Postdoctoral position: Characterization and Source Apportionment of Emerging Air Pollutants under the RESILIENCE project

Laboratory: Centre of Education, Research and Innovation on Energy and Environment (CERI EE)

Supervisors: Dr. Hui CHEN, Dr. Joel BRITO, Prof. Véronique RIFFAULT

Type of contract and duration: Full-time Postdoctoral – 16 months

Workplace: Bourseul Campus, Douai, France

Context:

IMT Nord Europe is a public higher-education and research institution belonging to the Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT) group, under the supervision of the French Ministry of Industry. Its missions include engineering education, scientific research, and innovation in support of sustainable territorial development. For more details, please visit: www.imt-nord-europe.fr/en

This postdoctoral position will be hosted within CERI EE at IMT Nord Europe, in the research axis “Observations, Sources and Processes in the Atmosphere” (OSPA). The host team develops advanced experimental and data-analysis approaches to characterize atmospheric aerosols, their sources, and their impacts on air quality and health.

This research is part of the PEPR VDBI RESILIENCE project (https://pepr-vdbi.fr/projets-laureats/projets-resilience) and the CPER ECRIN project. It aims to develop transdisciplinary approaches to evaluate how urban planning and mobility-transition policies can improve living conditions and generate co-benefits for air quality and health.

The Postdoctoral research focuses on the characterization of emerging air pollutants, with a primary emphasis on ultrafine particles (UFP) and black carbon (BC). Through high time-resolution measurements and advanced source apportionment approaches, the researcher will investigate contrasting urban environments using:

·         Enhanced field campaign datasets to be collected in 2026 at twin sites in two French cities (Lille and Marseille) within the framework of the RESILIENCE project

·         Concurrent observations at the ATOLL platform (Atmospheric Observatory of LiLle), integrated into the European ACTRIS research infrastructure.

This synergy creates a powerful comparative framework and a rigorous testing ground for advanced source apportionment models. By exploring the variability between the temperate environment of Lille and the Mediterranean context of Marseille, the researcher will disentangle how distinct geographical and meteorological factors modulate the properties of emerging pollutants (UFP, BC). This cross-site approach ensures the robustness and representativeness of identified chemical fingerprints, providing a comprehensive understanding of aerosol sources across diverse regional scales.

Brief role description:

Main tasks

Under the supervision of the research team, the postdoctoral researcher will:

• Set up, coordinate, and maintain high time-resolution monitoring stations in Lille and Marseille during dedicated measurement campaigns

• Ensure quality control, harmonization, and management of real-time datasets from multiple instruments

• Analyze particle number size distributions (UFP) and black carbon (BC) datasets, together with complementary aerosol data, to identify and quantify source profiles, for twin sites under the influence of traffic or not

• Develop and apply advanced statistical and data-analysis methods for source apportionment, with support from senior researchers

• Prepare scientific figures, technical reports, and peer-reviewed publications

• Participate in project meetings, workshops, and conferences within the RESILIENCE consortium

• Contribute to stakeholder engagement and dissemination activities, including interaction with air-quality agencies and local authorities

Profile of the candidate:

The candidate should hold a PhD (or be close to completion) in one of the following fields:

• Atmospheric sciences or atmospheric chemistry/physics

• Environmental sciences or environmental engineering

• Physics, chemistry, or applied data science with relevance to air quality research

Skills and qualifications

Required:

• Strong motivation for research on air pollution, aerosols, and source apportionment

• Ability to work with large observational datasets and apply quantitative/statistical methods

• Proficiency in scientific programming (Python, R, Matlab, or equivalent)

• Demonstrated ability to write and publish scientific results in peer-reviewed journals

• Autonomy, rigor, and ability to coordinate work within an international research project

Assets:

• Experience with aerosol and air-quality instrumentation (e.g. SMPS, ACSM/AMS, trace metal/Black carbon measurements)

• Previous involvement in field measurement campaigns

The working language is English. Candidates are expected to demonstrate English proficiency at level C1. Knowledge of French is not required.