Postdoctoral Fellow in Environmental Analytical Chemistry

The Department of Environmental Science (ACES) at Stockholm University is one of the largest departments in the Faculty of Science. The department is divided into four units with more than 190 researchers, teachers, doctoral students and technical/administrative staff from over 30 countries. The department has a strong focus on research, spanning from couplings between climate change and biogeochemical cycles (atmosphere-land-ocean) to the sources, transport and effects of environmental contaminants.

Project description
The position will be associated with the project “Persistent organic chemicals in high-altitude atmosphere and ecosystems” financed by the Swedish Research Council FORMAS. Persistent organic chemicals (POCs) were recently found also at high altitude at the world’s highest atmospheric observatory (5240 masl), the Chacaltaya GAW station (CHC) in Bolivia. This project examines the hypothesis that the free troposphere is a critical long-range transport medium and leads to increasing POC contamination and subsequent risk to humans and ecosystems at high altitudes. The project aims to understand FT-mediated pollutant transport and potential sources, through close collaboration with atmospheric, meteorological, geological, and environmental scientists from European and South American institutes.

The successful applicant will join a research team studying atmospheric composition and atmosphere-ecosystem interactions of POCs with varying physical-chemical properties and chemical structures using the unique capability of the CHC for long-term studies in a high-altitude environment. The successful applicant will collaborate with alpinists to extend the research scale to two remote 6500 masl Bolivian mountains far from the CHC. Based on the temporal, spatial, and altitudinal experiments, the project aims to develop a mechanistic and quantitative understanding of POC behaviors in the FT and high-altitude environments.

Main responsibilities
The successful applicant will be responsible for environmental analytical chemistry, including laboratory treatment of atmospheric/soil/biota samples, target and suspected screening analysis, field sampling, data analysis, and writing of scientific manuscripts.

The successful applicant will also be involved in experimental design to meet the scientific goals of the project. The postdoctoral fellow will be expected to plan, conduct, interpret, and communicate research and results and should have a strong interest in interdisciplinary collaborative work.

As part of the project the candidate will be expected to participate and support sampling activities at CHC, Bolivia.

Qualification requirements
Postdoctoral positions are appointed primarily for purposes of research. Applicants are expected to hold a Swedish doctoral degree or an equivalent degree from another country.

Assessment criteria
The degree must have been completed at latest before the employment decision is made, but no more than three years before the closing date. An older degree may be acceptable under special circumstances. Special reasons refer to sick leave, parental leave, elected positions in trade unions, service in the total defense, or other similar circumstances as well as clinical attachment or service/assignments relevant to the subject area.

In the appointment process, special attention will be given to research skills within analytical or environmental chemistry or equivalent. Specialization in trace analysis of organic chemicals (e.g., POPs and emerging pollutants) in multiple environmental matrices, QA/QC, and experience with GC- and LC-HRMS (e.g., Orbitrap-MS) are valuable merits. It is an asset if the candidate has knowledge of atmospheric science, gas phase and suspended particle sampling, and has previously participated in fieldwork, including soil and plant sampling.  

Terms of employment
The position involves full-time employment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years, with the possibility of extension under special circumstances. Start date 2023-09-01 or as per agreement.

Stockholm University strives to be a workplace free from discrimination and with equal opportunities for all.

Contact
Further information about the position can be obtained from the Head of Unit, Professor Matthew MacLeod, telephone: +46 8 674 7168, matthew.macleod@aces.su.se or Head of project Researcher Bo Yuan, telephone: +46 8 674 7315, bo.yuan@aces.su.se.

Union representatives
Ingrid Lander (Saco-S), telephone: +46 708 16 26 64, saco@saco.su.se, Alejandra Pizarro Carrasco (Fackförbundet ST/Lärarförbundet), telephone: +46 8 16 34 89, alejandra@st.su.se, and seko@seko.su.se (SEKO).

Application
Apply for the position at Stockholm University's recruitment system. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the job advertisement, and that it is submitted before the deadline.

Please include the following information with your application

• Your contact details and personal data
• Your highest degree
• Your language skills
• Contact details for 2–3 references

and, in addition, please include the following documents

• Cover letter
• CV – degrees and other completed courses, work experience and a list of publications
• Research proposal (no more than 3 pages) describing:
  – why you are interested in the field/project described in the advertisement
  – why and how you wish to complete the project
   – what makes you suitable for the project in question
• Copy of PhD diploma
• Letters of recommendation (no more than 3 files)
• Publications in support of your application (no more than 3 files).

The instructions for applicants are available at: How to apply for a position.

You are welcome to apply!

Stockholm University contributes to the development of sustainable democratic society through knowledge, enlightenment and the pursuit of truth.

Closing date: 19/03/2023