Job offer

INERIS; France; Sur place; EUR 40 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Une entreprise innovante recherche un doctorant passionné pour développer un modèle dynamique sur le recyclage des minéraux dans le cadre d'une transition énergétique durable. Ce projet de recherche vise à analyser les politiques de recyclage et leurs impacts environnementaux, tout en intégrant des modèles économiques avancés. Le candidat idéal aura une formation solide en économie, une expérience en modélisation, et un intérêt marqué pour les défis environnementaux. Ce poste offre une occasion unique de contribuer à des solutions durables tout en collaborant avec des experts de premier plan dans le domaine.

Qualifications

• Le candidat doit avoir une expérience en modélisation économique et en économie environnementale.
• Intérêt pour la transition énergétique durable et les sciences environnementales requis.

Responsabilités

• Développer un modèle d'équilibre général dynamique pour l'économie circulaire des minéraux.
• Estimer les externalités environnementales et les effets secondaires du recyclage.

Connaissances

Modélisation économique

Économie environnementale

Analyse des flux de matériaux

Compétences en gestion des ressources minérales

Formation

Master 2 en Économie

Diplôme d'ingénieur

Outils

Logiciels de modélisation

Description du poste

Organisation/Company: INERIS

Research Field: Economics

Researcher Profile: Recognised Researcher (R2), Leading Researcher (R4), First Stage Researcher (R1), Established Researcher (R3)

Country: France

Application Deadline: 12 May 2025 - 22:00 (UTC)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATIONS OF THE PHD

Motivations for developing recycling activities are generally twofold. First, recycling helps alleviate various constraints associated with the use of non-renewable resources, such as scarcity, limitations imposed by climate change mitigation, and environmental policies, especially when the extraction of these resources has a high carbon footprint or poses significant environmental risks. Additionally, recycling reduces waste production, which can lead to local or widespread environmental degradation.

On the other hand, particularly with mineral resources, recycling can introduce renewed exposures, emissions, and risks associated with these minerals. Technological advancements may enable the use of novel, less hazardous chemicals or materials instead. Furthermore, recycling processes require energy and may also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. There is also the possibility of a rebound effect, where increased recycling leads to heightened demand for minerals, potentially resulting in negative environmental impacts and contributing to the depletion of secondary mineral resources (from recycling).

Consequently, it is essential to consider the potential trade-offs between the costs and benefits of recycling when modelling the circular economy of minerals, and more broadly in economic modelling. This will ensure better decision-making regarding recycling policies for minerals.

The objective of this PhD is to develop a general equilibrium dynamic model that addresses this issue. Additionally, the model will be designed to explore normative questions, such as identifying the first- and second-best recycling policies to implement, depending on the economic constraints in place.

The PHD is part of a project to bring to operation for decision-support the concept of subsoil reference values to quantify the sustainable level of subsoil exploitation and the reference value of strategic metals, the externalities it covers and its use in socio-economic assessments, in particular decarbonized technologies that use these metals as raw materials.

AIM AND PHASES OF THE PhD

• Dynamic modelling of minerals extracted, in use and in wastes in function of scenario illustrating environmental and recycling incentive policies
• Estimation of environmental and health externalities and second effects of recycling
• Coupling of material flow dynamic modelling of minerals and materials embedding minerals in the context of recycling with calculation of externalities, and with general economic equilibrium modelling.

At the end of the PhD, a dynamic model of minerals extracted, in use and in wastes will have been built integrating environmental and health externalities and second effects of recycling. This model will be developed for some minerals and some low-carbon footprint energy technologies during the PhD but subject to data it would be applicable to others.

A version of the general equilibrium technology integrating these decarbonized energy technologies, the mineral material flows involved, and its externalities will be developed.

Results of the PhD would be improved economic modelling useful for management of mineral resources in the framework of energy transition and design policies to promote circular economy improve waste management.

The chronology of the PhD will flow the following steps :

• Selection of minerals and their uses in technologies in scope of the PhD.
• The review of available databases and data collection on mineral consumptions and uses in a context of energy and ecological transition for technologies included in the scope of the PhD at step 1.
• Development of overall scenario of the structure of technology deployment and associated industrial supply chains including recycling pathways.
• Development of a dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) for minerals including mining, use, recycling, end-of-life for the scope defined in step 1.
• Development of an integrated modelling framework, integrating the supply/industrial chains elaborated in step 4, and coupling general equilibrium economic modelling with MFA including externalities.
• Definition and simulation, interpretation of scenarios with the model developed under step 5.

COLLABORATION

The PhD will be recruited by and located at INERIS. The PhD manager/additional supervisor at INERIS will be Jean-Marc Brignon, head of the EDEN Unit. Ineris will be responsible for aspects related to material flow modeling and calculation of environmental externalities.

Thesis Director will be Dr. Florian Fizaine from IREGE (Institut de Recherche en Gestion et en Économie)Université Savoie Mont Blanc. IREGE will bring general skills in the management of critical mineral materials and environmental economics.

Thesis Co-director will be Pr. Gilles Lafforgue from Toulouse Business School (and associated researcher at Toulouse School of Economics). TBS will be responsible for macroeconomic modeling, application to energy/environmental issues.

Regular meetings will be organized between Ineris, IREGE and TBS.

The PhD holds a Master 2 Degree in Economics or a degree in engineering, with competence in Environmental Economics and experience in economic modelling. He/she is interested in Environmental Science and has a strong interest in working in the context of a sustainable energy transition.