Research engineer (M/F) - CDD 18 month

Computational and AI methods combined with experimental approach to design energy storage materials and devices from graphitic-based biocarbon composites

POSITION ENVIRONMENT

School of the ministry in charge of industry, IMT Mines Albi is a school of the Institut Mines-Télécom, 1st group of engineering and management schools of France. At the forefront of industrial and academic issues on the international scene, it acts as a territorial scientific and economic engine by combining its 4 missions - to train engineers by integrating the dynamics of sustainable development, scientific research, contributing to economic development and spreading the culture of science, technology and innovation - in a virtuous and innovative cycle.

Its positioning in terms of training and research places IMT Mines Albi as a reference school on three of the four themes of the IMT, namely responsible future industry, energy, circular economy and society and engineering, health and well-being.

IMT Mines Albi has adopted in 2023 and for a five-year period, a strategic plan divided into 7 major actions, thus responding to the strategic orientations of the IMT group to which it belongs.

The position is based within the RAPSODEE Center (Research of Albi in Process Engineering of Divided Solids, Energy and Environment), a CNRS joint research unit dedicated to processes, materials, and sustainable. energies.

The Postdoc work will be supervised by Prof. Ange Nzihou and co-supervised by a colleague from Princeton University (USA).

MISSIONS

This work is part of an ERC (European Research Council) Advanced Grant. The ERC is a European funding organisation that supports groundbreaking research projects through very competitive grants, as part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

This project aims at evaluating the storage capacity of innovative biocarbon (biochar) composites, a sustainable family of advanced biomass-based carbon materials to store energy in various environments as opposed to most of the current solutions relaying on fossil fuel-based or non-sustainable materials. This should be translated into remarkable CO2 emissions reduction and energy savings. The work will be carried out in an international environment with regular visits to partners laboratories in France, the USA and in India.

MAIN ACTIVITIES

We are seeking a highly motivated researcher to contribute to the design and development of advanced and high-performance energy storage materials and devices by combining computational methods, artificial intelligence (AI), and experimental approaches.

The objective is to develop and apply computational models, data-driven methods, and AI-assisted tools to predict material properties, optimize material composition and structure, and improve energy storage capacity and performance. The research will integrate theoretical and computational investigations with experimental synthesis, characterization, validation and optimization of innovative energy storage solutions.

A key focus will be the investigation of the thermophysical, thermomechanical, and thermal stability properties of the graphitic-based biocarbon composites. The candidate will explore the relationships between material structure, functional properties, behavior, and overall device performance in use to support the development of safe, efficient and sustainable energy storage technologies

TRAINING AND SKILLS

Minimum required level of training and/or experience:

PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Energy Engineering, Physics, Computational Science, or a related field

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Strong background in computational science, machine learning and Artificial Intelligence-driven methods
• Strong materials characterization skills, experimental research and energy storage technologies
• Good programming skills

Abilities and aptitudes

• Scientific rigor, analytical and synthesis skills
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary research and international environment
• Autonomy and initiative
• Good written and oral communication skills in English

Application deadline: December 2, 2026
• Position based at IMT Mines Albi and in partner laboratories in the United States with research visits to international partner’s laboratories (USA, India, France)
• Required documents: CV, cover letter, and 2 recommendation letters