Postdoctoral position: fate in soils of a technology-critical element – gallium – in a multi-contamination context: sorption on soils and plant uptake

website of the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne: https://www.univ-reims.fr/

website of the Molecular Institute of Reims (UMR CNRS 7312): https://www.univ-reims.fr/icmr/

Gallium (Ga) is one of the less-studied technology-critical elements, a class of emerging contaminants present in different environmental compartments (e.g. water, soils, biosolids applied onto soils) due to their increasing use worldwide in recent years (notably in the fields of electronics and medicine). In soils and biosolids, Ga is likely to be simultaneously present with a whole cocktail of other contaminants, including other trace metals (TMEs) and pesticides. Once in soils, amended or not, adsorption/desorption (and degradation) processes govern the transfer of contaminants from the soil to groundwater and surface water through leaching and runoff, making up the fraction available to soil organisms and plants. Consumption of contaminated crops can thus increase both human and animal exposure to these pollutants. At present, data on Ga occurrence in environmental matrices and studies dedicated to its behaviour in soils and accumulation in plants are extremely scarce. Furthermore, there is a general lack of information on the behaviour of contaminants when present in mixtures and on the potential interactions between the different compounds (cocktail effect).

In this context, the objective of the CRITICLESS project is to study the behaviour of Ga in the soil/plant system and its speciation in soils, water and cultivated plants in order to assess its (bio)availability and its transfer risk according to the soil composition and to the origin of applied organic wastes (OWs) (biosolids, manure). The studies will take into account the multi-contaminations (TMEs, pesticides) present in soils and different OWs. Ultimately, the aim will be to identify the scenarios with the highest risk of transfer into the environment in order to preserve environmental quality and limit the risk of contamination via drinking water or the food chain.

The studies to be conducted within the framework of the CRITICLESS project will make it possible to specify: (i) the influence of TMEs and pesticides on Ga behaviour in the soil/plant system, and vice versa (effect of Ga on that of TMEs and pesticides), and (ii) the impact of OW application on the behaviour of Ga and other contaminants (TMEs, pesticides) in the soil/plant system, as a function of OW nature/origin and of the soil composition.

This post-doctoral offer is proposed by the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne with funding from the Grand Reims. The project is led by the Molecular Chemistry Institute of Reims (ICMR UMR CNRS 7312, "environmental chemistry" group, Dr. Stéphanie Sayen) and will be carried out in partnership with the "Environmental Sciences" research unit of the Earth and Life Institute laboratory (ELI) of the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium (Dr. Yannick Agnan), and the SAMBA beamline of the Synchrotron SOLEIL in Paris Saclay (Dr. Gautier Landrot).

The post-doctoral fellow recruited will carry out all the experiments in both Reims (France) and Belgium (sorption at the soil/water interface, plant uptake experiments, contaminant analyses), with the support of researchers and technical staff from the various laboratories involved. Mainly base in Reims, he/she will thus spend several periods in Belgium and at SOLEIL synchrotron.

Your profile:

- PhD in environmental chemistry or (bio)geochemistry, or having completed a post-doctorate in these fields.

- PhD thesis (outside the Reims Champagne-Ardenne University) must have been defended within the last three years.

- General knowledge in environmental chemistry and analytical chemistry.

- Analysis and synthesis of data, rigour, strong interest in research, great organisational skills and good time management, autonomy

- Interpersonal, communication, and teamwork skills.

- Good level of written and spoken English.

- Skills in statistics and botany will be appreciated.

- writing of publications

- participating at conferences