Job Information
Organisation/Company: CNRS LABORATOIRE EM2C
Department: UPR288
Research Field: Engineering » Mechanical engineering; Engineering » Aerospace engineering; Engineering » Systems engineering; Engineering » Thermal engineering; Physics » Applied physics
Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2)
Positions: Postdoc Positions
Application Deadline: 15 Sep 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris)
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?: Horizon Europe - ERC
Reference Number: 2026POC
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No
Offer Description
Research Engineer Position - Experimental Study of Plasma-Assisted Combustion in Model Aircraft Engines
Summary:
We are looking for a Research Engineer (post-doctoral level) to design and perform fundamental and applied experiments within a team of researchers and industry specialists from EM2C, Safran Aircraft Engines, and ONERA. The objective is to demonstrate the benefits of plasma-assisted combustion (PAC) in improving the performance and reducing the environmental footprint of aircraft engines. Experiments will be conducted in three facilities:
- a staged combustor at EM2C (70 kW dodecane-air flame at 1 bar) for fundamental studies with optical, electrical and flow diagnostics;
- a swirled combustor at ONERA (300 kW kerosene-air at 3-10 bar) as an intermediate test stage of the electrode system under high-power, high-pressure conditions;
- a Safran Aircraft Engines combustion chamber prototype (4 injection systems, 1 MW kerosene-air at 11 bar), representative of actual aeroengines.
The experience gained through this project will also be highly valuable for other industrial combustors, including power-production gas turbines, industrial furnaces, and plasma conversion systems such as methane plasmalysis.
Context:
The objective of the ERC GreenBlue program (Greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions reduction using plasma-assisted combustion for a Blue planet) is to develop carbon-free and carbon-neutral solutions for energy production using hydrogen or sustainable alternative fuels.
The PowerPAC project builds on the knowledge acquired in GreenBlue. Experiments will be conducted to demonstrate the potential of PAC for flame stabilization, thermoacoustic instability control, ignition, and reduction of pollutant emissions, thus bringing the maturity of PAC to the level needed to launch system studies on actual engines.
This project will use plasmas produced by Nanosecond Repetitively Pulsed (NRP) discharges [1], which have been shown to be particularly efficient in a wide range of conditions [1-8] with a plasma power typically between 0.1 and 1% of the power released by the flame.
Work Program:
Given the novelty of this technology and the lack of prior demonstrations in aeronautical combustors, the project will follow a step-by-step development strategy aligned with the Technical Level Readiness (TRL) framework. We will progressively move from laboratory validations to intermediate-scale testing, and ultimately to full-scale trials under aero-engine conditions.
- Step 1: TRL2 - Laboratory validation at ambient conditions
This validation step will be carried out on the BIMER-LIQUID combustor of EM2C, which operates with liquid fuel injection (dodecane) and spray flames at 1 bar and flame power around 70 kW. These experiments will validate the technology with atomized fuels and will provide insights into the mechanisms of plasma–spray interaction. The facilities and associated optical and electrical diagnostics are fully operational. - Step 2: TRL3 – High-pressure tests with liquid fuel on one injection system
This step will be conducted on the MICADO facility of ONERA, under representative aero-engine conditions selected on the ICAO Landing-Take-Off (LTO) cycle. The tests will be conducted at 3-10 bars and up to 300 kW with 1 kerosene injector. - Step 3: TRL4 – System-level validation using a Safran Aircraft Engines combustion chamber prototype (with 4 injection systems)
In this final stage, the plasma system will be integrated in a prototype combustor with a 4-Injection System (4SI) designed and built by Safran and operated by ONERA. Each injection system is a typical aircraft sector (typical engines operate with around 20 sectors) fed with kerosene. The plasma system will be tested at high pressure (up to 11 bar) and high power (1 MW). This final stage will provide a complete assessment of the technology in a realistic multi-sector configuration.
Skills required:
Ph.D. degree or equivalent with a background in experimental plasma physics, combustion, or plasma-assisted combustion. Experience with the operation of high-power facilities, and optical diagnostics to characterize flame stability, pollutants, and flow characterization, would be a plus. Good organization skills, autonomy, and excellent communication skills. Demonstrated teamwork abilities because the work will be performed in interaction with Ph.D. students, post-doctoral fellows, and staff.
Location and supervision: The work will be mainly conducted at the EM2C laboratory located in Gif-sur-Yvette, France. Step-2 and Step-3 campaigns will be run at ONERA Palaiseau. The project will be supervised by Prof. Christophe Laux, Dr. Sébastien Ducruix and Prof. Antoine Renaud (EM2C), Dr. Ahlem GHABI and Dr. Benedicte Cuenot (Safran), and Dr. Guillaume Pilla (ONERA).
Expected start date: As early as October 1, 2026. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
To apply: Please send CV, motivation letter and contact of 2 references to christophe.laux@centralesupelec.fr and sebastien.ducruix@centralesupelec.fr.
References:
- Laux C.O., Perrin-Terrin J.-B., Lafaurie V., Starikovskaia S. (2026). Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 35 023002.
- Ju Y. and Sun W. (2015) Prog. Energy Combust. Science, 48, 21–83.
- Starikovskiy A. and Aleksandrov N. (2013). Prog. Energy Combust. Science, 39, 61–110.
- Di Sabatino F and Lacoste D A (2020) J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 53 355201
- Dharmaputra B, Shcherbanev S and Noiray N (2024) Proc. Combust. Inst. 40 105518
- Ombrello T M, Hammack S D, Carter C D, Busby K and Lefkowitz J K (2024) Combust. Flame 262 113335
- Shanbhogue S J, Pavan C A, Weibel D E, Gomez Del Campo F, Guerra-Garcia C , Ghoniem A F (2023) J. Propuls. Power 39 469–81
- Blanchard, V.P., Scouflaire, P., Laux, C.O., Ducruix, S., Applications in Energy and Combustion Science 15, 100158, 2023.
Where to apply
E-mail: christophe.laux@centralesupelec.fr
Requirements
Research Field: Engineering » Mechanical engineering
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Engineering » Aerospace engineering
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Engineering » Electrical engineering
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Research Field: Physics » Applied physics
Education Level: PhD or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
Ph.D. degree or equivalent with a background in experimental plasma physics, combustion, or plasma-assisted combustion. Experience with the operation of high-power facilities, and optical diagnostics to characterize flame stability, pollutants, and flow characterization, would be a plus. Good organization skills, autonomy, and excellent communication skills. Demonstrated teamwork abilities because the work will be performed in interaction with Ph.D. students, post-doctoral fellows, and staff.
Languages: FRENCH
Level: Basic
Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Excellent
Internal Application form(s) needed
sujet_IR_ERC-PoC_2026_PowerPAC.pdf
English
(452.77 KB - PDF)
Additional Information
Selection process
Selection will be conducted on a rolling basis until the position is filled
Additional comments
This position is for someone interested in translating basic research into real applications, but it will also provide many opportunities to perform fundamental work to improve our understanding of the effects of plasmas on flames and vice-versa
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: Laboratoire EM2C, CentraleSupélec
Country: France
City: Gif-sur-Yvette
Postal Code: 91190
Street: 3 rue Joliot Curie
Contact
City: GIF SUR YVETTE
Website: http://em2c.centralesupelec.fr/
Street: 3 RUE JOLIOT CURIE
Postal Code: 91192
E-Mail: christophe.laux@centralesupelec.fr
Phone: +33676794501
Mobile Phone: 0676794501
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