PhD (M/F) Development of an innovative catalytic process for the production of bio-based oligom[...]

Offer Description

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Institut de Recherches sur la Catalyse et l'Environnement de Lyon Research Field Chemistry Physics Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 22 Apr 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Oct 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

The successful candidate will be supervised by a team with complementary skills in catalysis, reactivity, analysis, and reaction engineering, possessing internationally recognized expertise in lignin conversion. They will benefit from an excellent environment, both technically, with numerous platforms, and scientifically, within the IRCELYON institute.

The PhD will begin on October 1, 2026, and will last 36 months. It will be conducted at our IRCELYON unit (UMR 5128 CNRS – Univ Lyon 1) located in Villeurbanne, France. The successful candidate will be a CNRS employee for the duration of the PhD. Salary is based on the CNRS salary scale (2300 € before tax monthly), with 75% of public transportation costs covered by the employer and 44 days of paid leave per year.

Within the framework of the PEPR B‑BEST program ( the Première Ligne project aims to develop a continuous process for converting lignin under hydrogen pressure to produce valuable oligomeric molecules. This project is being carried out in collaboration between IRCELYON, LRGP, and IFPEN. The ambition of the PEPR B‑BEST program is to develop sustainable technologies for the valorization of biomass for the chemical and energy sectors.

Lignin is a biopolymer constituent of lignocellulosic biomass, rich in phenolic motifs with a composition and size that depend on the type of extraction process used and the nature of the biomass. It is one of the few renewable sources of aromatic compounds. One of the challenges for its valorization is to achieve targeted depolymerization of lignin into functionalized aromatic molecules. The other challenge is to develop a conversion process that achieves a product yield exceeding 20% when many technological pathways are limited, and to be able to implement it continuously.

The objectives of this PhD research are:

1. to improve the understanding of the role of the solvent and conversion products in the lignin depolymerisation process,
2. to study the reactivity and kinetics of the reactions in a semi‑open gas reactor,
3. to intensify the development of structured catalysts on open‑porosity solids (e.g., foam) to develop an innovative reactor.

The successful candidate will synthesize and characterise heterogeneous catalysts, drawing on the skills and expertise of IRCELYON. They will implement the reaction in a pressurized reactor with lignins from various sources and will analyse the feedstocks (lignin and products) in detail. The candidate will study reaction kinetics to better understand the physicochemical phenomena and reaction mechanisms that occur during lignin conversion.

The successful candidate will work closely with our partner IFPEN on kinetic and reactor modelling, and also with the LRGP in Nancy to jointly translate the thesis results into a fully continuous process (solid, liquid, and gas).

This PhD research will be primarily experimental, requiring analytical techniques, solid synthesis, and the implementation of reactions under pressure. The candidate will possess strong knowledge in the field of chemistry/process engineering and/or catalysis (Master's level or engineering school background). They will have a keen interest in the experimental domain.