PhD Student: Quantification of Pesticides in Atmospheric Deposits: Origin and Variability 36-Month Fixed-Term Contract at IMT Nord Europe

Unit: CERI EE (IMT NE) and Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l'Energie l'Environnement et la Santé (ICPEES, UMR 7515 CNRS, University of Strasbourg)

Reporting Manager: Nadine Locoge (IMT NE)

Functional Manager: Dr. Aude Bourin (IMT NE), Prof. Alexandre Tomas (IMT NE), and Prof. Maurice Millet (University of Strasbourg)

Category:

Type of Employment: PhD

Work Location: Strasbourg / Douai

Context:

The PhD is part of a scientific collaboration between the Centre d’Enseignement, Recherche et Innovation Energie Environnement (CERI EE) of IMT Nord Europe and UMR 7515 CNRS-UNISTRA: ICPEES (Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l’Energie, l’Environnement et la Santé) with the objective of informing the influence of rain on national pesticide deposition, in addition to existing ambient air data.

IMT Nord Europe is a school under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. IMT Nord Europe was established in 2017 from the merger of Télécom Lille and École des Mines de Douai. It is now among the top engineering schools north of Paris with over 2200 students, a quarter of whom are apprentices, over 600 graduates per year, and a network of 15,000 alumni. It is part of the Institut Mines Télécom, France's leading public group of engineering and management schools, and is a partner of the University of Lille.

IMT Nord Europe has 3 main missions: to train responsible engineers capable of solving the major challenges of the 21st century; to conduct research leading to high value-added innovations; to support regional development, particularly by facilitating innovation and business creation. Its objective is to train the engineers of tomorrow, proficient in both digital technologies and industrial know-how. Ideally located at the crossroads of Europe, 1 hour from Paris, 30 minutes from Brussels, and 1.5 hours from London, IMT Nord Europe aims to become a major player in the major industrial, digital, and environmental transformations of the 21st century by combining, in both its teaching and research, engineering sciences and digital technologies.

Located on 2 main teaching and research sites, in Lille and Douai, IMT Nord Europe relies on over 20,000 m² of laboratory space to develop high-level teaching and excellent research in the three fields of "Digital Systems", "Energy Environment", and "Materials and Processes".

The CERI EE of IMT Nord Europe develops activities at the heart of energy and environmental transitions. Its research is oriented towards atmospheric sciences, indoor environment quality, and the challenges of energy efficiency and decarbonization. The candidate will join one of the 3 thematic axes of CERI EE, the OSPA axis (Atmospheric Observations, Sources, and Physico-chemical Processes).

For more details, consult the school's website: www.imt-nord-europe.fr and that of CERI EE https://recherche.imt-nord-europe.fr/energie-environnement-ceri

ICPEES (Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l'Energie, l'Environnement et la Santé, UMR 7515 of the CNRS and the University of Strasbourg) was created in January 2013 when two laboratories, the Laboratoire des matériaux, surfaces et procédés pour la catalyse (LMSPC) and the Laboratoire d'ingénierie des polymères pour les hautes technologies (LIPHT), decided to merge. During the merger, the three teams from LIPHT and the seven teams from LMSPC were structured into three research departments: catalysis and materials, molecular and analytical chemistry, polymer engineering.

The transversal expertise within the Institute allows for the handling of global issues ranging from molecule synthesis to the development of the final product for applications related to Energy, Environment, or Health. The strong involvement of the unit's teams in fundamental research with an applied focus has allowed the laboratory to position itself across the entire value chain and gain international recognition. Academic collaborations, both national and international, have also contributed to the development of new research avenues that are currently unexplored. The downstream developments of the research conducted within the unit have also led to numerous collaborations with the socio-economic world by providing concrete solutions to various societal demands and by developing new processes in line with new legislation.

Research activities within the unit cannot be conducted serenely without the strong support of research support units, which have facilitated technical and administrative requests. The excellent cohesion between these units and the research teams has also contributed to better anticipation of potential problems and optimization of daily operations within the unit. In 2020, the management of ICPEES organized the common technical service into 3 units: the Characterization Unit, the Engineering and Development Unit, and the Chemistry Unit.

For more details, consult the ICPEES website:

https://icpees.unistra.fr

Missions:

The PhD student will be tasked with evaluating the dynamics of atmospheric pesticide deposition at different spatial and temporal scales in collaboration with the MERA observatory (https://www.lcsqa.org/fr/le-dispositif-mera) and the AASQA (https://www.atmo-france.org/) across the national territory. First, they will need to adapt existing pesticide analysis methods in GC/MSMS and LC/MSMS within the "CAMATES (Chimie Analytique MATériaux, Environnement Santé)" team at ICPEES (UMR 7515 CNRS-UNISTRA), specifically integrating pesticides from the ANSES[1] priority list and those from the Pesticides program coordinated by LCSQA[2] (https://www.lcsqa.org/fr/le-dispositif-pesticides). They will also be responsible for determining the technical extraction method for these molecules and quantifying the matrix effect/potential interferences that rainwater and dry deposits can generate. To achieve this, they will have real samples of total deposits (wet and dry) which they will spike with molecules not present in the samples and labeled standards.

They will then be tasked with analyzing atmospheric deposition samples collected weekly for 1 year from several study sites and also quantifying whether sample refrigeration during storage in the sampler is essential.

Finally, they will have to interpret and analyze the results in terms of occurrence, spatial and temporal variability (influence of agricultural activity), relationship with meteorological conditions (air mass trajectory), and correlation with other atmospheric pollutants or ambient air pesticide measurements made in parallel by the AASQA.

Activities:

1. Instrumentation for atmospheric deposits and analytical developments (m0 – m6) -- in Douai then Strasbourg

• Conduct technical tests to verify the compliance of atmospheric deposition collection devices (Douai)

• Modification of existing methods in GC/MSMS and LC/MSMS (removal/addition of molecules),

• MSMS development for new molecules,

• Method validation (detection and quantification limits, repeatability, reproducibility,…)

• Choice of sample preparation method (LLE, SPE, SPME, …),

• Evaluation of interferences and matrix effect by spiking with deuterated standards and pesticide molecules not present in the samples (screening for presence/absence upstream)

2. Analysis of field-collected samples (m7 – m20) – in Strasbourg

• Weekly sample management: reception, extraction, analysis, conditioning of vials

• Processing of analysis results: data preprocessing, chromatogram integration, compound identification, quantification, and result validation with quality control

3. Interpretation of acquired results (m21 – m28) -- in Douai

4. Writing of publications, PhD thesis, and international valorization (m21 – m36) – in Douai

Potential participation in teaching activities in analytical chemistry (practical sessions for Bachelor's degree at the University of Strasbourg) (limited to 64 hours per academic year).

[1] National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety

[2] Central Laboratory for Air Quality Monitoring

Candidate Profile: (Prerequisites/Degree)

A candidate holding a Master's degree in analytical chemistry, with specific knowledge in experimental techniques (LC-MS/MS, GC-MS/MS).

Behavioral Skills

Technical Skills

Knowledge

Scientific rigor

Team spirit

Ability to communicate about their work in French and English

Participate in laboratory life (assist/supervise interns)

Participate in the maintenance of analytical equipment

Development of analytical methods in chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry

Optimization of quantification parameters for trace pollutants in complex matrices

Chromatography

Mass Spectrometry

Sample preparation

Air sampling

Statistical data processing

Conditions:

The position is to be filled starting February 2027 for a duration of 36 months.

Information and application submission procedures:

• For any information regarding the position, please contact:

MILLET Maurice; Professor; ICPEES (UMR 7515 CNRS - UNISTRA) – 25 rue Becquerel – 67087 Strasbourg Cedex 3; tel: 03 68 85 28 66; Email: BOURIN Aude; Research Engineer; IMT Nord Europe (CERI "Energy and Environment"); tel: 03 27 71 26 18; Email: For any administrative information, please contact the Human Resources Department: Furthermore, the position can be adapted for a person with a disability.

Application deadline: 11/15/2026

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