PhD position in effective pesticides mitigation in constructed wetlands

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Agroecology programme. The position is available from 1 April 2025 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
PhD position in effective pesticides mitigation in constructed wetlands

Research area and project description:
Agricultural drainage water often contains various concentrations of pesticides, which pose a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Conventional treatment methods are either energy-intensive or inefficient at fully removing these persistent contaminants. Constructed wetlands, a nature-based solution, offer potential for pesticide removal, but they often require optimization to achieve high efficiency without additional energy inputs. Addressing this challenge, the development of a new self-sustained constructed wetlands may provide a promising solution, utilizing electricity recovered from running drainage to drive in-situ reactions that enhance pesticide degradation and improve overall water quality. This approach aligns with the EU’s commitment to sustainable agricultural practices and minimizing the environmental impact of agrochemical use.

This PhD position is funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN) within the NEUTEU Project, which focuses on energy-neutral wastewater treatment systems.

The project is part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe program, aiming to train a new generation of researchers in developing innovative environmental solutions to address complex water and energy challenges across Europe.
Salary, holiday payment, pension contributions and the like include all employer and employee's taxes and contributions. Thus, figures are before taxes are paid, and taxes may differ depending on individual circumstances. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement, and salary is depending on seniority. Salary includes a non-pensionable PhD supplement. The allowances mentioned in the EU work programme (living allowance, mobility allowance and, if applicable, family allowance) will be part of the salary. Allowance rates can be found in the relevant EU Work Programme (under MSCA doctoral network - Applicable unit contributions), and country correction coefficient can be found in the same document.

Project description
For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences:
We expect that you possess a relevant Master’s degree (120 ECTS). Candidates with background of constructed wetlands, environmental chemistry, environmental science, electro-chemistry are preferred.
You should:

• have good communication skills both in oral and written English
• be able to write scientific publications
• be able to work independently but also in collaboration with other students and staff
• be enthusiastic about working in an interdisciplinary international academic environment

We expect that you will be an active part of the research environment and that you will contribute positively to the social working environment.

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Blichers Allé 20DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark.

EU eligibility requirements in Marie Curie Doctoral Networks:

• Supported researchers must be doctoral candidates, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but who have not yet formally been awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible.
• Researchers must be enrolled in a doctoral programme leading to the award of a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country, and for Joint Doctorates in at least two.
• Recruited researchers can be of any nationality and must comply with the following mobility rule: they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before their recruitment date.
• Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent by the researcher as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention75 are not taken into account.
• Secondments are eligible for up to one third of the actual months spent implementing the research training activities under the action.
• In case of industrial doctorates, doctoral candidates must spend at least 50% of their fellowship duration in the non-academic sector.’

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

• Shubiao Wu, [email protected] (main supervisor)

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 10 January 2025 at 23:59 CET.

Preferred starting date is 1 April 2025.

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after the deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.