Global Power System Modeling under Planetary and Social Boundaries
The EQUALS project (EQUitable Allocation of Low-carbon Electricity Sources in a Changing and Resource-limited World) addresses the challenge of transitioning from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy under the constraint of planetary and social boundaries. While the rapid electrification of end-uses is a major lever against climate change, the transition faces limited natural resources, carbon budgets, and territorial specificities. EQUALS assesses the feasibility of meeting global energy needs within these limits, treating energy as a common.
Based at CEA Liten in Grenoble, this 18-month postdoctoral position establishes the project’s methodological foundations. The mission focuses on the generation of country-level hourly electricity demand time-series. This work involves reconstructing demand profiles that integrate thermal sensitivity (heating and cooling), socioeconomic development trajectories, and the electrification of end-uses. In parallel, vRES (variable Renewable Energy Sources) generation profiles will be developed to quantify resource availability worldwide.
These data will feed a global optimization model to identify transition pathways that minimize reliance on fossil fuels, while respecting social floors and planetary ceilings. The candidate will join the interdisciplinary EQUALS team, collaborating with a network of experts in modeling, energy geography, industrial ecology, and climate science. This position offers a stimulating research environment within the Grenoble scientific ecosystem, bridging technical engineering with sustainability science.
Development of Reference Electrode Sensors for Na-Ion Batteries
The rapid advancement of Na-ion battery (NIB) technology presents promising opportunities for energy storage, but challenges remain in understanding their performance, aging mechanisms, and safety. This postdoctoral position aims to design and validate an innovative reference electrode sensor for Na-ion batteries, enabling precise in situ and operando characterization.
The candidate will work on the development and implementation of a reference electrode (RE) adapted to Na-ion batteries, based on materials synthesized during the project. The validation of the sensor will involve the instrumentation of battery cells and cycling tests under various conditions, as well as the analysis of performance and aging mechanisms.
The candidate will perform data analysis and post-mortem examinations (SEM, EDX, ICP, etc.) to correlate sensor measurements with degradation phenomena.
The position is integrated within a multidisciplinary team and in collaboration with the LEDNA (IRAMIS) at CEA Saclay for material synthesis. The work will be conducted at the Electrochemical, Post-Mortem & Safety Analysis Laboratory (LAPS) at CEA Grenoble, a leader in energy storage research.
A posteriori estimates for the mixed finite element discretization of the multigroup diffusion criticality problem
A postdoctoral fellowship is proposed on the a posteriori estimates for the mixed finite element discretization of the multigroup diffusion criticality problem.
The objective is to develop efficient and reliable a posteriori estimates for a multigroup diffusion criticality problem with strong spatial heterogeneities, i.e. a model where the parameters, typically the coefficients of the equations, vary rapidly in space. Mathemically speaking, the criticality problem is a non-symmetric generalized eigenvalue problem.
At the reactor core scale, using simplified models is common in the nuclear industry. Precisely, the simplified models can be the neutron diffusion model or the simplified transport model. We derived rigorous em a posteriori error estimates for mixed finite
element discretizations of the neutron diffusion source problem, and proposed an adaptive mesh refinement strategy that preserves the Cartesian structure. A first application of this approach to the criticality problem was performed. Regarding the industrial context and specifically the numerical simulations, our approach is part of the development of a mixed finite element solver called MINOS in the APOLLO3 code. Further extensions of the a posteriori estimates were studied such the multigroup diffusion source problem and a Domain Decomposition decomposition denoted the DD+L2 jumps method. The enlisted approaches are based on the formulation of a source problem. The objective is to extend the a posteriori approach to a non-symmetric generalized eigenvalue problem.
Study of a low-cost K-ion storage system: electrolyte, safety and prototyping
The UPBEAT project (France 2030) aims to develop a low-cost potassium-ion technology that is free of critical materials and capable of providing the performance of LiFePO4-type Li-ion cells. The work proposed to the post-doc is in line with this objective: it will involve developing optimised organic liquid electrolytes for this new system (Prussian White vs. Graphite), by studying the most promising salts, solvents and additives, while maintaining the objectives of cost and durability. The proposed solutions (with and without fluorine) will be formulated, characterised and electrochemically tested in complete cells (coin cells and pouch cells including components optimisations) to measure their effectiveness in terms of lifetime and power response. Operando measurements and post-mortem characterisations will be used to understand the effects of the various components. The systems that best meet the project's requirements will also be subjected to abuse tests to assess the safety of the final system.
Development of a chloride recovery process by precipitation – Application to molten salt reactors
Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) represent an innovative option for safer and more sustainable nuclear energy.
They use liquid chloride salts containing actinides, enabling the closure of the nuclear fuel cycle.
During operation, these salts become enriched with fission products and impurities, making chemical treatment necessary.
Enrichment in chlorine-37 aims to limit the formation of chlorine-36, a long-lived radioactive isotope.
Controlling and recycling chloride ions is therefore a major challenge.
The CEA is developing a hydrometallurgical precipitation process to recover enriched chlorine in solid form.
This process is compatible with the La Hague reprocessing plant, in partnership with Orano.
The research focuses on the influence of actinides and fission products on the precipitation reaction and their retention in the solid.
The solubility and purity of the precipitate are studied using various physicochemical techniques.
Purification protocols are optimized when contamination is detected.
Once purified, the solid is recycled to produce reusable chlorine, notably through electrolysis or redox reactions.
This work contributes to the development of innovative reactors and benefits from strong scientific and industrial support.
Development of isotopic and elemental analysis methods on irradiated fuels for the reduction of sample quantities.
The objective of this postdoctoral research is to develop analytical methods for the overall reduction of sample quantities required for high-precision multi-element isotopic analysis (actinides and PF) of spent nuclear fuel, particularly through the use of novel "low-quantity" introduction methods on multi-collector ICPMS. These developments will notably reduce the amount of radioactive waste (consumables and effluents), the dose rate, and the exposure time of analysts/radioactive samples associated with this type of measurements.
To carry out this project, the candidate will conduct analytical developments in a controlled environment to minimize the quantities of elements required for analysis while maintaining or improving uncertainty levels compared to currently available methods.
Miniaturised analytical method dedicated to the screening of candidate molecules for the capture and removal of radionuclides
This project aims at developing a miniaturized multiplex device dedicated to the screening of the chelating ability of potential molecules for the decorporation of certain radionuclides (RN) from the nuclear power industry, for which current treatments are not satisfactory. The objective is to accelerate the identification of the most promising chelating molecules, while benefiting from the advantages of miniaturisation, such as the consumption of very small quantities of molecules and RN. In a previous project, a phosphated monolith of various lengths has been grafted in situ and characterised in capillaries of 100 µm internal diameter. The quantities of UO22+, Zr4+, Sr2+, Co2+, Cs+ and Ag+ immobilised on these monolithic phases have been measured online by coupling to an ICP-MS.Based on this work, the candidate will be responsible for developing and validating the miniaturised screening method with UO22+, for which data and chelating molecules are available, extending the approach primarily to Zr4+, Sr2+, Co2+, and to fabricate the microfluidic device incorporating parallel microchannels, in order to ultimately screen candidate molecules for distinct RNs in a single fluidic microsystem.
Condensation of Humid Air during Loss of Insulation Accident in a LH2 tank (CHALIA Project)
Liquid hydrogen is increasingly becoming the key energy vector for industrial decarbonization in heavy mobility. It is stored at 20K in a double-walled tank with an insulating vacuum. Any compromise to the integrity of the outer wall will allow hot air to enter the insulating vacuum. Nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor will condense or even desublimate on the cold wall of the inner tank, thereby transferring heat to the cryogen, which will begin to boil. This boiling causes a pressure increase, leading to the opening of safety valves to prevent tank rupture. To better understand these complex phenomena, the CEA, Fenex Collaborative Research Center, and the University of Western Australia have submitted the CHALIA project to the Franco-Australian Center for Energy Transition. This project was approved in October. The post-doctoral position offered by the CEA involves setting up an analytical experiment using an existing glass cryostat to study in detail the various phenomena and measure the heat fluxes transmitted to the cryogen during the different phases of the accident. A gradual approach is proposed, starting with nitrogen entry before progressing to a binary mixture (synthetic air) or a ternary mixture (humid air). The project also aims to identify and quantify the phases involved in the process using various optical methods. The work will be conducted in close collaboration with researchers from the University of Western Australia, who will focus on scaling up the findings.
Thermodynamic study of photoactive materials for solar cells
The development of solar photovoltaic electricity generation requires the development of new materials for converting solar radiation into electron-hole pairs. Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites (HOIPs) of the CsPbI3 type, with substitutions of Cs by formamidinium (FA) and/or methylammonium (MA) ions, have emerged as very promising materials in terms of performance and manufacturing. Substitutions of Cs with elements such as Rb, Pb with Sn, and I with Br are also being considered to improve stability or performance. The synthesis and optimization of the composition of layers of such materials require a better understanding of their thermodynamic equilibrium properties and stability. The objective is to construct a thermodynamic model of the Cs-Rb-FA-Pb-Sn-I-Br system. The project began with the ternary Cs-Pb-I system, which resulted in a paper [1]. The next step will focus on the ternary Cs-Pb-Br system, followed by the quaternary Cs-Pb-I-Br system. The approach uses the CALPHAD method, which focuses on building a database and an analytical formulation of the phases Gibbs energy, capable of reproducing thermodynamic and phase diagram data. A critical review of the data in the literature will enable this database to be initialized and the missing data will be evaluated by experiments and/or DFT calculations.
Microfluidics applied to the separation of actinides in nuclear samples by chromatography
The main objective of this post-doctoral position is to develop a method for separating the fission products, plutonium and uranium in nuclear samples by chromatography with a resin volume of 200 µL or less. This project is structured around three research axes.
The first one consists in optimising the miniaturised separation method. The resin packing protocol, the pressure applied during the separation and the eluant compositions will be studied by comparing the chromatograms and by calculating the associated decontamination factors. These developments will be carried out using simulated samples first, and then with plutonium-containing samples. Control over the redox adjustment step will be necessary to maximize the decontamination factors. A second development axis will focus on the conception of a user-friendly system, minimizing interventions in the glovebox in order to reduce the user's exposition to ionizing radiation. The experience of the laboratory in terms of experimental setup miniaturisation and micro-fabrication will be useful for this post-doctoral position. The third research axis consists in applying the developments of the first two axes to the determination of isotopic composition of nuclear samples by TIMS or MC-ICP-MS with a per-mil level of uncertainty in a radiation-controlled laboratory.