The department Water Resources and Drinking Water (W+T) invites applications for a position as

Tenure-Track Group Leader (m/f/d) in Water Chemistry and Treatment
(80-100%)

Drinking water treatment and advanced wastewater treatment are facing unprecedented challenges driven by increasingly complex contaminant mixtures, climate-induced shifts in water availability, and rising societal expectations concerning safe and sustainable water systems. Emerging pollutants can be difficult to remove with conventional technologies, and disinfection byproducts raise concerns about long-term health impacts. At the same time, utilities must adapt to tighter regulatory standards. These evolving demands call for science-based innovative solutions and underscore the need for dedicated research in water chemistry and treatment and the transfer of new insights to practice.

We are seeking a motivated and visionary Research Group Leader with a strong foundation in water treatment chemistry and a passion for fundamental and applied research. The successful candidate will develop an experimental research program that bridges fundamental chemistry with real-world solutions in drinking water and wastewater treatment, contributing to scientific advancement and public service.

Potential research areas include:

• Oxidative water treatment processes (e.g., ozonation, UV/advanced oxidation)
• Micropollutant transformation kinetics and mechanisms
• Byproduct control during oxidative water treatment and UV disinfection
• Role of matrix components in chemical water treatment
• Fate of chemical contaminants in engineered water systems
• Chemical mechanisms of microbial inactivation
• Emerging water treatment approaches
• Removal of persistent organic pollutants and adsorbent-based water treatment

This position demands scientific excellence, adaptability to emerging water quality challenges, and a strong commitment to collaboration with water utilities and public agencies. We welcome applicants with working-level proficiency in or the willingness to learn an official Swiss language; support for language learning is offered at Eawag. The candidate will build close collaborations within Eawag as well as with the new Water and Wastewater Chemistry group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). An engagement in teaching is possible and encouraged but not a formal requirement. Join us in shaping the future of water treatment and making a lasting impact on human and environmental health.

Eawag is a modern employer and offers an excellent working environment where staff can contribute their strengths, experience, and ways of thinking. We promote gender equality and are committed to staff diversity and inclusion. The compatibility of career and family is of central importance to us. For more information about Eawag and our work conditions please consult www.eawag.ch and www.eawag.ch/en/aboutus/working/employment.

Applications must be submitted by 21 November 2025 and must include a cover letter, a research statement (2-5 pages) describing your interests and their relevance to this position and potential for stakeholder engagement, a CV including a complete list of publications and the names and contact information for at least three references.

We look forward to receiving your application. Please send it through this webpage, any other way of applying will not be considered. A click on the button below will take you directly to the application form.