Offer Description
- Work environment:
HydroSciences Montpellier (HSM) is a joint research unit affiliated with the University of Montpellier (UM), the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD). It brings together expertise from a range of disciplines to study, quantify and predict the impacts of climate and human activities on water resources in Mediterranean and tropical regions.
The main research topics are:
The water cycle and interactions at different scales within the atmosphere–vegetation–soil–aquifer–river continuum.
The characterisation and modelling of transfers in heterogeneous environments.
Changes in water resources in response to global change, using complex prospective scenarios.
The dynamics of metal and emerging contaminants, health risks, and the adaptation mechanisms of waterborne pathogenic bacteria.
The researcher will join the PEnSTer team (Environmental Pollution, Health and Territories), a multidisciplinary group comprising geochemists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, circular economy specialists and experts in interdisciplinary approaches. Its members belong to HSM’s three main affiliated institutions (CNRS, UM and IRD) and its secondary partner institution, IMT Mines Alès. The team’s research focuses on metal and organometallic pollution and its impacts on ecosystems and human health.
- Main mission:
The successful candidate will contribute to the strategic research project “Living with Mines”, part of the University of Montpellier’s Thematic Research Hub PTL4, “Georesources, Risks and Societies”. They will be responsible for research activities at the interface between the project’s “Mineral Resources” and “Environmental Impact” components.
The aim is to unravel the sources and transfer mechanisms of emerging inorganic contaminants at a representative former mining site, from mineralised rocks and mine waste into the hydrosystem.
The research will focus on:
- Identifying the primary and secondary mineral phases hosting these contaminants and investigating their associations with elements of economic interest.
- Understanding the fate and transport of these elements within the hydrosystem, including the forms in which they are stored in sediments. The work will involve the geochemical characterisation of solid materials (rocks, mine waste and sediments) and water samples (surface water, mine adit water and groundwater), using appropriate sample dissolution and separation protocols.
The analytical techniques employed will include:
Triple-quadrupole ICP-MS and electron microprobe analysis for multi-element analysis of bulk samples and in situ characterisation.
Multi-collector ICP-MS (MC-ICP-MS) for geochemical tracing based on the isotopic composition of emerging inorganic contaminants.
Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) for sulphur isotope analysis of sulphates.
Liquid chromatography coupled with ICP-MS (LC-ICP-MS) for the speciation of emerging inorganic contaminants.
- Activities:
The successful candidate will be responsible for organising and carrying out fieldwork campaigns, preparing equipment and samples, planning and conducting analyses with the support of specialist instrument engineers, managing the database, analysing and interpreting the results, and presenting findings at project meetings. They will also contribute to the dissemination of research findings through scientific publications
Where to apply
E-mail: catherine.marchand@umontpellier.fr
Skills/Qualifications
The successful candidate must hold a PhD in Earth and Water Sciences, with strong expertise in geochemistry, ideally including isotope geochemistry. They must have proven experience in analytical and laboratory work, including sample preparation (sample dissolution and isotope separation), ICP-MS analysis, and good laboratory practices for cleanroom work.
Knowledge of mapping tools such as QGIS and proficiency in the R programming language for data processing and visualisation would be an asset.
Selection process
Send your CV by email at catherine.marchand@umontpellier.fr before 2026, 2nd of December.
