General information

Reference

2025-2726  

Position description

Category

F12 Management of polluted soils and waste - Engineer / Researcher

Job title

Phd on the concentration of PFAS using foam fractionation

Contract

Thesis

Contractual hours

Full-time

Contract duration

36 months

Context and contributions of the position

Joining the French Geological Survey (BRGM) means becoming part of France's leading public institution for Earth Science applications bringing together 1,000 wholeheartedly committed experts across 29 bases in Mainland and Overseas France.

BRGM focuses on enhancing geological knowledge and understanding of surface and sub-surface-related phenomena, with a view to meeting the challenges of environmental changes through innovative projects with societal implications.

BRGM's RSSP unit—Risks, Polluted Sites and Soils—supports public authorities on issues related to polluted sites and soils, e.g., by drafting national guidelines, studies, and expertise. However, it also involves research and developing innovative processes for soil remediation, etc., using BRGM's experimental laboratories, particularly the PRIME platform (Platform for Remediation and Innovation in Environmental Metrology).
Within this framework, BRGM is developing techniques for treating PFAS-polluted soil and groundwater through research projects with private and institutional players. PFAS are synthetic compounds that persist in the environment because of their remarkable chemical stability. Some PFAS are banned from use or sale because of their capacity to bioaccumulate and their probable or proven deleterious effects on human health or the environment.

Job description

This thesis is part of the PFAS plan of the French Directorate-General for Risk Prevention (DGPR). The Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) supervises the thesis.

The main tasks of the PhD student are as follows:
- Design and carry out foam fractionation experiments at different scales.
- Vary the operating and physicochemical parameters of the fluid to be treated.
- Interpret the results, particularly on the physiochemistry of interfaces and hydrodynamics.
- Develop an innovative process to limit the reflux phenomenon.
- Model the process to optimise, in particular, the residence time.
- To present and promote results through oral presentations at national and international conferences and by publishing scientific reports and articles in A-rank journals.

Profile

Master's degree (or engineering school), training in engineering, hydrogeology, surface phenomena, computing, fluid dynamics with scientific curiosity, rigour and an interest in research demonstrated by a research-oriented Master's or final year placement.

Previous experience of working in a laboratory and handling pollutants is essential.

- Ability to integrate and work in a multi-disciplinary team: modellers, thermodynamicists, physical-chemists of interfaces, geochemists, experimentalists, etc.).
- Initiative;
- Ability to organise daily work independently;
- Ability to disseminate knowledge internally (trainee supervision) or externally (conference);
- Fluency in French and English (read, written and spoken).

Working conditions

This full-time position is based at BRGM Orléans and will be attached to BRGM's Risks, Polluted Sites and Soils Unit.

This position involves national and international travel, the frequency and duration of which will depend on the assignments (field tests, conferences, etc.) to be carried out as part of the thesis.

Within an environment that promotes a healthy work/life balance, particularly thanks to remote working, BRGM prides itself on providing a friendly and caring place to work.
Awarded HRS4R certification in 2021, we are committed to supporting you throughout your career at BRGM.

We provide you with a range of tools for developing your skills and expertise, with scope for career progression and geographic mobility.

At BRGM, you will gain from such benefits as a 13th month salary, days off compensating for unpaid overtime, a company canteen, sports facilities as well as holiday and leisure options.

At BRGM, you are guaranteed a transparent recruitment process. It is easy to apply! Please send us your application (up-to-date CV and cover letter) by 15/04/2025.

Because diversity matters to us at BRGM, all of our job vacancies are open to everyone!
We will examine your application as soon as the closing date has passed. If your application is short-listed, we will contact you for recruitment interviews during which you will have the opportunity to talk with the recruitment and HR departments as well as a cross-functional department.

Position location

Job location

France, Centre-Val de Loire, Loiret (45)

Location