Ph.D. offer - Polymer Chemistry - Synthesis of photo-polymerizable and foamable prepolymers for the accelerated discovery of high performance foams - GreenFOAM

The GreenFOAM project is part of a Prioritary Research Program (PEPR) from the The French National Research Agency (ANR) called DIADEM (Development of Innovative Materials Using Artificial Intelligence). The aim is to help in accelerating the discovery of more eco-responsible high-performance polymer foams for the industry. Every year, over 600,000 tonnes of foam are produced for bedding, furniture, seating, sporting goods, etc. A transition in this industry through the development of sustainable (pre)polymers (biosourced, degradable) that are not harmful to health, and obtained according to more environmentally-friendly methodologies is therefore necessary. In this context, the GreenFoam project proposed to implement a scientific approach combining rationalized, high-throughput macromolecular engineering, digital simulation and artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of more eco-responsible foams.
The recruited Ph.D. candidate will work within a consortium of 5 laboratories (see below) in collaboration with 4 other Ph.D. students. His/her specific role will be to synthesize pre-polymers than can be implemented in light-mediated additive manufacturing (3D-printing) and blown to produce foams according to eco-responsible methodologies. The syntheses will be conducted in continuous flow to accelerate the screening of the characteristics of the pre-polymers (e.g. molecular weight, functionality, etc.) and the study of their impact on the properties of the resulting foams. 
The Ph.D. candidate will be located within the Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques (LCPO), one of the top-tier center of polymer science in France, located on the campus of the University of Bordeaux. The research activities of the laboratory span the whole range of modern polymer science. It offers a stimulating workplace for anyone who wants to gain a top-level training in polymer chemistry.
The work will be conducted in collaboration with the Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse (IS2M), the Institut de Recherche en Informatique, Mathématiques, Automatique et Signal (IRIMAS, Mulhouse), the Institut Charles Sadron (ICS, Strasbourg) and the Laboratoire des sciences de l'ingénieur, de l'informatique et de l'imagerie (Icube, Strasbourg).

Since its creation in 1985, the Laboratoire de Chimie des Polymères Organiques (LCPO) has been focusing its academic research in Polymer Science on the mechanisms of polymerization and macromolecular engineering. While these two domains are still the background of our activity, important projects are oriented towards the design of functional high value-added polymers and the study of their macroscopic properties for target applications, in particular in the domains of life sciences, energy and technology. Green and biomimetic synthetic approaches together with the understanding of structure/properties relationships are presenting the core of our scientific strategy

We are looking for a highly motivated student holding a Master degree in organic and/or macromolecular synthesis. Teamwork abilities and good skills in English are required. An experience with flow chemistry would be a plus.