctoral student at ETH Zurich; further information about the enrollment as doctoral student at ETH Zurich is available at www.phd.ethz.ch.

Please apply electronically through this website, include a motivation letter, an updated CV with description of research experience and a list of publications (if any), and 2 letters of recommendation

Deadline for applications is 31 May 2011.