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Name Dr. Zacharias Steinmetz
Email info@zsteinmetz.de
Profiles

permanent position

  • 12/2022–present
    Postdoctoral Researcher
    RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
    • Investigating the fate of plastics and organic pollutants in agroecosystems
    • Head of the “Soil Stressors” team

research and work experience

  • 9/2024
    Guest Researcher
    SLU, Sweden
    • Exchanging knowledge on the fate and effects of plastics in soil
  • 12/2016–11/2022
    Research Associate
    University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
    • Tracing microplastics in plastic-mulched soil using Py-GC/MS and FTIR spectroscopy
  • 8/2019
    Guest Researcher
    LUT, Finland
    • Exchanging knowledge on microplastic research in water and sediments using Raman microspectroscopy
  • 4/2015–10/2015
    Student Employee
    RIFCON GmbH, Germany
    • Conducting individual-based ecological modeling and crop modeling in cooperation with Alterra, Netherlands
  • 10/2014–8/2015
    Student Research Assistant
    University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
    • Maintaining a mesocosm experiment investigating the fate and effects of nanoparticles at the aquatic–terrestrial interface (Project INTERNANO)
  • 6/2014–8/2014
    Trainee
    MITOX Consultants/Eurofins, France
    • Assisting in ecotoxicological (semi-)field trials and chronic toxicity tests on non-target arthropods
  • 6/2013–8/2013
    Guest Researcher
    Agricultural Research Organization, Israel

education

  • 12/2016–5/2022
    Dr. rer. nat. Environmental Sciences
    University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
  • 10/2013–11/2016
    M.Sc. Ecotoxicology
    University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
    • Thesis title: “Tracking the transformation of phenolic compounds in soil with compound-specific stable carbon isotope analysis”
    • Final grade: 1.2
  • 10/2010–11/2013
    B.Sc. Environmental Sciences
    University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
    • Thesis title: “Persistence of chemical and biological effects of olive mill wastewater seasonally applied to loessial olive orchard soil”
    • Final grade: 1.5

awards and honors

  • 7/2023
    Best Dissertation 2022/23
    Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau
  • 7/2018
    Best Exercise 2017/18
    Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau
  • 8/2016–12/2016
    “AufLand” Publication Scholarship for Junior Scientists
    University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
  • 3/2015–9/2016
    Scholarship
    Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes

academic self government

  • 12/2016–present
    Staff Representative
    University of Koblenz-Landau and RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, Germany
    • In various panels including the PhD committee, the examination committee, the committee on educational affairs, and the structure and development commission of the Faculty Council of Natural and Environmental Sciences
  • 1/2014–12/2015
    Elected Student Representative
    University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany
    • Faculty Council of Natural and Environmental Sciences

skills

Languages German (native), English (proficient, 10 school years and 1 year practice in the Philippines), French (basic, 5 school years)
Analytical chemistry (Py-)GC/MS, GC/IRMS, GC/FID, LC/MS, HPLC, FTIR-ATR, TGA-MS, and DSC using OpenChrom, Xcalibur, LCquan, Isodat, Agilent ChemStation, and Open Specy for instrument control and analysis
Computer skills Advanced in R statistics and open office applications
Competent in GIS (QGIS, GRASS), Python, Linux shell, LaTeX, git
Basic knowledge of C++, Docker/Podman, SQL, HTML, and PHP