Přehled
PhD Position in Applied and Landscape Ecology (Prague, 4 years, starting October 2026)
at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Prague, Czech Republic
Decentralized nature-based systems for minimization of the impact of organic micropollutants in the urban and rural areas
Research area and project description:
We offer a full-time PhD position in an interdisciplinary field encompassing environmental engineering, environmental chemistry and sciences. The successful candidate will join the research team of prof. Jan Vymazal at the Department of Applied Ecology (Wetlands Group – Faculty of Environmental Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague – ČZU) and will be supervised by Dr. Adam Sochacki.
The PhD student will be part of two projects investigating the applications of nature-based systems for the treatment of combined sewer overflows, greywater, parking runoff and sewage for minimizing the effect of the load organic micropollutants into the environment. Two of the studied sites are located on the ČZU campus, which the Pavillion of Environmental Studies and the nearby green parking lot. The main objective of the PhD student’s research will focus on understanding the quality and quantity of organic micropollutants in various types of wastewater (sewage, parking lot runoff, combined sewer overflow, greywater) and the role of nature-based systems (constructed wetlands, green walls/roofs, biofilters, permeable green parking lot) in retaining/transforming these contaminants and the effect of matrix and intrinsic properties of the systems’ performance.
Required Qualifications and specific competences
- A master’s degree (or equivalent) in environmental engineering, environmental chemistry, environmental sciences, or a related discipline.
- Solid background in the field of wastewater treatment (constructed wetlands, activated sludge, physical-chemical methods) and understanding of the processes governing the fate of organic micropollutants in wastewater treatment systems and in the environment.
- Strong communication skills in English and Czech (only required for the study programme in Czech) a willingness to learn new scientific concepts, analytical skills, and field/lab techniques, and authentic interest in the research and becoming independent research; creativity in solving research problems.
- Experience in a water and wastewater analysis, especially in solid-phase extraction procedures, HPLC/LC-MS/MS analysis, analysis of total organic carbon, ionic chromatography, and others, ability to deal with routine lab work.
- Good skills in scientific literature review, databases, and summarizing key findings.
- Driving licence and willingness to drive for the field work (optional).
We offer:
Gross salary: 32,000 CZK/month (~1,280 EUR); net: ~26,000 CZK/month, 40 hours’ week. There is a provision for a salary increase contingent upon meeting the rigorous performance standards and research objectives outlined in the doctoral plan.
Student accommodation on campus (for details, see here).
Full medical insurance and social security benefits.
Salary supplement for high-quality publications.
Start date: October 2026 or later (PhD duration is four years with every-year evaluation).
Access to fully equipped field and state-of-the-art laboratory equipment.
Collaboration with experts from different fields.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information for this project are invited to contact:
Dr. Adam Sochacki, sochacki@fzp.czu.cz
How to apply
To apply, please send a single .pdf file of less than 10 MB that contains the information stated below to the following email: sochacki@fzp.czu.cz
Motivation letter (1–2 pages) describing your expertise and research interests, stating why you see yourself as a good fit for our group/research and why you are interested in getting a PhD, and how you could contribute with your expertise.
CV without a photo (up to 2 pages with essential information),
List of publications and any other relevant outputs if available.
Names, contact information and current position of 2 referees who can, upon request, provide an assessment of the application. Please indicate their relationship to you
Include “PhD 2026” and your name in the subject line of the email and in the name of the .pdf file.
The deadline for the application for the Czech programme is 20 May 2026 and 15 July 2026 for the English programme
Note
Selected candidates will be invited to an interview that will take place before 31 May (for the Czech programme) and before 20 August. Afterwards one selected candidate will be asked to apply via the ČZU website by 31 May 2026 (for the Czech programme) and by 20 August 2026 (for the English programme). The programme committee may request further information and will invite the applicant to attend an interview.
Additional information
Study programme: Applied and Landscape Ecology – Faculty of Environmental Sciences CZU Prague
ČZU website Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
