Technologies for the risk assessment of micro/nanoplastics; Effect Assessment of NMPs in the Freshwater

Environment, Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management Group, Wageningen University.
Job description
Candidates can apply for a PhD position on the topic of Fate and Effects of nano- and microplastics (NMP) in the
freshwater environment.
Within this position, you will assess the ecotoxicological effects of NMP in the Dutch freshwater environment. First
you will experimentally investigate the processes that determine the fate and bioavailability of NMP in surface
waters and sediments, for the development of NMP exposure models. This includes sedimentation column and
cosm experiments to assess effects of algae growth, fouling, biofilm formation, level of turbulence, presence of
natural occurring particles, ionic composition and pH on aggregation, settling and transport of NMP. You will
perform whole-sediment single species bioassays to obtain NMP dose-response relationships for representative
freshwater organisms, including chemical toxicity due to plastic associated chemicals. You will assess long term
community effects of MNP by performing field recolonization experiments with NMP under controlled conditions. You
will assess the accumulation, trophic transfer and secondary effects of NMP pollution in freshwater food-webs using
outdoor semi-field scale cosm experiments, including fish. In these experiments you will also assess the effects of
plastic on the fate of organic contaminants present at background levels.
Context of the PhD position
The Technology Foundation STW recently granted the research program 'Technologies for the Risk Assessment of
MicroPlastics (TRAMP)'. The risk assessment framework for nano- and microplastics (NMP) that is developed in
TRAMP will assist sustainable production of plastics and will inform policymakers and the public on the urgency of
the problem.
The presence and effects of plastics in the aquatic environment raised considerable concerns over the past years.
Governmental agencies, water managers, food safety authorities and plastic producers face uncertainties with
respect to abundance and effects in the environment, which hampers the development of sustainable solutions and
feeds alarm within the public opinion. TRAMP aims at developing technologies to detect nano- and microplastics in
freshwater environmental samples, developing technologies to assess fate, hazards and effects of plastic in the
freshwater environment including the possible abatement options, and at providing a prospective assessment of
the present and future risks of plastic in the Dutch freshwater environment.
In TRAMP, 3 PhDs will be employed, two at Wageningen University and one at Utrecht University. Furthermore, the
knowledge institutes RIVM, KWR and Deltares as well as water boards, the Ministry of Infrastructure and
Environment, STOWA, IMARES, NVWA, RIKILT and RIWA are involved as users of the knowledge developed in
TRAMP.
The program's key elements are:

NMP Monitoring, (Bio-)Analysis and Fate

Effect Assessment of NMPs in the Freshwater Environment

Fate modeling and risk assessment of NMPs in the Freshwater Environment