How will you contribute?

You will join ERIN’s Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN) Unit which is developing knowledge, transferable (software) technologies and practical methods for the integrative evaluation and management of the sustainability and toxicological risks of human driven systems. Its final purpose is to foster sustainable, technology driven eco-innovation in industry and to support sustainability-oriented policy making. Within the SUSTAIN Unit, you will be incorporated in the Environmental Health (EH) research group. The activities conducted within the EH group develop complex 3D – in vitro models for toxicological testing as a major research activity. Such models undergo in house pre-validation under laboratory conditions and are applied to a wide range of contaminants from chemicals to nanomaterials. These models are then applied within nationally and internationally funded research projects and in collaborative research projects with industry.

You will work within the Environmental Health group and support the activities in the cell culture laboratory by maintaining the cell lines used in the various 3D in vitro models and support the research staff in other routine applications. To this end you will perform all basic steps of cell culture independently and evaluate the effects of chemical exposure using established laboratory techniques (e.g. cell viability assays, ELISA, PCR, etc.).

As per your experience, you are able to maintain the available cell lines. The activities include also:

•  Freezing, thawing, passaging and seeding of cells,
•  Performing mycoplasma tests and quality control of cells etc.,
• Supporting the maintenance of the laboratory,
•  Performing various assays to analyse the effects of chemical exposure on cells.

You are willing to learn maintenance of algae culture and of aquatic invertebrates for ecotoxicological testing.