The junior professorship CNRS (CPJ) is a new recruitment channel that can provide access to a permanent position in the category of senior CNRS research directors, equivalent to Full professors in France. Each awardee will first sign a  research agreement with the CNRS for a tenure-track contract for a minimum of three years and a maximum of six years. Following a successful evaluation at the end of the tenure-track period, the position will be converted into a full-time tenured senior CNRS researcher.

The awardee’s salary will be determined by the CNRS according to seniority, on the basis of a minimum annual gross salary of 43 416 euros (IM 735). In addition to the salary, the CPJ awardee will be provided a financial support of 200 000 euros. This additional support is provided to fund PhD students, postdocs and IT contractors, as well as to contribute to the running of the project (equipment, missions and travel).
The position is expected to be scheduled to take up from autumn 2026. The detailed timetable has yet to be determined. We are seeking qualified and motivated candidates to apply for the position at IC2MP within the HydrASA Team .

Interested candidates are encouraged to contact Fabien Hubert (fabien.hubert@univ-poitiers.fr).

Work environment:

IC2MP is a unique multidisciplinary institute in France, where over 250 individuals from the fields of sustainable chemistry and surface geosciences collaborate to address current and future environmental challenges. Located in Poitiers, a historic university town offering an exceptional quality of life thanks to its cultural heritage, affordability and excellent connectivity (1h15 from Paris). A human-scale ecosystem that fosters interdisciplinarity and offers a personalised international welcome.

Candidate profile:

Applicants must hold a doctorate or equivalent degree, or proof of scientific qualifications and work judged equivalent by the competent authority of the establishment. There is no restriction on age or nationality. All CNRS positions are accessible to people with disabilities, subject to any special arrangements required by the nature of the disability.

Summary of the scientific project:

Inorganic porous networks such as clays and zeolites are affected by the presence of water. These materials, which are either present in large quantities in natural environments or can be obtained synthetically, are at the heart of a wide range of phenomena, including adsorption, catalytic activity, pollutant transport, water retention and availability for plants or swelling/shrinkage of soils. These fields of application require global
characterization of the water/solid interfaces, in line with one of the CNRS’s thematic priorities, which focuses on the control of fluids on solids at all scales. From the nanometric to the macroscopic scale, the behavior of fluids and solutes requires the development of studies based on both experimental set-ups and theoretical/modelling work. The associated socio-economic challenges are major, with sustainable development, natural hazards, wastewater filtration and seawater desalination just a few examples.

As for all fluids, the presence of water modifies the physicochemical properties of materials. The applicant’s project should aim to deepen the understanding of water/solutes structure and dynamics in porous media at different temporal and spatial scales in order to determine/predict the macroscopic properties of materials (hydration, mechanical, chemical, transport…) where water is present. To reach this objective, approaches  consisting of coupling results obtained by experimental techniques (laboratory, field) to multi-scale theoretical developments is expected. While the initial focus will be on water, the research may extend to other fluids over time. The applicant is encouraged to build on the team’s existing expertise and infrastructure to develop his/her research.