SD-26094–PHD IN BRIDGING TOXICOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY- NOVEL METHODOLOGIES FOR SAFETY-INFORMED LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) is a leading Research and Technology Organisation (RTO) that drives innovation for the economy and society in Luxembourg and beyond. With cutting-edge expertise in Natural, Built, Industrial environments, Space, AI, Security and defence technologies. LIST bridges scientific excellence and applied research to design solutions that address real-world challenges and create positive impact.

Do you want to know more about LIST? Check our website: https://www.list.lu/

Your LIST benefits

• An organization with a passion for impact and strong RDI partnerships in Luxembourg and Europe that works on responsible and independent research projects
• Sustainable by design, empowering our belief that we play an essential role in paving the way to a green society
• Innovative infrastructures and exceptional labs occupying more than 5,000 square metres, including innovations in all that we do
• An environment encouraging curiosity, innovation and entrepreneurship in all areas
• Personalized learning programme to foster our staff’s soft and technical skills
• Multicultural and international work environment with more than 50 nationalities represented in our workforce
• Diverse and inclusive work environment empowering our people to fulfil their personal and professional ambitions
• Gender-friendly environment with multiple actions to attract, develop and retain women in science
• 32 days paid annual leave, 11 public holidays, 13-month salary, statutory health insurance
• Flexible working hours, home working policy and access to lunch voucher 

Fixed term contract | 14 + 22 + 12 Months | Belvaux

Are you passionate about research? So are we! Come and join us

You will join the Environmental Health (EH) group within the Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN) Unit at LIST. SUSTAIN conducts cross-disciplinary research to support the transition toward a more sustainable, resilient, and healthy society, combining expertise in environmental sciences, circular economy, risk and safety assessment, and sustainable innovation.

The Environmental Health group conducts cutting-edge research at the intersection of environmental toxicology, human health, and regulatory science, integrating in vitro toxicology, systems toxicology, exposure science, and sustainability assessment to develop next-generation tools and methods that inform decision-making and support the development of safe and sustainable products and policies.

This PhD position is embedded in the DESIDERATA project, which aims to operationalize Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) principles by developing novel methodologies to systematically integrate chemical safety data, primarily generated through in vitro New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), into Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The PhD candidate will combine experimental toxicology with computational approaches, including knowledge graph-based representations of mechanistic data, to enable a quantitative linkage between hazard endpoints and environmental sustainability indicators. Developed methods will be validated on relevant case studies, contributing to the scientific basis for next-generation safety-informed sustainability assessment.

The PhD will be co-supervised by Prof. Dario Greco (Tampere University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Finland), a leading international expert in computational toxicology, systems biology, knowledge graph modelling, and multi-omics data integration. Prof. Greco's research group has pioneered the use of knowledge graphs and biological network models to represent and reason over complex toxicological and mechanistic data, including Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs). His strong background in next-generation risk assessment (NGRA) and data-driven modelling will provide a key computational and mechanistic dimension to complement the experimental and sustainability assessment expertise available at LIST.

How will you contribute?

• As a PhD Student within the DESIDERATA project, your main responsibilities will include: 
• Conducting a comprehensive literature review on existing approaches to integrate toxicological and safety data into LCA metrics, including SSbD frameworks and chemical footprint methods.
• Developing and testing methodologies to translate in vitro safety endpoints (e.g., cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, AOP-based data) into quantitative indicators compatible with Life Cycle Impact Assessment frameworks.
• Collaborating with the computational team of Prof. Dario Greco to explore knowledge graph-based approaches for representing mechanistic safety data and integrating them with sustainability assessment models.
• Applying and validating the developed methods to case studies relevant to circular economy scenarios (e.g., recycled materials, bio-based products, chemical substitution).
• Contributing to the dissemination of results through peer-reviewed scientific publications, conference presentations, and technical reports.
• Actively participating in DESIDERATA consortium activities, including meetings, workshops, and stakeholder engagement.
• Completing the PhD training programme in accordance with the requirements of the partner university.

Is Your profile described below? Are you our future colleague? Apply now!

Education

• Master's degree (or equivalent) in environmental science, toxicology, pharmacy, or a closely related field.

Experience and skills

• Familiarity with in vitro toxicology methods and/or New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) is an asset.
• Interest in or experience with computational approaches, data modelling, or knowledge representation (e.g., knowledge graphs, ontologies) is a considered an asset.
• Previous knowledge of Life Cycle Impact Assessment methodology is strongly valued
• Ability to work in a multidisciplinary and international research environment.
• Proactive, curious, and motivated to develop scientific independence.

Language skills

• Fluency in English, both oral and written.