Postdoctoral Researcher in Adsorption and Environmental Fate of Water-Soluble Polymers

About this position

Postdoctoral Researcher in Adsorption and Environmental Fate of Water-Soluble Polymers

The

Environmental Chemistry Group

in the

Department of Environmental Systems Sciences

at ETH Zurich invites applications for a postdoctoral position investigating the adsorption and environmental fate of synthetic water-soluble polymers. The project will be conducted jointly at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). Our group has extensive expertise in macromolecular interactions with solid–water interfaces in natural and engineered systems.

Project background

Water-soluble and water-dispersible polymers are widely used in personal care, home care, and agriculture, leading to releases into wastewater treatment systems, soils, and aquatic environments. Adsorption to mineral and organic surfaces can strongly influence their transport, retention, and bioavailability, yet the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood.

The project will investigate the interaction forces driving polymer adsorption, the reversibility of attachment, and the conformations that polymers adopt on surfaces. A central goal is to understand how polymer properties—including functional group chemistry, charge, and molecular weight—combine with surface characteristics and solution conditions to govern adsorption and desorption.

While fundamental in approach, the research will inform environmental fate assessments and regulatory approaches for water-soluble polymers. You will interact with industry partners and regulatory stakeholders to connect mechanistic findings with practical assessment needs.

Job description

You will investigate polymer adsorption onto model mineral and organic surfaces and selected soils, sediments, and sludge, establishing quantitative or semi-quantitative relationships between polymer properties, adsorption, and mobility.

Depending on your expertise and the development of the project, your research will combine:

Batch adsorption and desorption experiments across a range of polymers, sorbents, and solution conditions

Column experiments to assess polymer retention and transport under flowing conditions

In situ surface measurements to investigate adsorbed amounts and polymer conformations

High-resolution mass spectrometry for selected polymer classes to characterise fractions remaining in solution and investigate selective adsorption

You will contribute to developing research questions and experimental strategies, publish and present your findings, exchange results with project partners, and support Master’s thesis research.

Profile

You should hold a PhD in surface or interfacial chemistry, colloid science, polymer science, environmental chemistry or sciences, materials science, or a closely related field

We particularly welcome applicants with experimental experience in adsorption, desorption, attachment, or the characterisation of solid–water interfaces

This expertise may come from fundamental research or applications in polymer, environmental, or materials science

Prior experience with the environmental fate of synthetic polymers is not required

Experience with surface-sensitive analytical techniques, polymer characterisation, batch adsorption experiments, or column transport studies is valuable; you are not expected to have experience with all these approaches

We seek a curious and motivated researcher who can design and quantitatively interpret experiments, work independently, and collaborate respectfully in an interdisciplinary team

Good written and spoken English is required

An interest in connecting fundamental research with industrial and regulatory questions is welcome; prior stakeholder engagement experience is not required

We offer

We offer access to state-of-the-art analytical facilities, complementary expertise at ETH Zurich and Eawag, and opportunities to develop your research profile. You will join international research groups with English as the common working language. We support professional training and career development.

The workplace is located at ETH Zurich in central Zurich and Eawag in Dübendorf. The position is funded for up to two years with a competitive postdoctoral salary.

Working, teaching and research at ETH Zurich

We value diversity and sustainabilityIn line with

our values

, ETH Zurich encourages an inclusive culture. We promote equality of opportunity, value diversity and nurture a working and learning environment in which the rights and dignity of all our staff and students are respected. Visit our

Equal Opportunities and Diversity website

to find out how we ensure a fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish. Sustainability is a core value for us – we are consistently working towards a

climate-neutral future

.Curious? So are we.

We look forward to receiving your online application with the following documents as a single PDF:

A cover letter (approximately 1–2 pages) explaining your motivation and how your research experience relates to this position, describe one relevant example from your previous work, outlining the scientific question, your own contribution, the experimental approaches you used, and how you interpreted the findings and explain how this experience would help you contribute to the proposed project (a separate research proposal is not required)

A curriculum vitae, including a publication list

Up to three relevant publications

Relevant degree certificates and academic transcripts

Names and contact information for three references

Further information about the Environmental Chemistry Group can be found on our

Website

. Questions regarding the position should be directed to Prof. Dr. Michael Sander,

michael.sander@env.ethz.ch

(no applications).

Applications must be submitted through the online application portal of ETH Zurich or Eawag. Applications will be pooled; please apply through only one portal.

Please note that we exclusiv