Internship, OPCW Laboratory (2 positions)

Job Description

The OPCW Laboratory provides support, as well as scientific and technical advice to the Organisation on verification-related analytical issues and ensures the continued accuracy of the verification regime by maintaining state-of-the-art methods and technologies for sampling and analysis.

The Laboratory provides support to routine inspections and non-routine in-the-field missions. It assists in training and certifying inspectors on analytical equipment and procedures; and maintains the OPCW Central Analytical Database (OCAD).

The Laboratory is at the centre of a network of excellence comprising more than 20 laboratories across the world, designated for the analysis of authentic samples, providing a high degree of confidence that chemical analyses are conducted rigorously and to the highest standards.

The OPCW LABORATORY is in search of 2 interns, each one to work in one of the two specific projects on Biotoxins below.

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.

Terms of Reference for the Internship:

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.

Terms of Reference for the Internship:

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.

Preferred start date: 1 September 2025

• 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.

Specific requirement for this internship:

• Bachelor’s degree in molecular biology/ immunology/ biochemistry or analytical chemistry. Previous experience or theoretical background in mass spectrometry will be a strong advantage.

• 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.

• Commitment to Continuous Learning - The OPCW is committed to a process of continuous learning.

• 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.

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.

Closing Date
19/06/2025