Research Engineer in Marine Geochemistry (M/F)

Job Description

Missions

- Adapt and implement a method for analysing trace elements and isotopes in marine samples.
- Provide technical oversight of maintenance and monitoring operations in the laboratory.

Activity

- Separate and purify trace elements in marine samples (dissolved and particulate phases of seawater, sediments) using ion exchange resins (chromatography) under clean conditions
- Adapt a chemical protocol according to the matrix and sample volume
- Monitor scientific and technological developments in your field of activity
- Prepare isotopic analysis (sequence, range of standards, maintenance of a desolver), assist with spectrometric analysis and organize the results
- Keep a detailed laboratory notebook and write reports and summaries of experiments
- Participate in the dissemination and promotion of the results through oral presentations and publications
- Maintain shared equipment (centrifuge maintenance, ultrasonic tank, oven)
- Monitor particle counting in the clean room
- Assist in the renovation management of a grey laboratory
- Ensure compliance with health and safety rules

Your Profil

Skills

Knowledge:
- Training in analytical chemistry
- Knowledge of oceanography and/or marine geochemistry recommended
- Chemical safety regulations
- Legal and ethical framework

Skills:
- Working in a laboratory and clean room
- Adapting and implementing a chemical protocol
- Managing a sample bank
- Keeping an activity log (laboratory notebook, handling report, summary)
- Maintaining instruments (cleaning, repairs, requesting quotes for repairs)
- Assisting with project management
- Working as part of a team

Interpersonal skills:
- Team spirit
- Methodology/organisation
- Attention to detail and patience
- Autonomy
- Reporting skills
- Compliance with rules and regulations

Your Work Environment

The overall objective of the FLUXARC project (ANR's young researcher grant; PI: Mélanie Grenier; Toulouse Isotopie Marine -TIM- research team) is to study the sources and sinks of chemical elements in the Arctic Ocean, which remain poorly known despite their contribution to making this area a key parameter for the Earth's climate. The project team recently developed a method for the combined analysis of stable or long-lived isotopes of beryllium (Be) and thorium (Th) in polar marine samples, based on the assumption that their distinct sources - atmospheric for Be-10, continental for Be-9 and Th-232, oceanic for Th-230 – and their different affinities for particles and particle composition can be powerfully used to better constrain the sources and sinks of chemical elements in the Arctic Ocean.

The samples to be analysed come from two oceanographic cruises (conducted in 2015 and 2024, respectively). The chemical analyses will be carried out in the LEGOS clean room, which is shared by several TIM members. This room has various workspaces equipped with fume hoods and apparatus (scales, centrifuges), enabling protocols to be carried out in conditions that combine quality and safety. The Research Engineer will work in collaboration with several TIM members on chemical analysis, equipment maintenance and quality monitoring.

Be-10 concentrations will be measured by accelerator mass spectrometry on the ASTER platform at the LN2C (CEREGE, Aix-En-Provence). Other spectrometric analyses will be carried out locally at the Midi-Pyrénées Observatory, which has a large, state-of-the-art ICP-MS service.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

monthly gross base salary: €2,879

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions