General information

Reference

2025-3916  

Position description

Category

F07 Process Engineering - Engineer / Researcher

Job title

Post-doctorate: Mineral Resources Supply

Contract

Post-doctoral contrat

Contractual hours

Full-time

Contract duration

24 months

Context and contributions of the position

BRGM is the French Geological Survey, the leading public institution for Earth Science applications for the management of surface and subsurface resources with a view to sustainable development.

BRGM is actively involved as a coordinator and as a partner in several EU and French projects supporting technologies for resources efficiency, mineral intelligence, circular economy policies and environmental impacts mitigation.

The green transition is (also) a materials transition. It implies that the demand for a number of raw materials will significantly increase in the short-, mid- and long-terms. The recent COVID-19 and energy crises have highlighted the EU's structural dependencies on supplies. Similarly, any future disruptions in raw materials supply may alter the EU capacity to achieve its green transition.

Existing scenario models of future material flows suffer from some limits. In this context, Northey et al. conceived and developed the Primary Exploration, Mining and Metal Supply Scenario (PEMMSS) model.

It enables mine-by-mine modelling with full regionalisation and linkages to geological deposit types, supporting the assessment of the required rates of mineral deposit discovery, mine development and co-product recovery overtime in contexts of plausible future demand scenarios.

Job description

This open-source modelling approach has potential for extension to more explicitly consider constraints to long-term mineral supply and also the long-term environmental impacts of extraction.

In parallel, several recent studies quantified the share of mining activities in areas which face high or extremely high levels of water stress, through combining spatially-explicit data on both mining activities and water stress.

Finally, diverse approaches and tools exist to assess the criticality of raw materials, including the approach developed by the European Commission.

However, in this method and in other criticality assessment methods, there has been so far limited development on the integration of environmental risks to which raw materials supply chains are faced.

In this context, this post-doc position intends to first develop a generalized approach to the consideration of constraints in the PEMMSS model, i.e. in the modelling of potential future mining and subsequent raw materials production.

Secondly, it intends to specifically address environmental risks to which these potential future supplies are faced, considering a global approach (i.e. at the world scale) with further focus on the European Union, including France.

It considers specificities of these potential supplies in terms of the pressures they may put on the environment (e.g. direct consumption of water, land use and biodiversity footprints, as drawn from other publications or on-going projects) in perspective with the specific local contexts. It applies these developments to some raw materials key for the PV sector.

Furthermore, the candidate should be able to disseminate results of the activities to the LCA-Tase consortium as well as to his team at BRGM.

A mission will also include the scientific dissemination of the work performed.

Profile

Requested start date: asap
Education : PhD
Experience : Junior

Candidates must hold a PhD, in Industrial Ecology, Process Engineering or Mining Engineering, with demonstrated link/application to the mineral raw materials sector.

The candidates should demonstrate all or at least some of the following skills:
- Coding in Python
- Life Cycle Thinking (LCA, MFA) applied to mineral raw materials
- System optimization under constraints
- Knowledge in the mineral raw materials sector is an asset
- English (written, spoken, read) – French is an asset
- Autonomous in day-to-day work
- Integration in an interdisciplinary team
- Communication + Dissemination.

This post-doc position is funded under the frame of the LCA-TASE project, funded by France 2030 and operated by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the PEPR (Programme de Recherche et d'Equipement Prioritaire) TASE (Technologies Avancées des Systèmes Energétiques). LCA-TASE aims to provide French stakeholders in the energy transition with advanced life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies to have reliable metrics on the environmental, social and economic impacts of renewable energies, i.e. photovoltaic and wind turbines, in order to assess their sustainability from a life cycle perspective.
The post-doc may also include a stay at the University of Technology of Sydney (Australia).

Working conditions

This full-time position involves travel within France and abroad: a stay at the University of Technology of Sydney may be included. Holding a PhD is a preferred requirement.

In a work environment that supports a healthy work-life balance, notably through remote working options, BRGM stands out for its culture of kindness.

Certified with the HRS4R label in 2021, our aim is to support you throughout your professional journey at BRGM. We offer a wide range of programs to help you develop your skills and expertise.

At BRGM, you will benefit from several advantages, including a 13-month salary structure, additional leave days (JRTT), an on-site restaurant, sports facilities,...

BRGM guarantees a transparent recruitment process. To apply, please send us your application (updated CV and cover letter) by December, 5th 25.

All our positions are open to everyone — at BRGM, we are committed to diversity!

Your application will be reviewed once the posting period has ended. If your profile is shortlisted, we will contact you for recruitment interviews, during which you will meet with the hiring unit and the HR team.

Position location

Job location

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

Location