POSITION OVERVIEW

Are you fascinated by plastics beyond what you can see and motivated to quantify microplastics in indoor and occupational air, and to design interventions that mitigate exposure?

This PhD position focuses on quantifying indoor and occupational microplastic exposure and co-creating practical interventions to reduce exposure in everyday environments.

The project is embedded in the interdisciplinary MOMENTUM 3.0 programme, funded by ZonMw, combining environmental exposure assessment, advanced analytical chemistry, behavioural science, and stakeholder engagement. Your research will directly feed into health risk assessment and toxicological studies.

You will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and Utrecht University (UU). Research activities will take place at both institutions, located at Utrecht Science Park, enabling close collaboration.

You will also become a member of the MOMENTUM NextGen Early Career Research Network, supporting integration, training, and collaboration for PhDs and postdocs in the Netherlands.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and conduct indoor air measurements in homes and workplaces using a citizen-science approach
• Build and deploy active air-sampling setups to collect airborne microplastic samples
• Analyse samples using advanced techniques:
  • TED-GC/MS (Thermal Extraction Desorption–Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry)
  • SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy)
  • µ-FTIR (Micro-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy)
• Process and interpret complex datasets to identify exposure patterns and determinants
• Design and evaluate intervention strategies (e.g., HEPA filtration, behavioural guidance)
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary academic and societal partners
• Publish results in peer-reviewed journals and present at international conferences

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Chemistry or closely related field
• Strong interest in environmental health, analytical techniques, and exposure assessment
• Laboratory experience and familiarity with spectroscopy or chromatography methods
• Ability to work independently and in multidisciplinary teams
• Good communication skills in English (Dutch is an advantage)

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Fully funded PhD position, initial 12-month contract with extension to 4 years upon successful evaluation
• Working week: 38 hours
• Gross monthly salary: €3,059–€3,881 (salary scale P, CAO NU)
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus
• Pension scheme, partially paid parental leave, and flexible terms of employment
• Professional development, leave arrangements, sports and cultural activities available

INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine – trains veterinarians and researchers, providing care for animals and conducting impactful research. Focus on One Health: the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.

• Utrecht University: Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), research line One Health Chemical, led by Prof. Roel Vermeulen
• TNO: Department Environmental Modelling, Sensing and Analysis (EMSA), Particle Expertise Centre

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information, please contact:

• Dr. Luke Parker (TNO) – luke.parker@tno.nl
• Prof. Dr. Roel Vermeulen (UU) – r.c.h.vermeulen@uu.nl

HOW TO APPLY

Applications should include:

• Motivation letter
• Curriculum vitae
• Names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of at least two referees

Submission: via the ‘apply now’ button on the Utrecht University application portal

Intended start date: flexible, ideally before 1 May 2026

Application deadline: 28 February 2026

Apply