Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, is an internationally networked aquatic research institute within the ETH Domain (Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology). Eawag conducts research, education, and expert consulting to achieve the dual goals of meeting direct human needs for water and maintaining the function and integrity of aquatic ecosystems.
The Department of Environmental Chemistry (https://www.eawag.ch/en/department/uchem/) of Eawag invites applications for a postdoctoral researcher position in environmental analysis and fate of synthetic oligonucleotide therapeutics in aquatic environments.
Synthetic oligonucleotides are a rapidly evolving class of nucleic acid-based therapeutics with noticeable increases in market approval rates and the potential to revolutionize precision medicine. Their chemical modifications serve to protect them from enzymatic hydrolysis in the human body, a requirement for ensuring clinical effectiveness. Yet these chemical modifications are likely to also affect the behavior and biological activity of synthetic oligonucleotides after excretion in wastewater treatment plants and aquatic environments. Despite anticipated emissions and potential environmental persistence, there is no observational data on the occurrence, fate, and possible (eco)toxic effects of synthetic oligonucleotides. However, such data is critical for decisions about appropriate environmental risk assessments of this substance class.
The position
With an interdisciplinary consortium of environmental chemists and molecular biologists from Eawag and ETH Zürich, we seek to pioneer the exposure assessment of synthetic oligonucleotides in aquatic environments at an early stage of their therapeutic deployment. The study carried out in this 2-year postdoctoral position will lay the analytical foundation to monitor and report occurrences and persistence of synthetic oligonucleotides in the environment, a key requirement for evaluating the need for an environmental risk assessment.
Duties will include:
- development of mass spectrometry-based analytical procedures for mONs,
- deployment of the established method(s) for determining the occurrence of mONs in environmental samples from potential emission hotspots in Switzerland,
- evaluation mON transformation in laboratory (waste)water model systems.
Qualifications
Candidates must have:
- a PhD in environmental/analytical chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology or a related discipline.
- be experienced in liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HRMS), sample preparation procedures, and the corresponding data evaluation pipelines.
- Prior experience in HRMS of biomolecules will be considered advantageously.
- Proficiency in English is required.
- Other essential competencies include motivation for fundamental research in an environmental context, teamwork, communication, and collaborative skills, interest in advising students, and willingness to engage with regulators and stakeholders.
For information about Eawag visit our website at https://www.eawag.ch/en/ as well as our conditions of employment at https://www.eawag.ch/en/about-us/working/employment/.
Applications
Applications should include a cover letter with a concise statement about your previous education and research experience, your statement of research interests (1-2 pages), a curriculum vitae, publication list, copies of your academic qualifications, and names and contact information of 3 academic references.
Please submit your application through https://apply.refline.ch/673277/1421/index.html. Applications received by other means will not be considered. Screening of applicants will begin immediately, and decisions will be made as soon as a suitable candidate has been identified. The application period will close on December 31, 2026 and the preferred starting date is February 1, 2027.
For further information, please contact Dr. Thomas Hofstetter (thomas.hofstetter@eawag.ch) and Dr. Michael Sander (michael.sander@env.ethz.ch).