CALL: candidates PhD WAGENINGEN

Call for potential candidates from Latin America that are interested in doing a PhD at Wageningen University

Research focus: socio-economic and environmental impacts and mitigation of trace-metal contamination and climate change in cocoa production

Members of an international consortium are developing the interdisciplinary research program “COCOAndina”, led by Wageningen University. We would like to get in touch with potential candidates from Latin America who seek admission to the PhD program of Wageningen University,andwhoarehighlymotivatedandpreparedtodoresearchtosupporttransitionstowards a resilient and inclusive cocoa sector in the Andean countries of SouthAmerica.

About the project:

COCOAndina is an international multidisciplinary research program and seeks to enhance the capacities of cocoa farmers - and the landscapes and value chains in which they operate

–tomitigateoradapttothenegativeimpactsofnewfoodsafetyregulationandofclimate change, focussing on Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Project partners are AGROSAVIA (Colombia), ESPOL (Ecuador), GRADE and UNALM (Peru), and the international organizations CIAT, Bioversity andCIRAD.

The overall objectives of the program are: (i) to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of the factors that determine system responses and adaptation to critical disturbances affecting the cocoa sector in the Andean countries, and (ii) to use this understanding to co-design innovations for resilient and socially inclusive cocoa farms and landscapes.

The program is currently being evaluated and a final decision about funding will be known in April 2019. In case the program is successful, it offers significant co-funding in the form of 9 partial sandwich PhD scholarships and research funds. A list of PhD topics is provided below.

TocomplementtherequiredfundingforafullsandwichPhDscholarshipadditionalfundingisneeded. Therefore,weencourageinterestedcandidatestoapplyforoneormoreofthescholarshipprograms in their home country. Given the deadlines for the scholarship applications action is requirednow.

Sandwich PhD program:

ThePhDcandidatewillspendthefirst6monthsatWageningenUniversity.Duringthistime,youwill develop your research proposal and follow a tailor-made training program. The next thirty months will be spent conducting research in (one of) the COCOAndina countries under the supervision of a localsupervisor.Afteryouhavefinishedcollectingallyourdata,youreturntoWageningentofinish the PhD thesis during the last 12months.

What do you need to do?

1.         Carefully check the eligibility criteria for the Wageningen PhD program (seebelow)

2.         Ifyouthinkyouareeligiblecontactusandletusknowthefieldofresearchorprojectyouwould be interestedin.

3.         We can direct you to different scholarship opportunities applicable to yourcountry

4.         We welcome your application for one of the PhD positions to be announced around June 2019, in the case the project isgranted.

5.         Successful PhD candidates are expected to start their PhD around October2019.

To express your interest of obtain more information please contact:

Ekatherina Vásquez: e.vasquezamb@gmail.com

Mirjam Pulleman: mirjam.pulleman@wur.nl; m.pulleman@cgiar.org

Proposed PhD topics under COCOAndina:

Project	Subject
PhD1	Sustainable supply of cocoa from the Andean region: an assessment of risks and adaptation potentials
PhD 2	Resilience and adaptive capacities of cocoa farmers to different disturbances (food safety regulation and climate change)
PhD3	Uptake, allocation and re-allocation of trace metals in cacao
PhD4	The role of organic matter for Cd mitigation, soil health and cacao productivity
PhD5	Climate-change adaptation strategies for cocoa at field and farm level
PhD6	Cadmium post-harvest mitigation strategies: their efficacy and effects on the quality of cocoa beans
PhD7	Exploring inclusive, context-relevant and value-driven innovation processes and co- design of cocoa farm production systems and farmer organisations
PhD8	Exploring inclusive, context-relevant and value-driven innovation processes and co- design of cocoa value chain governances and policy
PhD 9	Effects of mineral nutrient status on cacao yields and bean cadmium concentrations

Admission  criteria of  Wageningen  PhD programme     (https://www.wur.nl/en/Education-Programmes/PhD-Programme.htm).

·      Diplomasofhighereducation(bothBScandMScincludingtranscriptsofacademicrecords).The minimumrequirementistheequivalentofaMaster’sdegree.Anadditionalofficialtranslationis required if the documents are not in English, Dutch, French, German, Spanish orAfrikaans.

·       If you are not Dutch, from a non-Anglophone country and you have not completed your higher education with English as the language of instruction, you have to submit an internationally recognised Certificate of Proficiency in the English Language. Minimum requiredscores:

o   TOEFL internet-based 90, with minimum sub-score 23 forspeaking

o   IELTS 6.5, with minimum sub-score 6.0 forspeaking

o   Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) with minimum gradeB

o   Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English(CPE)

Scholarships programs in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia

1.         Ecuador: Senescythttp://servicios.senescyt.gob.ec/

2.         Peru:

·      Concytec     –     Fondecyt     http://www.fondecyt.gob.pe/convocatorias/becas/becas-de-doctorado-en-el-extranjero-2017-01)

·       PRONABEC - Beca Presidente:http://www.pronabec.gob.pe/2018_BecaPresidente.php

3.         Colombia:Colfuturo:https://www.colfuturo.org/convocatoria.Upcomingdeadline28February.

CADMIUM concern on ISCR, Lima 2017

SOURCE

Thematic 6: Cadmium contaminant and food safety

121. Mitigation of cadmium bioaccumulation in cacao through soil remediation (Keynote presentation) - Gideon Ramtahal, The University of The West Indies, Trinidad And Tobago

122. Health risk assessment of selected heavy metals in some imported chocolates sold in southwestern, Nigeria - Aikpokpodion Paul E. and Asowata F.E 

123. Niveles de cadmio en el chocolate: NM y ECA, sí; OTC, no. - Santiago Pastor Soplin

124. Efecto del tratamiento con 3 cepas de streptomicetos en la acumulación de cadmio en plantas de Theobroma cacao L -A.G. Revoredo, J. Hurtado 

125. "Cocoasafe": capacity building and knowledge sharing in sps in cocoa in South East Asia and the Pacific - J. Crozier et al. 

126.Metales pesados en suelos, hojas y granos de zonas cacaoteras del Peru - Arévalo-Hernández et al. 

127. Acumulación de cadmio en seis genotipos de cacao utilizados como patrón - Chupillon-Cubas et al. 

128. Microorganismos cultivables asociados a cadmio (CD) presentes en suelos cacaoteros de los municipios de Yacopí y Nilo, como estrategia de biorremediación - J. Cáceres, E. Torres

MODIFIED natural diatomite & immobilization of lead, copper and CADMIUM

Hazard Mater. 2015 May 30;289:210-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.02.052. Epub 2015 Feb 20.

Modified natural diatomite and its enhanced immobilization of lead, copper and cadmium in simulated contaminated soils.

Ye X1, Kang S2, Wang H2, Li H3, Zhang Y2, Wang G4, Zhao H5.

Author information

Abstract

Natural diatomite was modified through facile acid treatment and ultrasonication, which increased its electronegativity, and the pore volume and surface area achieved to 0.211 cm(3) g(-1) and 76.9 m(2) g(-1), respectively. 

Modified diatomite was investigated to immobilize the potential toxic elements (PTEs) of Pb, Cu and Cd in simulated contaminated soil comparing to natural diatomite. When incubated with contaminated soils at rates of 2.5% and 5.0% by weight for 90 days, modified diatomite was more effective in immobilizing Pb, Cu and Cd than natural diatomite. After treated with 5.0% modified diatomite for 90 days, the contaminated soils showed 69.7%, 49.7% and 23.7% reductions in Pb, Cu and Cd concentrations after 0.01 M CaCl2 extraction, respectively. The concentrations of Pb, Cu and Cd were reduced by 66.7%, 47.2% and 33.1% in the leaching procedure, respectively. 

The surface complexation played an important role in the immobilization of PTEs in soils. The decreased extractable metal content of soil was accompanied by improved microbial activity which significantly increased (P<0.05) in 5.0% modified diatomite-amended soils. 

These results suggested that modified diatomite with micro/nanostructured characteristics increased the immobilization of PTEs in contaminated soil and had great potential as green and low-cost amendments.

Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Modified diatomite; Natural diatomite; PTEs; Soil remediation

PMID:

  

25725344

  

DOI:

  

10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.02.052

DIATOMITE cadmium INMOBILIZATION

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  Format: Abstract

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Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2016 Feb 15;37(2):717-25.

[Differential Effect and Mechanism of in situ Immobilization of Cadmium Contamination in Soil Using Diatomite Produced from Different Areas].

[Article in Chinese]

Zhu J, Wang P, Lin Y, Lei MJ, Chen Y.

Abstract

In order to understand the difference of in situ immobilization effect and mechanism of Cd contamination in soil using diatomite produced from different areas, the test was conducted using diatomite produced from Yunnan Tengchong, Jilin Linjiang, Zhejiang Shengzhou and Henan Xinyang of China as modifiers to immobilize cadmium contamination in simulated soil. The results indicated that the diatomite from all the four producing areas could effectively immobilize available Cd in soil, decreasing the available Cd content in soil by 27.7%, 28.5%, 30.1% and 57.2%, respectively when the adding concentration was 30 g x kg(-1). Their ability for immobilizing available Cd in soil followed the sequence of Henan Xinyang > Zhejiang Shengzhou > Jilin Linjiang > Yunnan Tengchong. It was also found that the physical and chemical properties of diatomite played a main role in soil cadmium immobilization, lower bulk density, larger specific surface area, more micro pores and wider distribution range of aperture were more favorable for available Cd immobilization. 

The results also showed that, the diatomite could control Cd contamination by changing soil physical and chemical properties, among these properties, pH and organic matter content were the key factors, increasing soil pH value and organic matter content was favorable for available cadmium immobilization, while the soil water content had little effect on available cadmium immobilization. The control of soil cadmium contamination by using diatomite to change cation exchange capacity was limited by time in some degree. 

The diatomite produced from Henan Xinyang, Zhejiang Shengzhou and Yunnan Tengchong increased the soil pH value and organic matter content, and was favorable for available Cd immobilization, while the diatomite from Jilin Linjiang showed converse effect.

PMID:

 

27363165