Chemistry of indoor air: microbial emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Available from 1st November 2018 or by agreement.
We have an interesting opportunity for a motivated PhD student in the interdisciplinary area of chemistry and microbiology, in the context of chemical and microbiological indoor air quality. In order to understand people’s exposure to indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including those from microbial activity, the research will determine how different factors such as humidity affect the VOC emission rates and microbial activity.

This unique studentship is funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The student’s PhD registration will be through the School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, UK (www.chem.ed.ac.uk). The student will be trained at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (www.ceh.ac.uk) to measure emission rates of microbial VOCs (mVOCs) using Proton Transfer Reaction Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToFMS) and will then spend 6 months at University of California, Berkeley, USA. Experiments at UC Berkeley will feature a set of chambers in an incubator which can be sequentially analysed using PTR-ToFMS to obtain emission rates as a function of humidity, temperature, and indoor substrate (e.g. carpets). The PhD student will receive extra funding for the cost of living in the Berkeley area to allow them to take part in experiments with chemists and microbiologists from the US.

The requirements:
- A first or upper second class Honours degree, or a Master’s degree, or equivalent, in chemistry or chemistry-related field such as physics or biology.
- Interests in interdisciplinary science.
- Knowledge, or willingness to learn, to conduct measurements of volatile organic compounds.
- Enthusiasm and scientific curiosity.

The closing date for applications is 16th October 2018, but early expression of interest to the supervisors is advised. Please contact Dr Pawel Misztal ([Email Address Removed]) or Professor Mathew Heal ([Email Address Removed]).


Further information

The student will have office space at both the University of Edinburgh and CEH. Both institutions have high quality graduate training programmes for generic and specific skills training and career development. Professional skills courses include those on communication, project management, literature searching, presentations and safety. The student will be trained specifically on the instrumentation and field deployment operations. For the formal application procedure, see:
www.chem.ed.ac.uk/studying/postgraduate-research/applications-and-entry-requirements


The School of Chemistry holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. The University is a member of the Race Equality Charter and is a Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champion, actively promoting LGBT equality. The University has a range of initiatives to support a family friendly working environment. See our University Initiatives website for further information: https://www.ed.ac.uk/equality-diversity/help-advice/family-friendly