Post-doctoral position : Characterization of vertical profiles of organic and inorganic contami[...]

Post-doctoral position: Characterization of vertical profiles of organic and inorganic contaminants in sediment cores in Europe (M/F)

Deadline for applications: March 2, 2025

Within IFREMER, the French National Institute of Marine Sciences, an international reference in marine scientific research, the Chemical Contamination of Marine Ecosystems Unit (CCEM - https://ccem.ifremer.fr/) conducts research to characterize the oceanic chemical exposome and its impact on marine species. Its objectives are: to improve our understanding of the dynamics of chemical contaminants in the marine environment, to explore their sources and transfer to and within marine organisms, their biological effects, and to provide an assessment of the quality of the marine environment.

Involved in several French and international projects, the CCEM unit has recognized expertise in the study of hydrophobic organic contaminants and related chemicals and has state-of-the-art instrumental and laboratory equipment for trace analyses.

Context

The research activity will be carried out within the framework of the European project BIOcean5D (https://biocean5d.org/). This multidisciplinary project aims to study marine biodiversity and its evolution in space, time and human impact on a European scale. Chemical contamination is currently one of the main stressors of marine ecosystems, especially in coastal areas exposed to multiple sources of pollutants. The study of these impacts is often carried out on specific sites with a rather limited spatial and temporal resolution. As part of BIOcean5D, sixteen sediment cores were collected from different European coasts according to the TREC sampling scheme (https://www.embl.org/about/info/trec), covering the main European marine regions and ecosystems. This unique set of samples will help to elucidate the spatial and temporal patterns of coastal pollution on a European scale. In addition, the retrospective study of the vertical profiles of contaminants in sediment cores will provide valuable information on past and present emission and exposure patterns, as well as the history of deposition over time. Finally, the results obtained on different families of contaminants will be combined with biodiversity measurements in order to explore potential correlations.

Key activities and responsibilities

1. You will work in task 1.2 of the BIOcean5D project (Marine biodiversity change from pre-industrial to modern times unveiled by sediment paleogenomics), led by IFREMER. You will be involved in all laboratory activities to determine the chemical profile of contaminants in the sediment cores collected.
2. The focus will be on the analysis of two families of emerging organic contaminants, namely organophosphate esters (OPEs), flame retardants and plasticizers, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These analyses will be performed using advanced extraction techniques (e.g. ASE, MAE) in combination with LC-MS/MS.
3. You will also work on the analysis of inorganic contaminants (metals/metalloids, rare earth elements, stable isotopes of metals, etc.) in the same sediment cores using ICP-MS techniques.
4. You will be expected to integrate organic and inorganic contaminant results and lead the writing of peer-reviewed publications on multi-contaminant chemical profiles in sediment cores at the European scale.
5. You will present these results at an international conference and at project meetings and interact with other project partners to contribute to the incorporation of chemical profiles into biodiversity measurements.

Collaborations

• IFREMER-CCEM Research engineers and Laboratory Technicians (Organic and Inorganic Contaminants)
• IFREMER-PELAGOS (Pelagic Ecology Research Unit)
• Other leading European research institutions (e.g. EMBL) and stakeholders participating in BIOcean5D.

Minimum Requirements

• PhD in environmental/analytical chemistry or similar, thesis obtained for a maximum of 3 years.
• Knowledge of environmental organic chemistry and marine pollution research in general.
• Knowledge and practical experience with the most common sample extraction and cleaning methods and instrumental techniques (mainly LC-MS/MS, TQ-ICP-MS) for environmental analysis of trace organic and inorganic contaminants.
• Motivation for laboratory work on organic compounds.
• Scientific writing and presentation skills (a good publication record is expected).
• Autonomy and critical thinking skills.
• Coordination/teamwork skills to lead and coordinate the necessary analytical determinations in close interaction with laboratory engineers and technicians.

Previous postgraduate/professional experience relevant to the position is desirable. A good knowledge of French would be an advantage.

Useful Information

Working conditions

1. Access to specialized controlled atmosphere laboratories for the analysis of traces of organic and inorganic contaminants and all the necessary instrumentation to carry out the project (on-site and through collaborations), as well as supervision by qualified technical and scientific staff.
2. Opportunities to participate in national and international conferences and workshops.
3. Planned travel to attend project meetings and/or present results at national and international conferences.

The post-doctoral researcher will be hired by IFREMER on a temporary basis (fixed-term contract) for a fixed period of 18 months.

Anticipated start date: April 1, 2025

L’Ifremer

Job details

Title: Post-doctoral position: Characterization of vertical profiles of organic and inorganic contaminants in sediment cores in Europe (M/F)

Published: 2025-01-31

Application deadline: 2025-03-02 23:59 (Europe/Paris)

Ifremer conceives and operates tools for observation, experimentation and monitoring, and manages the oceanographic databases.