Job Information
| Organisation/Company | ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE PHYSIQUE ET DE CHIMIE INDUSTRIELLES DE LA VILLE DE PARIS - PSL |
|---|---|
| Department | Laboratory IRCP |
| Research Field | Chemistry » Molecular chemistry |
| Researcher Profile | First Stage Researcher (R1) |
| Positions | PhD Positions |
| Application Deadline | 31 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) |
| Country | France |
| Type of Contract | Temporary |
| Job Status | Full-time |
| Hours Per Week | 35 |
| Offer Starting Date | 1 Mar 2027 |
| Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? | Horizon Europe – COFUND |
| Reference Number | PRISM-[contact details available in the full listing] |
| Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number | [contact details available in the full listing] |
| Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? | Yes |
Offer Description
PRISM programme
The PRISM (PhD Research Programme for International Training in Sustainable Soft Matter) programme has launched its first call for applications, offering up to 14 fully funded PhD fellowships starting from 1 March 2027 at Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL) University. The programme trains researchers to address ecological transition challenges through sustainable soft matter science, with projects focused on eco-friendly chemical processes, circular economy, renewable energies, and carbon capture,…
storage, and valorisation. Co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe MSCA COFUND (Grant Agreement 101261637) and partner institutions, PRISM provides interdisciplinary, international, and intersectoral training, including mobility opportunities, secondments, and courses in sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, career development, and transferable skills.
Applications must be submitted via the PRISM website by 31 October 2026 (23:59 Paris time).
The PhD project
SOFTMAT4MET: Functional Soft Matter for Sustainable and Selective Extraction of Critical Metals
The increasing demand for advanced technologies and renewable energy systems is driving the consumption of critical metals such as germanium and gallium. However, their primary supply is limited and geopolitically constrained, while current recycling processes remain inefficient at recovering these elements from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). These metals are typically present at low concentrations in complex matrices and often occur as oxoanionic species, making their selective extraction particularly challenging.
This PhD project aims to develop innovative soft matter-based materials for the selective recovery and transport of critical metals from WEEE-derived leachates. The central hypothesis is that functional polymer architectures can provide unique control over molecular recognition, ion transport, and separation mechanisms beyond what conventional rigid adsorbents allow. By leveraging the adaptive, tunable, and dynamic nature of soft matter, this project seeks to establish new strategies for selective extraction and directed transport of metal species in complex aqueous environments.
The approach combines molecular design, polymer materials chemistry, and process engineering. First, the thermodynamic speciation of target elements in realistic leachates will be investigated using modelling tools (e.g., PHREEQC), enabling the rational design of selective ligands. Particular attention will be paid to ligands capable of recognizing oxoanionic species (e.g., catechols, hydroxamates, phosphonates) under environmentally relevant conditions.
These ligands will then be incorporated into structured polymer materials including fibers, membranes, porous beads, and three-dimensional architectures prepared through grafting, self-assembly, phase separation, or additive manufacturing approaches. Beyond simple adsorption, these materials will be engineered to create controlled transport pathways capable of promoting selective uptake, diffusion, and migration of targeted metal species through hydrated polymer networks. The organization of functional groups, porosity, morphology, and hydration domains will be investigated as key parameters governing both molecular recognition and mass transport. Additive manufacturing techniques (e.g., FDM 3D printing) will also be explored to fabricate materials with tailored geometries suitable for continuous-flow separation systems.
Material performance will be evaluated through batch, membrane, and column experiments, focusing on adsorption capacity, selectivity in multicomponent systems, transport properties, kinetics, and regeneration efficiency. Coupling experimental results with reactive transport modelling will enable the prediction and optimization of large-scale separation processes.
This project is strongly interdisciplinary, bridging coordination chemistry, soft matter physics, polymer science, and chemical engineering, and includes a significant intersectoral dimension through collaboration with stakeholders in recycling and urban mining. International partnerships will further support comparative studies and secondments.
Beyond fundamental insights into selective recognition and transport phenomena in complex fluids, this work aims to deliver scalable soft matter-based solutions for sustainable metal separation processes, contributing to the circular economy and reducing the environmental footprint of metal recovery. The expected outcomes include new design principles for functional polymer materials, improved recovery efficiencies, and transferable methodologies for industrial applications. Beyond the targeted elements, this strategy could be extended to a wide variety of critical raw materials (CRMs), providing a generic platform for selective capture and transport of metal species in complex aqueous systems. The project will also benefit from the support of the “Mines Urbaines” academic chair, providing access to industrial partnerships, real WEEE-derived streams, and applied expertise in urban mining, thereby facilitating the translation of these approaches toward scalable and industrially relevant processes.
3i dimensions
INTERNATIONAL
The project includes a strong international dimension through established academic and industrial collaborations in the field of recycling and critical raw materials in Europe and Brazil. The PhD candidate will benefit from interactions with international partners working on hydrometallurgy, polymer materials, or environmental chemistry, enabling access to complementary expertise and diverse waste streams. A compulsory international secondment of at least one month is planned in a partner laboratory specialized in either advanced materials or metal recovery processes. This secondment will be directly linked to the project objectives, for instance by investigating alternative ligands or testing materials under different process conditions. In addition, the candidate will participate in international conferences and collaborative projects, fostering scientific exchange and visibility. These activities will contribute to the candidate’s training in a global research environment and strengthen the international impact of the project.
INTERSECTORAL
The project has a significant intersectoral dimension through its close connection with industrial and non-academic partners involved in electronic waste recycling and urban mining. In particular, the work is embedded within a collaborative framework that provides access to real WEEE-derived leachates and ensures alignment with operational constraints and industrial needs. The PhD candidate will interact regularly with industrial stakeholders to guide material design toward scalable and economically viable solutions. A short intersectoral secondment is planned with a recycling company or industrial partner specializing in hydrometallurgy or adsorbent development, allowing the candidate to test materials in realistic process conditions and gain insight into industrial implementation challenges. The project also presents strong innovation potential, with the development of functionalized polymer materials and transferable methodologies that could lead to process optimization, technology transfer, or future valorization pathways.…
INTERDISCIPLINARY
The project is inherently interdisciplinary, integrating chemistry, materials science, and chemical engineering to address complex challenges in critical metal recovery. It combines coordination chemistry for the design of selective ligands, polymer chemistry for the synthesis and structuring of functionalized materials, and process engineering for the implementation of separation techniques in realistic operating conditions. In addition, the project incorporates elements of physical chemistry through thermodynamic speciation and reactive transport modeling, enabling a molecular-level understanding of the interactions governing metal extraction. This interdisciplinary approach allows bridging fundamental science and applied processes, ensuring that materials developed at the molecular scale can be effectively translated into industrially relevant separation systems. Such integration is essential to develop efficient, sustainable solutions aligned with circular economy objectives and ecological transition challenges.
Where to apply
Website: https://prism.psl.eu/
Requirements
Research Field: Chemistry
Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
Skills/Qualifications
The candidate should hold a Master’s degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, or a related field. A strong background in physical chemistry, coordination chemistry, or polymer science is expected. Knowledge of separation processes, hydrometallurgy, or environmental chemistry would be advantageous.
The candidate should demonstrate solid experimental skills, ideally including synthesis and characterization of materials (e.g., polymers, adsorbents) and analytical techniques. Experience with modeling tools (e.g., thermodynamic speciation or transport modeling) is a plus but not mandatory.
The candidate must have a strong interest in interdisciplinary research at the interface of chemistry and process engineering, as well as motivation to work on sustainability and circular economy challenges. Good communication skills in English (minimum C1 level) and the ability to work in an international and collaborative environment are required.
Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Excellent
Research Field: Chemistry
Years of Research Experience: 1 - 4
Additional Information
Benefits
Salary
The PRISM programme offers a competitive salary above the national average for PhD candidates in France to attract and support excellent researchers.
Doctoral candidates will receive an approximate net monthly salary of €2,200, with additional family and mobility allowances available for eligible fellows. The salary is subject to French income tax, with the exception of the family and mobility allowances. Depending on the candidate's individual tax situation, income tax may represent approximately 2–5% of the net salary and is levied by the French tax authorities independently of the employer.
To ensure consistent management and equal employment conditions across the programme, all PRISM doctoral candidates will be employed by ESPCI Paris, regardless of the host laboratory where their research is carried out.
Employer’s benefits
Remote working opportunities, access to sports and leisure activities, free access to public Paris city council’s swimming pools, access to CROUS canteen, scientific campus in central Paris, professional development programs, well-being workshops, social benefits through CNAS, partial health insurance support, and 75% support for sustainable mobility.
Eligibility criteria
- At the time of application, candidates must be in possession of their Master’s degree or equivalent/postgraduate degree which formally entitles them to start a doctorate. All applicants with a doctoral degree are ineligible.
- A minimum English proficiency level of C1 (Advanced) is required for applicants from non-English-speaking countries. No French language skills are required.
- Applicants must fulfil the transnational mobility rule: open to all nationalities but all incoming applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in France for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the call for applications deadline.
- Applicants must be available to start the program on schedule: 1st March 2027.
- Completeness of the application, submitted in English on the PRISM dedicated website, before the deadline of 31 October 2026.
Selection process
The applications will go through the following assessment steps:
- Eligibility check to ensure the administrative compliance of the applications (mandatory documents provided and eligibility conditions met).
- Remote evaluation of each application by different reviewers depending on the open PhD projects selected by the applicants. The selected applicants will be informed of their results, their ranking and invited to participate in the next step of interviews. Unsuccessful applicants will receive a detailed report by email.
- Interview and selection of the shortlisted applicants via videoconference, comprising:
- A presentation (maximum 10 minutes) by the applicant of their motivation for applying to the program, including their experience and training in the field. Applicants will be explicitly asked to explain the fundamentals of the selected PhD research project and its scientific literature. The applicant will have the opportunity to make suggestions to shape their future PhD project.
- A series of questions (10 minutes) put by the committee to the applicant. These will include technical questions on the fundamentals of the topic. In addition, in the interests of fairness, a list of common questions will be asked to each applicant.
- Recruitment: once a candidate has been selected and has accepted the offer, the management team will initiate their recruitment process. For some nationalities, in compliance with French national requirements, the mandatory security clearance procedure will be launched at the final stage of recruitment. In the event of an unfavourable decision, the position will be offered to the next candidate on the reserve list.
Additional comments
Name of the school of PSL
ENSCP - PSL (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie Paris)
Research Unit
Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris (UMR 8247, IRCP)
The Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris (IRCP), affiliated with Chimie ParisTech – PSL University, is a leading research center dedicated to both fundamental and applied chemical sciences. It brings together multidisciplinary teams working at the interface of molecular chemistry, materials science, and chemical engineering. The institute is internationally recognized for its expertise in synthesis, catalysis, electrochemistry, and physical chemistry, with a strong focus on sustainable and environmentally friendly processes. IRCP promotes innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to address major societal challenges, including energy transition, circular economy, and the development of advanced functional materials. It maintains strong collaborations with academic and industrial partners at national and international levels, fostering knowledge transfer and technological innovation. The institute also plays a key role in education through research, hosting numerous PhD students and postdoctoral researchers. Through its scientific excellence, IRCP contributes significantly to the global visibility of Chimie ParisTech and PSL University.
Supervision
Supervisor: Vincent SEMETEY vincent.semetey@chimieparistech.psl.eu
Co-supervisor: Grégory LEFEVRE gregory.lefevre@chimieparistech.psl.eu
Candidates are encouraged to contact the project supervisors to discuss the proposed research topics before applying. All projects are open PhD projects, meaning that the research plan will be further developed collaboratively by the selected doctoral candidate and the supervisors.
Keywords
Critical metals recovery, Electronic waste (WEEE), Functionalized polymers, Selective extraction; Soft matter materials; Circular economy
Website for additional job details
https://prism.psl.eu/en/Projects/SOFTMAT4MET
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: ENSCP - PSL (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie Paris)
Country: France
City: Paris
Postal Code: 75005
Street: 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie
Contact
City: Paris Cedex 05
Website: https://www.ircp.cnrs.fr/
Street: 10 rue Vauquelin
Postal Code: 75231
E-Mail: contact@prism.psl.eu
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