Characterisation of organic micropollutants and their transformation products in ecosystems using high-resolution mass spectrometry

16 Apr 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

University of Bordeaux / CNRS

Department

EPOC

Research Field

Chemistry » Analytical chemistry

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

France

Application Deadline

3 May 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

38

Offer Starting Date

1 Jul 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

HE

Reference Number

Watre4All-2022-0046

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Hosting unit: University of Bordeaux, EPOC UMR 5805 CNRS, LPTC team, Bâtiment A12, 351 crs de la Libération, 33405 Talence. https://www.epoc.u-bordeaux.fr/index.php?lang=fr&page=recherche

Contacts: Hélène Budzinski ([email protected] ) and Marie-Hélène Dévier ([email protected] ).

 

Working environment: The EPOC laboratory (Oceanic and Continental Environments and Paleoenvironments, UMR 5805 CNRS/University of Bordeaux) is a multidisciplinary research unit focusing on coastal and littoral geosystems and the functioning and dysfunctioning of environmental ecosystems. It is made up of 7 teams working in various fields of research, including coastal dynamics, ecotoxicology, environmental chemistry, ecology, ecophysiology, geochemistry and biogeochemistry.

The work of the LPTC team (Physico- and Toxico-Chemistry of the Environment) concerns the study of the presence, transport and inter-compartment transfer, reactivity, bioaccumulation and biotransformation phenomena and the impact of organic contaminants at the molecular level. With this in mind, part of its research activity is focused on the analytical developments needed to analyse organic contaminants in the various environmental compartments (water-air-soil) at the ultra-trace level. Original methodologies are thus developed to search for and characterise organic micropollutants, as well as to study their interaction with dissolved organic matter, for example. In addition, many research works are conducted to study the biotic and abiotic phenomena that condition the presence and transformation (reactivity in homogeneous and heterogeneous phases) of chemical contaminants. Finally, the LPTC is studying the mechanisms that condition their toxicity, in particular the link between presence and observed effects (EDA: "Effect-Directed Analysis" approach).

 

Offer description:

The need to better characterise the chemical exposome and its effects on the health of organisms and ecosystems has become essential for assessing environmental hazards and risks, predicting responses and anticipating adaptive trajectories. In this respect, chemical profiling approaches using high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC- and LC-HRMS) have opened up new opportunities for understanding the chemical exposome, the complex relationship between exposure and the biological effects observed, and more recently also for identifying transformation products (TPs). One of the major challenges of this approach still lies in processing the thousands of data sets generated, despite the constant evolution of treatment and chemoinformatics software and tools, both manufacturers and open source.

These non-target approaches will be developed and implemented here in a global environmental context, and therefore both multi-pressure (wastewater treatment plant effluents, endocrine disruptors, pesticides, etc.) and multi-compartment (water, air, soil, biota). They will contribute to improving our knowledge of the nature, origin and fate of micropollutants (MPs) and their TPs in ecosystems. The post-doctoral researcher will contribute to the development of HRMS (acquisition and reprocessing) methodologies, the characterization of MPs and their TPs and the monitoring of emerging pollutants and their PTs in the various environmental compartments. This work will be integrated into various research projects of the team, involving this NTS approach, including the ANR TRANSPRO but also the European project MARSURE. It is also proposed to improve the prioritization and identification strategy based on the use of various software packages, either from manufacturers or available on the Internet.

 

The specific tasks of the proposed post-doctoral work will be:

- improve the GC-QTOF, LC-QTOF and LC-IM-QTOF analytical methodologies implemented in the team,

- develop new ones adapted to recent advances, both instrumental and computational, particularly in machine learning (depending on the expertise of the candidate),

- To optimise workflows of data treatment, the aim of which is to contribute to better data prioritization to detect and identify environmentally relevant MPs and TPs (potentially through the implementation of machine learning methods),

- apply these methodologies (in suspect and non-target modes) to the identification and monitoring of emerging pollutants and their relevant TPs in aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric ecosystems,

- ensure technical and scientific monitoring and participate in the writing of scientific publications and their promotion at conferences.

 

He/she will carry out this research work in the LPTC team (UMR EPOC, Univ. Bordeaux), in close interaction with the project managers and the engineers responsible for the analytical facilities. The LPTC has an excellent analytical infrastructure (PLATINE : environmental organic analytical chemistry platform) with state-of-the-art equipment, in particular many gas and liquid chromatography systems (GC and LC) coupled with low- and high-resolution mass spectrometry (QQQ, IRMS, TOF, QTOF, IM-QTOF) and automatic sample preparation systems (samplers, extractors, SPE automatons, on-line SPE, SPME, SBSE, etc.).

 

Duration: 24 months, with possibility of renewal.

 

Requirements

Research Field

Chemistry » Analytical chemistry

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

Desired skills: With a PhD in the field of analytical chemistry, exposomics or metabolomics, the candidate has a first successful experience in chromatographic techniques (GC, LC) coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (if possible on QTOF technology). He/she masters the computer and mathematical tools necessary for the exploitation of the results; a knowledge and use of statistical and chemometric tools would be highly appreciated (a knowledge of languages like R or Python would also be a real plus).

Qualities required: motivation, excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, teamwork, ability to synthesize information, interest in mass spectrometry and data processing.

Specific Requirements

Duration: 24 months, with possibility of renewal.

Conditions: French civil service grids according to age and experience. Telework possible according to needs and organization of the service. 50% of the subscription fee for public transport in Gironde covered. Contribution of €15/month towards health insurance. Welcome course and training.

Information and application: Applications (C.V. and cover letter) are to be sent by email to Hélène Budzinski ([email protected] ) and Marie-Hélène Dévier ([email protected] ) before 05/02/2024 (the 2nd of May 2024). Interviews will take place in May for a quick start in July 2024 (flexible depending on the situation). For further information please contact Hélène Budzinski and Marie-Hélène Dévier.

Research Field

Chemistry » Analytical chemistry

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

University of Bordeaux, UMR EPOC CNRS

Country

France

State/Province

Gironde

City

Talence

Postal Code

33405

Street

351 cours de la Libération

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

Gironde

City

Talence

Website

http://www.epoc.u-bordeaux.fr

Street

351 cours de la Libération

Postal Code

33405

E-Mail

[email protected]
[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED