PRR Project

Summary

We are looking for a Senior scientist to engage within the group of Environmental Biotechnology at CBQF. The group is committed to advancing wastewater treatment processes for environmental protection and sustainability. This position will spearhead efforts to investigate alternative biotechnological strategies for addressing emerging environmental challenges such as lowering the spread of pollution namely that caused by micropollutants whilst promoting the processes sustainability through water recycling.The Environmental Biotechnology research group has a strong background in bioprocesses for wastewater treatment, especially in the lower footprint granular sludge technology, being the pioneers in investigating the fate of pharmaceuticals in such systems and in devising bioaugmentation approaches towards micropollutants removal.Joining the group, the Assistant Researcher will tackle the challenges of pollution abatement, namely of micropollutants targeted in the EU water legislation, and in line with the European Green Deal´s zero pollution ambition. The candidate will oversee the development of effective hybrid wastewater treatment systems by combining the granular sludge technology with adsorption-based processes aiming at the safe disposal or reuse of the treated wastewater especially in what concerns to micropollutants. The adsorption-based units will use a new generation of sorbents made from pyrolysis of waste-derived materials from industrial settings (e.g. food industrial residues such as bones) or agricultural or forestry wastes. The candidate will play an important role in fostering innovation in wastewater treatment by developing research projects aiming at to fill the gaps in our current knowledge on effective systems to remove more recalcitrant pollutants whilst contributing to responding to the needs of the wastewater sector envisaged in the most recent European Commission’s Proposal for a Recast of the Urban Wastewater Treatment Council Directive 91/271/EEC. The stricter regulations outlined in this European Commission proposal regarding the discharge of micropollutants by wastewater treatment plants pave the way for the advancement of quaternary treatment processes capable of effectively reducing the load of these pollutants.The candidate will be involved in advancing wastewater treatment, in particular of integrated wastewater treatment systems by coupling the granular sludge with adsorption-based units to as a way to minimize the environmental impact of wastewater discharge whilst promoting water reuse. This will be combined with the profiling of the biomass microbiomes that will allow to assess the impacts of micropollutants on systems, guide efforts to restore ecosystems functions and identify novel microbial strains with biotechnological relevance in treatment processes.The senior research will oversee the supervision of master´s and doctoral students and will have a leadership role in the application process for national and international funded projects, with a keen determination to secure funding especially at international level within the specified areas. The candidate will also play a pivotal role in bridging the research initiatives and academic programs and on the communication of science to different audiences.Profile:Doctoral degree in Biotechnology, Microbiology, or related areas.Minimum of 10 years of relevant working experience in the fields of biotechnology, microbiology, molecular biology or related areas.Expertise on the development of biotechnological tools aiming at enhancing the efficiency of wastewater treatment processes, devising alternative approaches that allow for minimizing the release of micropollutants.Experience in integrating research projects, including supervision of young researchers.Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex scientific concepts to both scientific and non-scientific audiences.