On 12 December, the DBU (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt) scholarship gala was held at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. One of the three winners this year was Mr. Piotr Jachimowicz (Doctoral School, UWM Olsztyn) , who started his doctoral studies in the current academic year the discipline of environmental engineering, mining, and energy at the Department of Environmental Biotechnology.

The DBU Scholarship Program allows for a scientific internship at a selected institution in Germany. One of the objectives of the program is the professional education of future environmental protection personnel. Each year, about 60 scholarship holders from Eastern and Central Europe are selected. In addition, the program allows to develop language skills, establish valuable contacts and gain experience in working in an international project. During the scholarship, the candidate will carry out a project that raises an important environmental issue in his home country or Germany.

Mr. Piotr Jachimowicz will be carrying out a scientific project concerning the removal of microplastic in a  wastewater treatment plant using the aerobic granules sludge technology. This will thus be one of the first such studies in Europe. The laureate will be staying at the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research in Dresden. The Ph.D. student will be part of Dr. Dieter Fischer’s team, which has many years of experience in the detection of microplastics in water, wastewater, and sludge. As the award-winner himself says, he treats his research stay at the above-mentioned institute as an introduction to long-term cooperation.

Congratulations!