Master 2 Internship – Additive-Guided Recycling of Functional Food-Contact Materials

URD Agro-Biotechnologies Industrielles (ABI) is a research unit of AgroParisTech located at the European Center for Biotechnology and Bioeconomy (CEBB) in Pomacle-Bazancourt, France. The unit develops innovative and sustainable processes for the valorisation of renewable resources and biorefinery by-products, combining industrial biotechnology, green chemistry and process engineering. Its research activities cover the development of high-value chemicals, polymers, materials, additives and other bio-based products from renewable feedstocks.

The internship will be carried out within this multidisciplinary environment and will be linked to the STUMAT project, a Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship. STUMAT focuses on the development of next-generation bio-based food-contact materials through sustainable polymer design, functional bio-derived additives, molecular interactions, transport phenomena and circular material concepts.

This 5-month Master 2 / final-year engineering internship is embedded within the STUMAT project, a Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowship hosted at URD ABI – AgroParisTech. STUMAT focuses on the development of next-generation bio-based food-contact materials by combining sustainable polymer design, functional bio-derived additives, molecular interactions, transport phenomena and smart food-contact concepts.

The internship will investigate how selected functional additives influence the end-of-life behaviour and recycling performance of polymer materials. A reference polymer will be compared with selected additive-containing formulations. The student will contribute to material preparation, experimental depolymerization studies and analytical characterization, with the broader objective of understanding how additive chemistry affects recycling performance and supporting the development of functional food-contact materials compatible with circular design.

We are looking for a motivated and careful Master 2 student or final-year engineering/chemistry student with an interest in sustainable polymers, polymer recycling and circular material design.

The candidate should be studying polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, green chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science or a related discipline. Previous experience with polymer characterization, polymer processing or food-contact material applications is highly desirable. Familiarity with laboratory and analytical techniques such as FTIR, NMR, DSC/TGA, GPC or chromatography will be considered an advantage.

The candidate should also have an interest in sustainable material design and circular-economy approaches, be able to work carefully in an interdisciplinary research environment and communicate clearly in English.