M1/M2 Internship Use of instrumented drones for measuring vertical profiles of ozone

Laboratory: Center Energy and Environment

Supervisors: Sébastien DUSANTER, Joel de BRITO, Marina JAMAR

Workplace: IMT Nord Europe – Bourseul Campus at Douai (France)

Type of contract and duration: M1 or M2 Internship – 6 months

Context:

The public establishments belonging to IMT (Institut Mines-Télécom), are under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, IMT Nord Europe has three main objectives: to provide our students with ethically responsible engineering practices, enabling them to solve 21st century issues, carry out our R&D activities leading to outstanding innovations and support territorial development through innovation and entrepreneurship. Ideally positioned at the heart of Europe, 1 hour away from Paris, 30 min from Brussels and 1h30 from London, IMT Nord Europe has strong ambitions to become a main actor in the current industrial transitions, digital and environmental, by combining education and research on engineering and digital technologies.

Located on two main campuses dedicated to research and education in Douai and Lille, IMT Nord Europe offers research facilities of almost 20,000m² in the following areas:

•             Digital science,

•             Energy and Environment,

•             Materials and Processes.

For more details, visit the School’s website: www.imt-nord-europe.fr/en/

The internship is within the Centre Energy and Environment (EE) and the thematic axis Observations, Sources, and Atmospheric Physico-Chemical Processes (OSPA). The OSPA group conducts research on environmental and energy topics. The Atmospheric Sciences team (SAGE) focuses its research on topics related to air quality and the impact of human activities on the composition of indoor and outdoor air. The research projects are based on fundamental and applied research and aim to improve the understanding of the physicochemical processes involved in the generation, transport and transformation of gaseous and particulate pollutants.

Tropospheric ozone (O₃) is a secondary pollutant formed through the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) during daytime. It is a harmful pollutant that exacerbates respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, ozone acts as a greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming. Its concentration in the troposphere exhibits a characteristic vertical profile, with high levels near the surface due to local emissions of its precursors (VOCs and NOₓ), and a gradual decrease with altitude. Measuring vertical ozone profiles is essential for testing and improving atmospheric chemistry models, particularly the physicochemical processes that simulate its formation and transformation.

In recent years, multicopter drones have proven to be accessible and complementary tools to fixed and mobile measurement platforms (aircraft, balloons). Although drones have already been used to sample greenhouse gases, aerosols, and certain VOCs, the rapid advancement of drone technologies and analytical instruments now enables the development of lighter and smarter systems capable of measuring a wider range of species, such as ozone. The work proposed in this internship will contribute to the development of the next generation of instrumented drones and will ultimately help improve our understanding of the chemical composition of the troposphere.

Objectives:

The OSEAMS project (Tropospheric Ozone in Southeast Asia: Budget and Mitigation Strategies), funded by the French National Research Agency, aims to study vertical ozone profiles and its formation chemistry at urban and peri-urban sites in Taiwan.

The objective of this project is to validate an analytical tool for measuring ozone onboard a DJI M600 Pro drone, a 1.7-meter-wide device capable of carrying up to 5 kg of payload.

Activities:

The internship will be carried out as follows:

•        validating a miniature ozone analyzer by comparing it to a reference technique during experiments conducted in an atmospheric simulation chamber,

•        designing a mounting system to secure the analyzer onto the drone, as well as its fabrication using 3D printers,

•        acquiring atmospheric ozone profiles during field campaigns to study its variability based on geographic locations and meteorological conditions. 

Required Profile:

This internship is intended for a M1 or M2 student with basic knowledge in atmospheric chemistry and a strong willingness to learn. Scientific curiosity, adaptability, and a good knowledge of design software such as SolidWorks are expected. This internship is suited for someone who enjoys working both in the laboratory and in the field.

Conditions:

The internship is expected to start between March and April 2025 for a duration of 6 months.

Information and application methods:

For any information on the missions, please contact:

Sébastien DUSANTER, Assistant Professor, sebastien.dusanter@imt-nord-europe.fr, 0327712623

Joel F. DE BRITO Joel, Associate Professor, joel.brito@imt-nord-europe.fr, 0327712609

Marina JAMAR, Engineer in instrumentation, marina.jamar@imt-nord-europe.fr, 0327712607

For any administrative information, please contact the Human Resources Department: jobs@imt-nord-europe.fr

Deadline: Applications accepted until position is filled