Post-doctoral researcher: "Development and characterization of inorganic materials from urban mining" - 18-month fixed-term contract

Joining Mines Saint-Étienne means engaging with an institution where science and innovation build a more sustainable future. An institution of excellence where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to meeting tomorrow's challenges.

Ranked among the best engineering schools in France and recognized worldwide, our school, a member of the Institut Mines-Télécom, trains the talents of tomorrow while actively contributing to addressing major industrial, digital, and environmental challenges. With us, you will join a community of 500 employees, 2500 students, and participate in an ambitious project: combining academic excellence, cutting-edge research, and positive societal impact.

The Institut Mines-Télécom brings together major French schools around major industrial, digital, energy, and ecological challenges. With its 8 public Grandes Écoles and 2 subsidiary schools, it is the leading public institute dedicated to engineers and managers. Together, we imagine and build a sustainable future, by training the actors who will shape the transitions of tomorrow.

Welcome to the world of future materials!

At the Materials and Structures Science (SMS) center, affiliated with the Georges Friedel Laboratory (CNRS joint research unit), we dissect matter to better control it. Metallic alloys, ceramics, composites... here, we explore the link between processes, microstructures, and material properties.

Using advanced characterization tools and multi-scale models, our teacher-researchers invent the concept of “Material by Design”: designing materials from the research workshop for tailor-made performance.

🧠 Do you enjoy fundamental science that changes reality? This is where it happens.

🎯 What we expect from you

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will be at the heart of our research and innovation missions within the Materials and Structures Science (SMS) center, affiliated with the Georges Friedel Laboratory (CNRS joint research unit). Within this center, you will combine scientific passion with societal impact, by “dissecting” matter to better control it. Metallic alloys, ceramics, composites... here, we explore the link between processes, microstructures, and material properties.

Using development and advanced characterization tools and multi-scale models, we are deploying the “Material by Design” concept: to best design the materials of tomorrow that meet transition challenges.

Do you enjoy fundamental science that changes reality? This is where it happens.

This post-doctorate is part of the VARIMA project (Valorization of Incineration Residues into Advanced Materials) within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Innovation Partnerships program - Proof of Concept component. The incineration of household waste produces, in addition to energy, residues containing metals and minerals. Companies recover and recycle various metals. However, thousands of tons of mineral dust are generated and are generally sent to landfill due to a lack of valorization solutions.

This post-doctorate, lasting 18 months, aims to study the valorization of incineration dust through two development pathways: geopolymer pathway and powder metallurgy pathway. The materials obtained will then be characterized at the microstructural level as well as at the usage properties level (mechanical and thermal properties as well as leachability resistance). The postdoctoral researcher will contribute during the second year of this fixed-term contract to an impact study relating to the developed processes.

· You demonstrate great autonomy in conducting your experimental work while showing exemplary scientific rigor

· You report results to your supervisors and the project's partner company

· You participate in project monitoring meetings and the writing of deliverables

Your ability to work in a project-based manner and to foster dialogue between research and concrete application will be essential for success.

🚀 Missions

Ø Physicochemical characterization and bifurcation of dust flows.

• Implementation of platform tools (XRD, XRF, ICP-MS, TGA/DSC, laser granulometry, etc.

• Validation and application of the technical bifurcation protocol to direct each batch towards the optimal pathway.

Ø Development and optimization of binder matrices.

Management of experimental formulations in the laboratory for the two valorization pathways to overcome major scientific hurdles (management of sulfur and setting inhibitors such as ZnO).

• Design and optimization of geopolymer formulations.

• Optimization of sintering programs for dense ceramics.

Ø Evaluation of durability, regulatory compliance, and leachability.

Ensure the technical and environmental qualification of the developed materials to guarantee their transferability to the construction market.

• Perform mechanical performance and durability tests (resistance to sulfate expansion).

• Conduct standardized leaching tests (NF EN 12457-2) to demonstrate regulatory compliance with landfill thresholds (ISDI) and participate in the technical writing of a GAMAA material sheet proposal and a technical application file.

Ø Life Cycle Assessment and sustainability analysis.

• Collection of inventory data

• Participation in modeling to quantify benefits (CO2 reduction) and evaluation of local socio-economic dimensions.

Ø Project management, partnership animation, and scientific dissemination.

Ensure daily operational monitoring of the VARIMA project and the dissemination of knowledge within the relevant ecosystem.

• Participation in the supervision of interns associated with the work and maintaining close technical contact with the industrial partner for sharing results.

• Writing project progress reports.

• Dissemination of results through the writing of international peer-reviewed scientific articles, participation in conferences, and contribution to the identification of patent opportunities.

🔍 What we are looking for

You hold a:

• PhD or equivalent in Materials Chemistry, Materials and Processes Science and Engineering, or Civil Engineering.

And ideally:

• With experience in the development and characterization of inorganic materials.

• An appetite for experimental work.

• Proficiency in English (C1 level) and, ideally, international experience

Your additional strengths:

• Ability to work in a team

• Ability to interact with academic and industrial stakeholders

• Excellent writing skills in French and English

📩 Apply now!

Application deadline: 01/12/2026

🔗 Applications (CV, cover letter, letter of recommendation) should be submitted on the RECRUITEE platform:

https://institutminestelecom.recruitee.com/o/post-doctorante-elaboration-et-caracterisation-de-materiaux-inorganiques-a-partir-dune-mine-urbaine-cdd-18-mois

Anticipated start date: February 1, 2027

Selected candidates after review of their application will be interviewed by video conference (or in person at Mines Saint-Étienne).

As part of its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion policy, Mines Saint-Étienne is an employer committed to fair treatment of all applications.

ℹ️ Additional information

• 18-month fixed-term public law contract

• Salary will be determined based on the candidate's profile, according to the rules defined by the management framework of the Institut Mines Télécom

• Full-time - Executive profile

• Position based in Saint-Étienne at the École des Mines. Travel within the urban area of Saint-Étienne will be required to work on the platforms.

The position is open to all, with, upon request, accommodations for candidates with disabilities.

Position open to public servants and/or contract employees. Any application may be subject to an administrative investigation.

📞 Contacts

· On the content of the position:

Sébastien SAUNIER – Associate Professor HDR
Email: Tel: +33 (0)4 77 42 02 25

& Mohamed MOUAFON (Teaching and Research Fellow)

Email: ----- class="MsoNormal">Tel: +33 (0)4 77 49 97 28

· On administrative/HR aspects:
Amélie HUCHET – HR Manager
Email:
Phone: +33 (0)4 77 42 93 05

🌍 Why join Mines Saint-Étienne?

We support each of our employees on the path to excellence, with the conviction that together, we can have a lasting and significant impact on our world.

Joining Mines Saint-Étienne offers the opportunity to find:

· A stimulating environment: cutting-edge experimental resources, a strong international network (T.I.M.E., EULIST), and human-sized campuses within an urban environment

· Real impact: contractual research projects amounting to €11 million/year, primarily with industrial partners, a science popularization center called La Rotonde that has been involved in science mediation for 25 years, welcoming over 50,000 visitors/year

· Incomparable quality of life: between 46 and 49 days of leave and RTT, partial remote work, 75% public transport reimbursement, financial support for carpooling and cycling, and a social barometer where 83% of employees praise the quality of work-life balance

Let's build a more sustainable future, through science, engineering, and meaningful projects.

Useful links:

School:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/

IMT:

https://www.imt.fr/

Your data protection:

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