The Junge Umweltchemie & Ökotoxikologie (jUCÖT) organises one or two "Perspektiventage" (formerly: Doktorandentage) per year for students or doctoral candidates in the field of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology. Research institutions, industrial companies or authorities present themselves as potential employers and the young researchers learn more about possible career paths. They make contacts and get to know each other, which sometimes makes it easier to start a career after graduating or completing a doctorate.

Five participants, a colourful mix of Bachelor, Master and PhD students, took a look behind the scenes at Hydrotox GmbH for a day on 25 June 2025. As part of the jUCÖT Perspectives Day, the group was given a practical insight into the world of ecotoxicology. In the morning, there was first a short round of introductions over a cup of coffee. While some of the participants were already familiar with ecotoxicology, for others it was new territory and perhaps even helped them to decide how to organise their future studies. Dr Christoph Hafner, head of the testing facility, started with an introduction to ecotoxicology to explain the most important terms and the purpose of ecotoxicological tests. Among other things, the following questions were clarified: "What does "Good Laboratory Practice" (GLP) actually mean?", "How is a test facility structured?" and "Which organisms are used in classic ecotoxicological tests?" As part of a detailed laboratory tour, the group gained exciting insights into algae tests and various types of algae under the microscope, followed by daphnia reproduction and fish embryo tests. Those who wanted to could try to transfer a fish embryo from one vessel to another using a pipette. It was also possible to take a look at a Fish Early Lifestage Test (FELST). This led to a lively discussion about the importance of the 3R principle and the purpose of FELST tests in the context of animal welfare and regulation. The Hydrotox employees took a lot of time to answer all questions in a detailed and understandable manner. Finally, the various options for carrying out degradation tests were explained. It was particularly interesting to hear about the advantages and disadvantages of the various methods.

We would like to thank the organisers for their time and effort, especially Dr Christoph Hafner, Andrea Brunswik-Titze and Marie Canon, and look forward to seeing you again!

In Leverkusen, 14 participants were welcomed at the visitor centre. During the welcome, the Chempark was introduced and then there was a tour of the site, which illustrated the various plants, plant protection units and infrastructure. The size and the various connections within the park made a particular impression. Once at Currenta there was an open discussion on the challenges facing chemical parks, such as sustainability, competitiveness and security of supply. This was followed by interactive presentations on non-target analytics for monitoring the wastewater system in relation to the production of the individual plants in the Chempark and on product compliance and ecotoxicology from an industry perspective. The group was also given a guided tour of ecotoxicology and environmental analysis laboratories for wastewater and air samples. Finally, a representative from the HR department presented career entry opportunities. This varied and informative day of perspectives ended on a pleasant note with a meal shared by some of the participants.

For five participants, the event started in Mainz at noon at the MPI for Chemistry (MPIC) with a welcome and presentation of the Max Planck Institutes by Dr Susanne Benner. Prof Gerhard Lammel (from the Atmospheric Chemistry Working Group) then gave a keynote speech on the multiphase distribution of pollutants in the atmosphere, soil and oceans. This was followed by a tour of the institute. The group was first given exciting insights into the institute's research into field measurements of volatile organic substances using the HALO research aircraft over Australia and at the ATTO Tower in the Amazon rainforest. We then moved on to another working group, which researches stalagmites and stalactites as climate archives using isotope ratios. At the end of the first part of this perspective day, Dr Susanne Benner provided information about career opportunities in research at the Max Planck Society. In the afternoon, the group moved on to the MPI for Polymer Research (MPIP), which is right next door. There, an Student Open House open round with a poster session took place. The various departments and working groups at the MPIP were presented and students learnt more about vacancies and career opportunities. The evening ended in a cosy atmosphere with drinks, bratwurst, vegan meatballs and music outside in the sunny weather.

The 6th Perspectives Day of the Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology specialist group took the 10 participants into the exciting world of contract research at ibacon GmbH in Roßdorf near Darmstadt on 15 November 2022 and was hosted for the first time by the Young Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology (jUCÖT).

Ibacon GmbH is an independent, medium-sized contract research organisation (CRO). The company was founded in 1994 and currently employs around 170 people from many different professional groups. As a partner to the global chemical and pharmaceutical industry, ibacon GmbH offers a GLP-compliant service for the environmental risk assessment of chemicals. Particularly noteworthy here is the balanced gender ratio among the employees and the family-friendliness of the company.

5th Perspectives Day at the Federal Environment Agency
Anyone who has always wanted to get to know the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) better as an employer had the opportunity to do so on 20 November 2019. The GDCh Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology & Division organised its annual Perspectives Day this time in Dessau-Roßlau. The day offered students and doctoral candidates the opportunity to find out more about the UBA as a potential employer and to make initial contacts. In addition to general information on the work of the UBA in Dessau-Roßlau, the regulation of chemicals was analysed from various angles in specialist presentations. In addition to an introduction to regulatory ecotoxicology, there were also presentations on the Water Framework Directive as a media-related regulation and on flame retardants in waste electrical and electronic equipment as an example of product-related regulation. There was also a guided tour of the architectural and technical features of the headquarters. Gaining an impression of the day-to-day work of the lecturers was particularly exciting for the participants. An afternoon meeting with new UBA employees, who talked about their experiences during the application phase and starting their careers, also served this purpose.

The 4th Doctoral Students' Day on 10 October 2017 provided a look behind the scenes at Eurofins Agroscience Services GmbH in Niefern-Öschelbronn in Baden-Württemberg.

The Executive Board of the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology hosted the 3rd Doctoral Students' Day at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME in Schmallenberg on 20 October 2016.

The 2nd Doctoral Students' Day took place on 28 October 2015 at Bayer CropScience in Monheim and provided insights into the topics of "Environmental Fate, Metabolism and Ecotoxicology".

This meeting for doctoral students and young professionals with potential employers was launched on 25 November 2014 with a visit to BASF at the Ludwigshafen (or Frankenthal wastewater treatment plant) and Limburgerhof (crop protection centre) sites.