Project 1:

Main Objectives:

1. Evaluation of degradation products of scheduled biotoxins, which is relevant for verification purposes.
2. Learning objective is to acquire experience in the use of analytical methods (sample preparation & LC-MS/MS analysis) for the analysis of biotoxins degradation products.

The envisaged project would comprise two closely related sub-tasks:

• The development of an experimental design to expose a selected biotoxin (e.g. ricin) to degradation conditions relevant for environmental samples.
• The development of sample preparation methods and liquid chromatography methods to identify potential specific degradation products of the selected biotoxin.

Project 2:

Main Objectives:

1. Evaluation of the inorganic profile as a tool to determine attribution and/or provenance of biotoxin samples, which is relevant from a chemical forensics point of view.
2. Learning objective is to acquire experience in the use of ICP-MS/MS analysis for the inorganic profiling of biotoxin samples.

The envisaged project would comprise of two closely related sub-tasks:

• The development of analytical methods for inorganic profiling of environmental biotoxin samples (sample preparation & ICP-MS/MS).
• The evaluation of the inorganic profile as a tool for provenance and/or attribution determination of biotoxins samples.

• Enrolled in and have completed at least one year of a degree programme in a university (or equivalent tertiary institution) or;
• in a graduate school programme (second university degree or higher)
• Have graduated from a university or a graduate school within a year prior to the commencement of the internship and;
• Be a citizen of an OPCW Member State and fluent in both written and spoken English.
• Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology/ immunology/ biochemistry or analytical chemistry. Previous experience or theoretical background in mass spectrometry will be a strong advantage.
• Technological Awareness - It is hard to keep up with the fast pace of technological change, but the Organization offers training as well as support to keep abreast of technological development.
• Commitment to Continuous Learning - The OPCW is committed to a process of continuous learning.
• Teamwork - We work collectively towards a common goal and together we get the job done. As a team member you have to genuinely value other people’s ideas and expertise and be willing to learn from others.
• Fluency in English is essential and a good working knowledge of one of the other official languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish) is desirable.