Type of contract
Type of contract: Fixed-term contract
Deadline for applications: 26/02/2026
Remuneration According to profile
A world-renowned geosciences organisation, the IPGP is associated with the CNRS and an integrated institute of the Université Paris Cité. Bringing together more than 500 people, the IPGP studies the Earth and the planets from the core to the most superficial fluid envelopes, through observation, experimentation and modelling.
The research aeras are structured through 4 main unifying themes: Interiors of the Earth and Planets, Natural Hazards, Earth System and Origins.
The IPGP is in charge of labelled observation services in volcanology, seismology, magnetism, gravimetry and erosion. And the IPGP’s permanent observatories monitor the four active French overseas volcanoes in Guadeloupe, Martinique, Réunion Island and Mayotte.
The IPGP hosts powerful computing resources and state-of-the-art experimental and analytical facilities and benefits from first-class technical support. The IPGP provides its students with geosciences training that combine observation, quantitative analysis and modelling, and that reflects the quality, richness and thematic diversity of the research conducted by the IPGP teams.
Team Department
The ACE team’s research focuses on the biogeochemical cycles of elements in the critical zone, particularly their evolution during the Anthropocene. The research questions addressed concern the speciation of heavy metals and organic contaminants (e.g., pesticides, pharmaceuticals, PFAS), their transport and transfer processes in natural compartments (soil, sediment, water, air), changes in their mobility and availability under the influence of anthropogenic forcing (including remediation processes), the behavior and fate of emerging contaminants such as manufactured or accidental nanoparticles in the environment, processes enabling the recovery of critical technological elements (TCEs) in the context of the circular economy and urban metabolism, whose biogeochemical cycles in the critical zone will be modified by their massive use in new technological applications.
Missions
The Research Engineer (RE) will participate to the ANR REMAPE project, which is a collaborative project led by the Géosciences Rennes laboratory, in partnership with the ECOBIO laboratory and the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris. It aims at better understanding and describing the dynamic interactions between contaminants and plants. To achieve this, it mobilizes an approach combining soil biogeochemistry, ecotoxicology, modelling, innovative technological tools (in particular advanced spectroscopies), as well as taking into account societal issues linked to the management of contaminated soils and the development of phytoremediation practices. Adopting a mechanistic approach, the project breaks with traditional descriptive approaches to contaminant transfer, by seeking to quantify transfer and transformation processes in the rhizosphere, under realistic and dynamic conditions.
The recruited RE will be in charge of the development of the first version of geochemical speciation model that accounts for the impact of soil colloids on the speciation of important contaminants (As, Pb, Cu, Zn, etc…) on the basis of an additive surface complexation model.
Activities
- Review available surface complexation models and databases for contaminants binding with important colloid phases (Fe/Al/Mn oxides, clays, organic matter).
- Implement these models in the geochemical speciation software (PHREEQC, Visual Minteq or Orchestra).
- Simulate the impact of physico-chemical conditions (pH, Eh, solution composition) and of the colloid composition on contaminants speciation, assuming an additive surface complexation model.
- Communicate the results (orally and by writing) to the ACE team and ANR REMAPE participants.
Expected Skills
- Expert in surface geochemistry, contaminants speciation.
- Capability to communicate results (orally and by writing).
Obligations and risks
- Work on a computer.
Training and experience required
- PhD in Earth sciences with no more than 3 years experience.
How to apply
- CV and cover letter demonstrating clearly the very strong expertise in geochemical speciation modeling.
- Deadlines for applications: February 15, 2026.
- Contacts (2 contacts are required for the interview).