🎓Fully Funded PhD Scholarship: VIRTUE – Phytoremediation, Pyrolysis and Biochar for PFAS removal – Norway
🏥 About Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Applications are open for a Fully Funded PhD PFAS Environmental Sciences Norway position at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). This 3-year PhD position is connected to the project VIRTUE – A Virtuous Cycle of Phytoremediation, Pyrolysis and Biochar Applications towards Safe PFAS Levels in Soil, Feed and Food (funded by the Research Council of Norway).
Location: Ă…s, Norway
Faculty: Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA)
🎯 Scholarship Overview
đź”— Research Project
PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” , are among the most persistent pollutants of our time. Found in soil, water, animals, and humans, these substances pose a serious environmental and health challenge. In Norwegian sewage sludge, concentrations have been measured up to 4,000 times above the soil toxicity threshold.
This Fully Funded PhD PFAS Environmental Sciences Norway project aims to develop a circular, nature-based method for removing PFAS from soil, water, and food systems through three innovative steps:
1. Phytoremediation: Plants absorb soluble PFAS from contaminated soil
2. Pyrolysis: Harvested biomass is burnt without oxygen to destroy PFAS compounds
3. Biochar application: Clean biochar is returned to soil to bind remaining PFAS
The project connects soil science, food safety, and public health to deliver a scalable solution for one of the world’s most urgent pollution problems.
đź“‹ Main Tasks
The successful candidate will mainly focus on:
- Mapping of PFAS in agricultural and (peri)-urban soils
- Phytoremediation with local plants and grass
- Pyrolysis of PFAS-containing biomass
- Biochar as feed amendment in animal husbandry
The candidate can select where to place the main emphasis and may also explore life-cycle analysis, human exposure, or cost-benefit modelling.
Two or three elements out of the following:
- Analyze the extent of PFAS contamination in Norwegian soils using cutting-edge analytics
- Optimize plant and grass species for phytoremediation through field and greenhouse experiments
- Refine pyrolysis conditions to destroy PFAS in biomass and create effective biochar sorbents
- Investigate biochar as a soil and feed additive to reduce PFAS uptake in crops, meat, and milk
🔬 Research Environment & Collaboration
You will work with:
- NIBIOÂ (Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research)
- NGIÂ (Norwegian Geotechnical Institute)
- NMBU
- 19 industrial and municipal partners
Fieldwork locations: Norway
Lab/greenhouse tests: NMBU, NIBIO, Mære agricultural college
Pyrolysis equipment: VOW ASA, Mære, Lindum, and OBIO
âś… Qualifications
Required
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Education | Five-year Norwegian degree programme (120 ECTS master’s) with average grade B or above |
| Master’s Thesis | Minimum 20 ECTS credits |
| Field | Master’s degree in Soil Science, Environmental Science/Chemistry, Ecology, or Agronomy |
| Statistics | Strong academic record in statistics and data analysis |
| Language | Proficiency in written and oral English |
Advantageous
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Knowledge | Biogeochemical processes and/or organic contamination |
| Experience | Field experiments and chemical analysis of soil and/or contaminants |
| PFAS/Biochar | Experience with PFAS and/or biochar |
| Language | Knowledge of Norwegian or another Scandinavian language |
| Writing | Strong skills in written English and academic writing |
Personal Qualities
- Solution-oriented and pragmatic yet thorough
- Ability for independent work with initiative and careful thought
- Analytical and academic approach to research questions
- Good collaborative/social and communication skills
- Credible interest in doing field work
đź’Ľ What They Offer
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Position | PhD Fellow (position code 1017) |
| Duration | 3 years (temporary) |
| Location | Ă…s, Norway |
| Salary | NOK 550,800 per annum |
| Seniority | Promotion in the position |
| PhD Programme | Admission to a PhD program is a prerequisite |
👨‍🏫 Contact Information
Professor Gerard Cornelissen (MINA, NMBU / NIBIO)
📧 gerard.cornelissen@nibio.no
đź“ž +47 97724503
Associate Professor Erlend Sørmo (MINA, NMBU)
📧 erlend.sormo@nmbu.no
đź“ž +47 95248151
đź“ť How to Apply
Send application electronically via the link “Apply for this job” at the top of the page.
Important: Your CV must be entered in Jobbnorge’s CV form and not just included as an attachment (to comply with Public Administration Act §15).
Required Documents:
- Motivation letter
- CV
- Certified copies of academic diplomas and certificates (Diploma, transcript, diploma supplement for both bachelor and master)
- Documents not in Norwegian or English must include an English translation
- Diploma supplement describing study program and grading system (for applicants from outside Norway)
- Documentation of English proficiency
- Additional relevant documentation (e.g., list of scientific works)
Applicants invited for an interview must present original diplomas and certificates.
đź“Ś Reference Number: 26/03126
Mail (for hard copies): NMBU, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, P.O. Box 5003, NO-1432 Ă…s, Norway
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