Microplastics in the Danube: first mapping in Bulgaria
18. August 2026
Jobs at Wasser 3.0 in Landau
We are looking for two people to help us take water without microplastics from the idea into operation. Starting immediately, in Landau in the Palatinate – with a working time model you help shape.
Who we are: Wasser 3.0 gGmbH in Landau in the Palatinate
Wasser 3.0 is an independent, non-profit research and education organization. What began in 2012 as a university research project led by Dr Katrin Schuhen has, since the founding of Wasser 3.0 gGmbH in May 2020, become an organization that brings together all activities around water without microplastics and micropollutants: application-oriented research, technology development, education and communication.
Our core team is small, interdisciplinary and works within a large network spanning science, industry and civil society. Chemistry meets environmental science, process engineering meets wastewater technology, sustainability research meets plant construction. That is not a coincidence but a principle: we think detection, removal and reuse together, because water pollution cannot be solved in silos.
What we work on: microplastic analytics and microplastic removal
With Wasser 3.0 detect we have developed, together with abcr GmbH, a standardised fluorescence microscopy method that selectively stains microplastic particles – fast, reproducible and affordable. In our own Service Lab we use it to analyse municipal wastewater, industrial process water, surface water and seawater.
With Wasser 3.0 PE-X® we remove microplastics and micropollutants from water without filters: agglomeration fixation following the Clump & Skim principle, low in energy and maintenance, with circular reuse of the skimmed agglomerates. Tested and scaled at the Landau wastewater treatment plant, in industrial process water and internationally.
Together, this adds up to what we pursue in our application-based research: measurable contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in the areas of clean water, green innovation, climate protection and responsible production.
Why we are looking for reinforcement right now
The revised EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive is bringing movement into the market. Wastewater treatment plants and industrial companies will have to measure microplastics – and they want to know what they can do about it. For us that means more samples in the lab, more plants in the field, more projects and more operating hours in the test center at our Landau site.
That is why we need reinforcement. Two people, to be precise.
Position 1: Microplastic Analytics (f/m/x) in Landau
You will work in our Service Lab and in research on the question of how much microplastic is actually in a given water – and how to demonstrate that reliably.
Your tasks
- Carrying out microplastic analyses using our standardized Wasser 3.0 detect method: sample preparation, staining, fluorescence microscopy, evaluation
- Sampling in the field – at wastewater treatment plants, at water bodies, at industrial partners (sometimes in rubber boots, sometimes early in the morning)
- Documentation, data processing and quality assurance; contributing to test reports and project evaluations
- Further development and validation of methods together with our research team
- Organizing day-to-day lab operations: chemicals management, equipment availability, occupational safety
- Supporting analytics kits, training sessions and cross-evaluations with partner laboratories
Your profile
- Completed vocational training or a degree in chemistry, environmental analytics, biology, environmental sciences or laboratory technology – for example as a chemical laboratory technician, CTA, BTA, UTA or state-certified technician – or a comparable background
- Graduates (bachelor, master, vocational training) and career changers with laboratory experience are expressly welcome
- Experience with microscopy and/or wet chemical sample preparation is a plus, not a must – we will train you
- Care, patience and a soft spot for clean data
- German, spoken and written, is required for this position. English is optional and an advantage. Please state your language skills in your application.
- A category B driving licence (car) is desirable, as we regularly travel to sampling sites
Position 2: Test Center and Plant Technology (f/m/x) in Landau
You make sure our plants keep running – in the test center in Landau and wherever we put them into operation.
Your tasks
- Supervision, operation and maintenance of our experimental and pilot plants for microplastic removal (Wasser 3.0 PE-X®)
- Preparation, execution and documentation of test center and field trials
- Assembly, modification and optimisation of plant components – dosing, pumps, agitators, skimmers, sensors
- Supporting on-site commissioning at wastewater treatment plants and industrial partners, in Germany and abroad
- Recording and processing operating data, in close coordination with analytics and process engineering
- Materials management, maintenance and occupational safety in the test center
Your profile
- Completed vocational training or a degree in wastewater technology, environmental technology, process engineering, mechatronics, electrical engineering or plant construction – for example as a wastewater technology specialist, industrial mechanic, plant mechanic, state-certified technician or master craftsperson
- The same applies here: career changers and graduates with practical technical understanding are welcome. We train committed people.
- Knowledge of the operational management of wastewater facilities is desirable
- Experience in the analytical monitoring of equipment and laboratory work is desirable
- Enjoyment of getting hands-on, improvising and making things work
- German, spoken and written, is required for this position. English is optional and an advantage. Please state your language skills in your application.
- A category B driving licence (car) is desirable, as we look after plants on site and occasionally travel for work
What connects the two positions
The two roles work closely together. Analytics without a plant says little; a plant without analytics proves nothing. Whoever joins us sees the entire chain: from the water sample through the measured value to the process intervention. And because we are a small team, the distance between idea and implementation is short.
What we offer: working at Wasser 3.0
- A flexible working time model – you decide whether you work four or five days a week. We agree the specific distribution together in the team so that the lab and the plants are covered.
- A meaningful topic that does not end up in a drawer but arrives in wastewater treatment plants, rivers and production processes
- An interdisciplinary, highly motivated team with flat hierarchies and a functional organisational structure
- Responsibility from day one, short decision-making paths, real scope to shape things
- Further training, conferences, publication opportunities and a strong scientific network
- Landau in the Palatinate as a location: short distances, good quality of life, vineyards on your doorstep
- A non-profit environment in which impact comes before return – as set out in our transparency statement
What we stand for: our values
We are non-profit, independent and cross-sectoral. We work openly, publish our results and disclose where our funding comes from and how it is used. We believe in green chemistry, in low-tech rather than overengineering, in circularity rather than final disposal, and in education being just as much part of the solution as technology.
And we believe in people with unconventional CVs. If you cannot tick every box on the list but the topic appeals to you: apply anyway.
Application: how to apply
Send us your application by email to personal@wasserdreinull.de. Please state in the subject line which of the two positions you are interested in. (Both? That works too, just say so.)
Your documents should include:
- CV and relevant certificates
- Your salary expectations
- Your earliest possible starting date
- Your language skills (German required, English optional – please state the level for each)
- A few sentences on why water of all things
Your contact person is Dr Katrin Schuhen. Any questions beforehand? Just get in touch via our contact form or directly by email.
We review applications on a rolling basis and invite candidates promptly. We look forward to hearing from you.
Frequently asked questions about the two positions
For more on how holistic microplastic analytics works at Wasser 3.0, read our article Microplastic Analysis vs. Analytics.
