6 PhD positions (TV-L E13, 4 years) and 1 Postdoc position (TV-L E13, 3 years) for the PhD Graduate School WERA on the topic "Phosphorus Recovery from Wastewater"

Would you like to learn the basics of efficient recycling methods as part of a PhD study, with a focus on the sustainable use of natural resources? If so, the PhD Graduate School WERA 'Wertstoff Abwasser' (Valuable Wastewater) could be the right place for you. RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau is looking for 6 motivated PhD students to start on 01.07.2026 (or earlier).

In WERA, 13 cooperative research projects focusing on the recovery of the vital raw material phosphorus (P) from wastewater are being carried out, combining novel natural scientific and engineering approaches with technical implementation. In WERA, various processes, such as the synthesis of tailor-made adsorbers and innovative separation units for phosphorus recovery will be developed, combined in process chains and validated on a wastewater recycling pilot plant. Suitable methods for process analysis and characterization will be extended and the chemical-physical relationships will be studied using molecular and thermodynamic simulations. The research findings of WERA can be transferred to many other fields of the circular economy.

PhD study in WERA takes 4 years in a close cooperation between PhD students and interdisciplinary professors team. WERA’s study concept includes summer schools, keynote lectures given by internationally renowned scientists, topic-specific courses and interdisciplinary workshops as well as offers for visit of international research institutes. Due to a comprehensive scientific education of WERA you will obtain a highly qualified expertise in the promising fields of resource recovery and environmental technology.

The following PhD topics are available, which are explained in more detail by clicking on the topics (on rptu.de/wera):

In Chemistry:

A3: Development of a flow process for P removal from wastewater using polymeric adsorbers

Supervisor: Prof. Stefan Kubik

In Process Engineering:

B1: Thermodynamic modeling of the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater

Supervisor: Prof. Fabian Jirasek

B4: Investigation of precipitation and crystallization processes in phosphorus recovery using experimental and numerical methods

Supervisor: Prof. Sergiy Antonyuk

C2: Experimental investigation and modeling of an adsorption/desorption process for the separation of P from wastewater

Supervisor: Prof. Erik von Harbou

In Wastewater Engineering:

D1: Adsorption and ion-exchange for combined phosphorus elimination and recovery

Supervisor: Prof. Heidrun Steinmetz

D3: Iron removal and recovery from sewage sludge using zeolites and integrated resource recovery

Supervisor: Jun.-Prof. Carlo Morandi

Application:

Please send by 31.01.2026 complete application documents:

- Letter of motivation that prioritizes one of the PhD topics of WERA

- Curriculum Vitae

- Copy of your degree certificate (Bachelor, Master or equivalent) with full academic transcripts

directly to the supervisors of PhD topics (contact see rptu.de/wera/team). You can contact the spokesperson Prof. Sergiy Antonyuk (sergiy.antonyuk(at)mv.rptu.de) for general questions about PhD Graduate School.

Prerequisite for the PhD position is an Master's degree (or equivalent) in engineering, chemistry or physics.

About RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau:

The RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau is the technical university of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate with over 20,000 students, more than 300 professors and around 160 degree programmes. As a place of top-level international research, it offers excellent working conditions and career opportunities. Those who study, research or work at RPTU experience a welcoming and globally-oriented environment and shape the future.

The PhD Graduate School GRK 2908 is supported financially by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with funds from the German states and the federal government of Germany.