Post-doctoral position : Phase diagrams determination of oleogels for the development of healthier liquid oils in the food industry – 18 months fixed term contrat

SPIN CENTER – PEG DEPARTMENT / LGF UMR 5307 LABORATORY

JOB ENVIRONMENT:

Institut Mines-Télécom is the leading public group of engineering and management Grandes Écoles in France. Consisting of eight public graduate Grandes Écoles and two subsidiary graduate schools, Institut Mines-Télécom leads and develops a rich ecosystem of partner schools, economic, academic and institutional partners, key players in education, research and economic development.

Mines Saint-Étienne, a graduate school of the Institut Mines-Télécom, is responsible for education, research, innovation, industrial transfer and scientific culture dissemination. With 2,500 students, 500 staff and a budget of €50m, it has 3 campuses dedicated to the industry of the future, health and well-being, and digital sovereignty and microelectronics. It is ranked in the top 15 graduate engineering schools in France and the top 500 universities worldwide.

The 2023-2027 strategy of Mines Saint-Etienne is in line with that of Institut Mines Telecom. It aims to:

• Support the ecological, digital and generational transitions and educate the people involved
• Support national and European sovereignty in microelectronics and digital technolog To support this strategy, it is recruiting a post-doctoral researcher in Chemical Engineering.

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

The PEG (Processes for the Environment and Geo-Resources) research department develops in process engineering and geoprocesses, around a central theme of mineral chemistry (hydrometallurgy, speciation, precipitation, crystallization), implementing multiphase and multiphysics models of changes in spatial scales, from the nanometer to the kilometer. The department brings together a multidisciplinary community of around ten lecturer-researchers with backgrounds in process engineering and crystallization on the one hand, and geosciences on the other. The department is attached to two CNRS units, including the Georges Friedel laboratory (LGF UMR CNRS 5307) for the Process Engineering theme in its industrial dimension. 

In this environment, the position is related to ANR-23-CE06-0020 project CANOLA (Gels of Edible Oils by Endogenous Fatty Amides). This is a joint project involving the Institut Charles Sadron (CNRS, Strasbourg), the CarMeN laboratory (INSERM U1060/ INRAE U1397/ Université Lyon1, Lyon) and the LGF laboratory at Mines Saint-Etienne. This project aims to find substitutes for saturated fatty acids (SFA) and trans-fatty acids (TFA) for the food industry, by considering oleogels. In this context, the objectives of the CANOLA project are 

1. to synthesize and develop as new oleogelators, endogenous fatty amides, and to study the structure of the formed gels;
2. to know and predict their thermo-mechanical behavior: for this purpose, map and model their phase diagrams, measure their complex viscosity, yield stresses and interfacial tensions;
3. to correlate these quantities with the extent of lipolysis;
4. to study the impact of oleogels on the physiology and metabolism of the lipids, on the inflammatory response of the guts and on the microbiota. The ultimate goal is to correlate the physiological effects with the thermo and mechanical properties of the gels. 

The Saint-Etienne position corresponds to the second point: map and model their phase diagrams. Indeed, there is a lack of predictives tools to understand and reliably predict these phase diagrams. This is identified as an issue 

for process design and technology transfer. One target of this project is to model and predict the phase diagrams in different oils. To do so, model oleogels will be considered. Then, candidate thermodynamic models, mostly activity coefficient models (such as UNIFAC, NRTL-SAC, …), or equations of state such as PC-SAFT, will be chosen and investigated. Simulis Thermodynamic modelling software will be used. This work will be carried out in collaboration with the Institut Charles Sadron in Strasbourg, where the experimental work is being conducted. 

Your main tasks will be: 

• to determine phase diagrams of oleogels is different environments/solvents,
  • investigate the capabilities of the different models to predict accurately the phase diagrams,
  • Develop/optimize the models,
  • Report to ANR consortium and publish results. 

The position is based on the Saint-Étienne campus.

PROFIL SOUGHT:

You are in one of the following situations:

è PhD in Chemical Engineering

And ideally:

• PhD in Chemical Engineering with experience in thermodynamic modelling

You have the following skills, knowledge and experience:

• Thermodynamic modelling
  • Modelling of solid-liquid phase equilibria (SLE)
  • Use of thermodynamic softwares such as Simulis Thermodynamics

WHY JOIN US:

Institut Mines-Telecom is characterised by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m39m6hdNC48

• A scientific environment of excellence
  • A group with entities throughout France

Mines Saint-Etienne is distinguished by:

• A privileged working environment with a high student supervision rate and a high environment rate (support and back-up functions)
  • First-rate experimental and digital resources
  • Significant contract research activity (€11m/year in Research and Innovation contracts), mainly with industrial partners
  • 25% international students, Member of the T.I.M.E. network and the EULIST European University
  • A centre for scientific, technical and industrial culture - La Rotonde - which is unique in France, and which has a major impact on society (> 50,000 visitors per year)
  • Pleasant workplace, easily accessible by public transport and close to motorways
  • Public transport costs reimbursed up to 75% (subject to conditions)
  • Sustainable mobility package
  • Staff committee that subsidises sports, leisure, cultural and social events and activities
  • The possibility of partial remote working
  • 49 days annual leave

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: 

Recruitment conditions: 

• Fixed-term contract for a period of 18 months
  • Desired start date: 01/01/2025
  • Remuneration will be set according to the candidate's profile, based on the rules defined by the Institut Mines Télécom's management framework
  • Full time
  • Position based in Saint-Étienne 

The position is open to all, with accommodation available on request for candidates with disabilities. The job is open to civil servants and/or the general public.

All applications may be subject to an administrative enquiry. 

How to apply:

Applications (CV, covering letter, letter of recommendation if applicable) must be submitted on the RECRUITEE platform no later than [14/11/2024]:

https://institutminestelecom.recruitee.com/o/determination-diagrammes-phase-oleogels-developpement-huiles-saines-industrie-alimentaire 

As part of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy, École des Mines de Saint Etienne is an employer that is committed to fair treatment of all applicants. 

For further information:

For further information about the position, please contact: Baptiste Bouillot - Professor

Email: bouillot@emse.fr Tel.: +33 (0) 4 77 49 97 08 

For all administrative information, please contact: Milica PETKOVIC– HR Administrator

Email: milica.petkovic@emse.fr Tel: + 33 (0)4 77 42 02 08 

Useful links:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/ https://www.imt.fr/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUeuC5iQiN0

Protecting your data:

https://www.mines-stetienne.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Informations-des-candidats-sur-les-traitements-de-donn%C3%A9es-personnelles.pdf