If you’ve ever wondered how your future research could make a real environmental impact, here’s your chance. The University of Stuttgart—in partnership with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)—is offering up to two (2) fully funded PhD scholarships under the ENWAT Doctoral Program.
The project, “Understanding the Seasonal Variation of Greenhouse Gas Production in Wastewater Treatment Plants”, aims to tackle a major global challenge: reducing methane and nitrous oxide emissions—two greenhouse gases far more potent than CO₂.
About the Project
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Sara Kleindienst
Department: Environmental Microbiology, ISWA – Institute of Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management.
Available Research Themes:
- Microorganisms in wastewater systems
- Denitrification, nitrification, ammonia oxidation, and methanogenesis
- Microbial community dynamics and greenhouse gas emissions
- Laboratory microcosms and in situ WWTP experiments
- Environmental control strategies to reduce GHG emissions
Research Goals
- Unravel seasonal microbial interactions that drive greenhouse gas production in WWTPs.
- Create laboratory models using labelled substrates to link environmental changes with GHG outputs.
- Conduct field experiments at the Stuttgart ISWA WWTP to optimize operational parameters for emission reduction.
Methods You’ll Master?
- High-precision analytical tools: HPLC, IC, GC-MS
- Microbial enrichment under aerobic/anaerobic conditions
- Gas quantification using electrochemical sensors & FTIR
- 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and full metagenomic/meta transcriptomic analysis
- Advanced statistical and bioinformatics approaches
Eligibility Criteria
- Academic Background: M.Sc., Dipl.-Ing., or equivalent in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Water Resources Management, Microbiology, or related sciences.
- Additional Requirement: B.Sc. in the same or related field.
- Experience: Solid grounding in molecular ecology and environmental microbiology.
- Language: Proof of English proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS or proof of English-medium degrees).
- Residency Rule: At DAAD nomination (Dec 2025), you must not have lived in Germany for the past 15 months and must have earned your last degree within the past 6 years.
- Documents: CV, transcripts with grading scale, two academic references (issued within last 2 years), motivation letter (1 page), and a research summary (1 page).
Application Timeline
The application deadline for the PhD position “Understanding the Seasonal Variation of Greenhouse Gas Production in Wastewater Treatment Plants” at the University of Stuttgart is October 1, 2025. Shortlisted candidates will be nominated to the DAAD in December 2025, and successful applicants are expected to begin their research on October 1, 2026.