PhD candidate AMGC

The Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences, Department Department of Chemistry, is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

Topic: Influence of natural and synthetic organic material on the mercury dynamic in a macrotidal highly anthropogenic estuary

The Scheldt River estuary lays in one of the most densely populated areas in World and its ecological functioning is dominated by multiple stressing factors linked to various human activities (navigation, industrial production, intensive agriculture, urbanization, etc…). It is also an important natural and recreational space for Belgium and the Netherlands, with multiple conservation initiatives that resulted to a partial ecological recovery of the system compared to the situation in the 1970’s-1980’s. To conceal both nature conservation and human socio-economical functions in this system is however a very delicate and challenging task. A good knowledge of the ecological functioning of the system, and response to changes is crucial. Therefore, the monitoring of water quality, water quantity, biogeochemical cycle of diverse physio-chemical parameters is very important to keep a healthy river and estuary for both countries.

This doctoral research project will be carried out in the research group AMGC (VUB) in the framework of the monitoring project OMES (http://www.omes-monitoring.be/nl ). The candidate has to possess a master degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, biochemistry or a similar discipline and will carry out a research project related to the speciation of metals, in particular mercury compounds, in the Scheldt estuary in relation to changing environmental parameters. Mercury contamination is thought not to be a problem in the Scheldt after the ban of the chlor-alkali industry in EU in 2017. However, the recent studies show comparable mercury levels with the past in the estuary. In addition, mercury contamination and dynamics in the largely restored ecosystem in present days is poorly known and understood. Mercury dynamics are known to be largely influenced by organic matter and speciation. Moreover, very recent studies also consider a special class of organic matter: synthetic microplastic particles. Microplastic may interact with different mercury species, being a transport vector for this toxic element to some aquatic organisms living in the estuary and the sea.

You will participate to the monthly sampling campaigns (3 days/month) of the OMES team and owing a driving license is mandatory. After appropriate analytical training in the lab, you will perform all analyses related to organic matter and mercury speciation. You will also contribute to the development and validation of new analysis protocols related to mercury speciation. You will interpret the observed Hg speciation in a seasonal pattern in function of changing environmental parameters obtained from fieldwork. The interaction between metals and microplastic will be investigated in this study. 

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base.