PhD position in Environmental Science, Microplastics and Arctic Clouds
University of Stockholm, Sweden
Closing date: 17 July 2026
The unit for Atmospheric Science at the Department of Environmental Science (ACES) at the University of Stockholm offers a fully-funded 4-year PhD position open in our lab. The project will investigate the impact of micro- and nanoplastic particles on Arctic clouds.
Project description
Microplastic particles have recently been identified as a global atmospheric contaminant, but their role in cloud formation remains largely unknown. This project investigates whether microplastics are present in Arctic clouds and assesses their potential to influence cloud microphysics, ice nucleation, and climate.
The project combines field observations in the polar regions, laboratory experiments, and atmospheric modeling. Laboratory studies will be performed to develop and improve analytical methods, and to analyze field samples, to test different microplastics for their physio-chemical characteristics. These results will be used in model simulations to quantify the broader climatic relevance of airborne microplastics.
The project addresses a key knowledge gap at the interface of atmospheric science and pollution research and may reveal a previously overlooked feedback mechanism in the Arctic climate system.
The thesis work will be conducted within the framework of the project “Plastic in Arctic Clouds: Microplastics and their influence on ice-Nucleation (PAC-MAN)”, funded by the Swedish Research Council.