Ecotoxicity of compostable plastic: the effect of structure and formulations

Applications are invited for one Doctoral Network Student (DNS) position to work as part of the Marie Sk¿odowska-Curie Doctoral Training Network GreenX3, focusing on the study of greener materials and their environmental impact, the development of novel environment-friendly industrial processes, and key enabling technologies (KETs) designed to enhance resource management and product quality, with a combination of teams offering an outstanding multidisciplinary and intersectorial training program.

The appointed researcher will work on a project on ‘Ecotoxicity of compostable plastic: the effect of structure and formulations’  (DNS 13) with Prof Marina Resmini, Dr Ruth Rose and Dr Chema Martin, in collaboration with industrial partner NotPla (https://www.notpla.com/). The research will be focused on the evaluation of ecotoxicity, in particular the impact that the different formulations can have on the degradation products and their chemistry; the project will focus on a variety of algae-based formulations from Notpla. You will be required to spend 50% of your time working within a non-academic setting, mainly at Notpla, and attend all the Network’s training evens. You will be registered as a PhD student and working in both the Chemistry and Biology Departments.  

QMUL is a ‘Russell Group’ UK HEI conducting the very best research and outstanding teaching and learning. It is ranked 9th in research quality in the 2014 UK Research Excellence Framework (REF), 5th for research outputs, and has 9 Nobel Prize winners. It has 25,000+ students (6,601 postgraduates) and 4,500+ staff over multiple campuses.

Applicants must have a Chemistry-based degree with a good knowledge of organic and polymer chemistry, while some knowledge/experience of environmental chemistry and material characterization is highly desirable. Good knowledge of the English language, both written and spoken, is essential, together with strong interest in applied research, within an industrial setting.

The post is open to applicants of any nationality with tuition fees covered by the funding, however strict eligibility requirements apply. Applicants should not be UK nationals, and must not have lived, worked or studied in the UK for more than 12 months out of the 3 years immediately prior to the time of application. To qualify as ‘Doctoral Network Candidate’ applicants should not  be already in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of the recruitment. For more information please see: http://ec.europa.eu/mariecurieactions.