Interdisciplinary PhD Position: A new approach for the direct measurement of radicals and reaction intermediates in atmospheric simulation chambers: towards a better understanding of the atmosphere’s oxidative capacity
CNRS - ICARE
The ICARE laboratory – Institute of Combustion, Aerothermal Engineering, Reactivity and the Environment – is a CNRS unit based in Orléans with a staff of 80. It is one of France’s leading research laboratories in the fields of energy conversion, propulsion for land and space transport, and atmospheric chemistry.
The laboratory’s research activities and expertise cover fields such as combustion and detonation, aerospace and automotive propulsion, atmospheric reactivity at low altitude, and new resources and materials for energy. The application sectors are varied – pollutant reduction, industrial risk prevention, e-fuels, space debris, launchers and satellites, sustainable fuels, and biomass conversion – and address the major challenges associated with the energy transition, the fight against global warming, and access to space.
The laboratory draws on unique experimental facilities such as test platforms for ion propulsion, supersonic wind tunnels, shock tubes, combustion chambers and atmospheric simulation chambers, which are made available to national and international research communities.
The Atmospheric Reactivity Group of ICARE has been involved in research into atmospheric chemical processes for several years. It has participated in a large number of regional (Regional Council, FEDER, etc.), national (Labex, Equipex, ANR, etc.) and international (Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe) programmes.
To carry out this research, the group has access to an experimental platform that is unique in France, enabling fundamental and applied studies on atmospheric chemical processes. The HELIOS chamber is the most striking example of this (https://helios-cnrs.org/). This platform comprises a significant analytical suite for measuring gases and particles. HELIOS is a CNRS-accredited national instrument forming part of the ACTRIS-France and ERIC-ACTRIS Europe research infrastructures. As such, it regularly hosts external teams, often from abroad.
Homepage: https://icare.cnrs.fr/
Context and Objectives: As part of the Equipex+ OBS4CLIM project, a collaboration between the ICARE laboratory in Orléans and IGE in Grenoble has led to the development of a highly sensitive optical instrument for the direct measurement of atmospheric radicals (OH, halogenated radicals, Criegee intermediates). This instrument, based on a frequency tripled femtosecond laser coupled with a high-finesse optical cavity, offers a detection limit of ~5 × 10⁶ radicals cm⁻³ for OH radical.
The goal of this PhD is to use this innovative instrument in the HELIOS atmospheric simulation chamber (labeled as a CNRS National Instrument within ACTRIS-France and ACTRIS-Europe) to study key reaction kinetics for tropospheric chemistry, particularly those involving the OH radical and Criegee intermediates.
Main Responsibilities
- Finalize the installation of the instrument in the HELIOS chamber and validate its performance.
- Characterization of the instrument and study of potential interferences with other species.
- Kinetic and mechanistic studies of reactions involving OH, Criegee intermediates, and potentially other radicals (halogenated, etc.).
- Data analysis, interpretation, scientific writing, and presentation of results at international conferences.
Required Profile
- Education: Master’s degree in atmospheric chemistry, environmental sciences, analytical chemistry, or physics/optics.
- Skills:
- Knowledge of atmospheric chemistry, spectroscopy, and laboratory instrumentation.
- Interest in experimental work and data analysis.
- Ability to work in a team and in an interdisciplinary environment.
Languages: French and English (scientific level)
Supervision and Work Environment
- Host Laboratories: ICARE (Orléans, main location) and IGE (Grenoble).
- Supervisors:
- Véronique Daële (CNRS Researcher, ICARE)
- Roberto Grilli (CNRS Researcher, IGE)
- Max McGillen (CNRS Researcher, ICARE)
- Main Collaborators: Mahmoud Idir (CNRS Research Engineer, ICARE), Daniele Romanini (DR CNRS, LIPhy Grenoble), Guillaume Méjean (MdC UGA, LIPhy Grenoble)