PRISM programme - PhD student in Chemistry for Project SOFTMAT4MET (MSCA COFUND)

ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE PHYSIQUE ET DE CHIMIE INDUSTRIELLES DE LA VILLE DE PARIS - PSL; France; Sur place; EUR 19 000 - 28 000; Temps partiel

Résumé du poste

ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE PHYSIQUE ET DE CHIMIE INDUSTRIELLES DE LA VILLE DE PARIS - PSL invites applications for the PRISM PhD programme, offering up to 14 fully funded fellowships starting 1 March 2027 at PSL, funded by Horizon Europe MSCA COFUND, with international mobility and interdisciplinary training.

SOFTMAT4MET aims to develop soft matter materials for selective extraction of critical metals from WEEE; the project combines chemistry, polymer science and process engineering for scalable,

Description du poste

Organisation/Company ÉCOLE SUPÉRIEURE DE PHYSIQUE ET DE CHIMIE INDUSTRIELLES DE LA VILLE DE PARIS - PSL Department Laboratory IRCP Research Field Chemistry » Molecular chemistry Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 31 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Brussels) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Mar 2027 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Horizon Europe – COFUND Reference Number PRISM-2026-748339 Marie Curie Grant Agreement Number 101261637 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? Yes

Offer Description

*PRISM programme*

The PRISM (PhD Research Programme for International Training in Sustainable Soft Matter) programme has launched its first call for applications, offering up to 14 fully funded PhD fellowships starting from 1 March 2027 at Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL) University. The programme trains researchers to address ecological transition challenges through sustainable soft matter science, with projects focused on eco-friendly chemical processes, circular economy, renewable energies, and carbon capture, storage, and valorisation. Co‑funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe MSCA COFUND (Grant Agreement 101261637) and partner institutions, PRISM provides interdisciplinary, international, and intersectoral training, including mobility opportunities, secondments, and courses in sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, career development, and transferable skills.

*The PhD project*

SOFTMAT4MET: Functional Soft Matter for Sustainable and Selective Extraction of Critical Metals

The increasing demand for advanced technologies and renewable energy systems is driving the consumption of critical metals such as germanium and gallium. However, their primary supply is limited and geopolitically constrained, while current recycling processes remain inefficient at recovering these elements from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). These metals are typically present at low concentrations in complex matrices and often occur as oxoanionic species, making their selective extraction particularly challenging.

This PhD project aims to develop innovative soft matter‑based materials for the selective recovery and transport of critical metals from WEEE‑derived leachates. The central hypothesis is that functional polymer architectures can provide unique control over molecular recognition, ion transport, and separation mechanisms beyond what conventional rigid adsorbents allow. By leveraging the adaptive, tunable, and dynamic nature of soft matter, this project seeks to establish new strategies for selective extraction and directed transport of metal species in complex aqueous environments.

The approach combines molecular design, polymer materials chemistry, and process engineering. First, the thermodynamic speciation of target elements in realistic leachates will be investigated using modelling tools (e.g., PHREEQC), enabling the rational design of selective ligands. Particular attention will be paid to ligands capable of recognizing oxoanionic species (e.g., catechols, hydroxamates, phosphonates) under environmentally relevant conditions.

These ligands will then be incorporated into structured polymer materials including fibers, membranes, porous beads, and three‑dimensional architectures prepared through grafting, self‑assembly, phase separation, or additive manufacturing approaches. Beyond simple adsorption, these materials will be engineered to create controlled transport pathways capable of promoting selective uptake, diffusion, and migration of targeted metal species through hydrated polymer networks. The organization of functional groups, porosity, morphology, and hydration domains will be investigated as key parameters governing both molecular recognition and mass transport. Additive manufacturing techniques (e.g., FDM 3D printing) will also be explored to fabricate materials with tailored geometries suitable for continuous‑flow separation systems.

Material performance will be evaluated through batch, membrane, and column experiments, focusing on adsorption capacity, selectivity in multicomponent systems, transport properties, kinetics, and regeneration efficiency. Coupling experimental results with reactive transport modelling will enable the prediction and optimisation of large‑scale separation processes.

This project is strongly interdisciplinary, bridging coordination chemistry, soft matter physics, polymer science, and chemical engineering, and includes a significant intersectoral dimension through collaboration with stakeholders in recycling and urban mining. International partnerships will further support comparative studies and secondments.

Beyond fundamental insights into selective recognition and transport phenomena in complex fluids, this work aims to deliver scalable soft matter‑based solutions for sustainable metal separation processes, contributing to the circular economy and reducing the environmental footprint of metal recovery. The expected outcomes include new design principles for functional polymer materials, improved recovery efficiencies, and transferable methodologies for industrial applications. Beyond the targeted elements, this strategy could be extended to a wide variety of critical raw materials (CRMs), providing a generic platform for selective capture and transport of metal species in complex aqueous systems. The project will also benefit from the support of the “Mines Urbaines” academic chair, providing access to industrial partnerships, real WEEE‑derived streams, and applied expertise in urban mining, thereby facilitating the translation of these approaches toward scalable and industrially relevant processes.

INTERNATIONAL : The project includes a strong international dimension through established