Ph.D Tracing "forever chemicals" along soil-feed-ruminant food web

Posieux, Switzerland | 100-100%

• Planification and execution of field sampling campaigns, including sample preparation and laboratory support
• Data management, statistical evaluation, and interpretation
• Explore biotic and abiotic determinants of the transfer of PFAS from soil to plant
• Modelling of PFAS transfer from soil and feed to milk and meat
• Communication and publication of results in scientific journals, scientific reporting for funders and stakeholders
• Project management and collaboration within an international consortium

• Master's degree in agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, environmental chemistry, or a related field
• Strong interest in sustainable ruminant production systems and environmental contaminants
• Experience in conducting field trials, performing statistical data analysis, and scientific writing
• Ability to work independently and collaborate within a multidisciplinary and international research team
• Excellent organizational and communication skills
• Very good knowledge of two official Swiss languages and spoken and written English

In a nutshell PFAS, often called “forever chemicals”, are very mobile in the environment and bioaccumulate into animals, and humans, posing major environmental and health challenges worldwide. In Switzerland, the recent discovery of PFAS contamination in agricultural lands and further in ruminant meat and milk is currently receiving widespread public attention. The PhD candidate will be part of the SURFAS project “A survey on background levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in feeds across Switzerland: A focus on herbages and determinants of the soil to plant transfer factors”.

The candidate will combine a sampling campaign of soil and forage across Switzerland, the quantification of PFAS transfer from soil to forage plants, and the modeling of the fate of these contaminants into meat and milk. You have a background in agronomical, plant, soil, or environmental science, biology, environmental chemistry or a related interdisciplinary field. You are interested in applied research and wish to contribute to improving food safety throughout the animal food chain.

You are comfortable with holistic approaches at the intersection of multiple disciplines. You have good computer skills, and some experience in field sampling, data processing, statistical analysis, as well as scientific writing and wish to further improve them. SURFAS is funded by the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) and carried out within a strong international research network comprising Agroscope, Empa (Dübendorf, Switzerland), and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR, Berlin), offering you a unique interdisciplinary and applied research environment.

• Working for Switzerland – We are committed to the successful Swiss model and work for the public good.
• Embracing diversity – Thanks to equal opportunities, we draw on our expertise and contribute different perspectives.
• Staying healthy at work – We support and advise our employees in the area of physical and mental health.

Good food, healthy environment – Agroscope is the Swiss federal centre of excellence for research in the agriculture and food sector. Its researchers work at a number of sites in Switzerland. Headquartered in Bern-Liebefeld (as of 2026: Posieux), Agroscope is attached to the Swiss Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research EAER.

The 'Ruminant Nutrition and Emissions' Research Group is represented at the Posieux and Tänikon sites. We deal with ruminant physiology, nutrition and husbandry in roughage-focused feeding systems with the aim of sustainably improving nutrient efficiency, lowering emissions from cattle husbandry, reducing nutrient-related production diseases, and maintaining high product quality.