Postdoctoral Researcher Position | CEA Saclay – IRAMIS/NIMBE/LICSEN

Biopractify

Gif-sur-Yvette

Hybrid

EUR 38,000 - 52,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

CEA Saclay's NIMBE/LICSEN invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher to develop antimicrobial surfaces using printing technologies. You will engineer stainless-steel interfaces that resist bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, integrating surface chemistry, grafting, and inkjet printing.

You will work hands-on with bioactive benzothiazole molecules, perform surface modification and characterization, and contribute to publications and presentations within a multidisciplinary team at

Qualifications

PhD (Bac+8) in Chemistry, Materials Science, or related field.
Strong background in surface modification and surface characterization.
Hands-on experience with ink formulation, inkjet printing, and antimicrobial surfaces.

Responsibilities

Develop antimicrobial surfaces using printing technologies.
Functionalize stainless-steel surfaces with bioactive benzothiazole molecules.
Perform surface modification and characterization.
Develop and optimize formulations for surface printing.
Apply inkjet microprinting to create functional surface structures.
Explore electrochemical grafting strategies for surface functionalization.
Design surface microstructures and topographies.
Investigate relationship between surface properties and bacterial adhesion.
Evaluate antimicrobial performance of functionalized surfaces.
Prepare research reports and publications.
Collaborate across chemistry, materials science and biology.

Skills

Surface Modification

Surface Characterization

Ink Formulation

Inkjet Printing

Electrochemical Grafting

Surface Microstructuration

Biological Evaluation

Education

PhD (Bac+8) in Chemistry

PhD (Bac+8) in Materials Science

PhD (Bac+8) in Related Field

Tools

Electrochemical Grafting

Job description

Affiliation: CEA-CNRS UMR 3685

The IRAMIS (Institut Rayonnement Matière de Saclay), NIMBE/LICSEN at CEA Saclay, is recruiting a Postdoctoral Researcher for a research project focused on the development of antimicrobial surfaces using printing technologies to help prevent food-borne infections associated with bacterial biofilm formation on contaminated equipment surfaces.

The project combines surface chemistry, materials science, electrochemical grafting, microstructuration, and inkjet printing to develop functionalized stainless-steel surfaces capable of disrupting bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation at an early stage.

What You’ll Work On

Antimicrobial Surface Development

Develop innovative antimicrobial surfaces designed to reduce bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on stainless-steel surfaces.

Bioactive Molecule Grafting

Work with bioactive benzothiazole molecules that are chemically derivatized to enable their immobilization onto material surfaces.

Develop and investigate different surface topographies to understand their influence on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

Printing Technologies

Use inkjet microprinting and related printing approaches to create structured and functional antimicrobial surfaces.

Electrochemical Surface Modification

Apply electrochemical grafting approaches for the functionalization of stainless-steel surfaces.

Biological Evaluation

Evaluate functionalized surfaces to determine which combinations of surface chemistry and topography provide improved resistance to bacterial adhesion.

The appointed Postdoctoral Researcher will be responsible for:

Developing antimicrobial surfaces using printing technologies.
Functionalizing stainless-steel surfaces with bioactive benzothiazole molecules.
Performing surface modification and characterization.
Developing and optimizing formulations for surface printing.
Applying inkjet microprinting techniques to create functional surface structures.
Exploring electrochemical grafting strategies for surface functionalization.
Designing and producing different surface microstructures and topographies.
Investigating the relationship between surface properties and bacterial adhesion.
Evaluating functionalized surfaces for their antimicrobial performance.
Studying the early stages of bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.
Characterizing surface morphology, chemistry, and functionality.
Comparing different surface topographies and functionalization strategies.
Analyzing and interpreting experimental results.
Contributing to scientific discussions within the research team.
Preparing research reports, scientific publications, and presentations.
Collaborating with researchers working across materials science, surface chemistry, and biological applications.

The research project focuses on developing antimicrobial surfaces for applications related to food safety, particularly the prevention of bacterial biofilm formation on equipment surfaces.

The major areas of work include:

Antimicrobial surface engineering
Surface modification
Surface chemistry
Electrochemical grafting
Ink formulation
Stainless-steel surface functionalization
Surface characterization
Bacterial adhesion
Biofilm formation
Materials science
Interface between materials and biology

The project combines chemical functionalization and physical surface structuring to investigate how surface properties can be engineered to interfere with bacterial adhesion during the early stages of biofilm formation.

Applicants should have:

A PhD (Bac+8) in:
- Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Or a closely related field
Expertise in surface modification.
Experience in surface characterization.
Strong experimental skills in materials or surface chemistry.
Experience with the development and characterization of functionalized surfaces.
Ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary research team.

Candidates are expected to have experience in:

Surface modification
Surface characterization
Ink formulation

Experience with these techniques is considered an important requirement for the position.

Experience at the interface between materials science and biology would be an advantage, particularly in areas such as:

Bacterial adhesion
Biofilms
Antimicrobial materials
Biological evaluation of functionalized surfaces
Materials - biology interfaces

Food-borne infections are a major concern in the food industry, with contaminated equipment surfaces being one potential source of bacterial transfer to food.

This project aims to develop functional antimicrobial surfaces capable of interfering with bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.

The research combines two complementary strategies:

1. Chemical Functionalization

Bioactive benzothiazole molecules will be chemically modified and immobilized onto surfaces to provide antimicrobial functionality.

Different surface topographies will be created using approaches such as electrochemical grafting and inkjet microprinting.

The resulting surfaces will then be biologically evaluated to determine which combinations of surface chemistry and topography are most effective in reducing bacterial adhesion.

The position is based within NIMBE/LICSEN at CEA Saclay, a research environment focused on areas including:

Surface chemistry
Materials science
Biomaterials
Biomedical applications
Energy-related materials

The project provides an opportunity to work at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, surface engineering, printing technologies, and biological applications.

What You’ll Gain

Advanced experience in antimicrobial surface development.
Hands-on experience with surface modification and characterization.
Experience working with bioactive surface molecules.
Practical exposure to electrochemical grafting.
Experience with ink formulation and inkjet printing.
Knowledge of surface microstructuration and topography.
Experience studying bacterial adhesion and biofilm-related processes.
Exposure to interdisciplinary research at the materials - biology interface.
Opportunity to contribute to research addressing food safety challenges.
Experience working within a collaborative CEA-CNRS research environment.
Opportunities to contribute to scientific publications and presentations.
Development of expertise spanning chemistry, materials science, printing technologies, and biological evaluation.