PhD thesis in Applied mathematics, statistics (M/F) « PFAS Pollutions : starting from local observations to proceed to statistical analysis »

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used for several years already in diverse industrial sectors and all-day-life products. They are known for their powerful properties that also make them very resistant to natural degradation [1,2]. Even if some of them get transform to shorter chains, as TFA for example (trifluoroacetic acid), these degraded products are themselves very stable and pieces of persistent pollution. Facing these facts, elected representatives [3], some citizen associations [4,5], media [6] alert to human and environmental risks that inherit from these products, and justice actions are in progress [7].

The richness of this research theme is multiple. The thesis financing comes from the Mission pour les Initiatives Transverses et Interdisciplinaires (MITI), so that one of the main characteristics of this thesis is to feed its transversal dynamics. The objects of interest are chemical, their production and uses have been few legifered, whereas they represent serious sanitary risks. Chemists, industrials, jurists, citizens, statisticians, state representatives have a joint role to play in the substances production control.
In the following, the consortium will mean the ensemble of people involved in the thesis (cf Section « PhD framework »).
The complexity of the problem also come from its statistical analysis. Data represent the most sensitive element. Availability, quality, quantity, are precious points to measure, and a methodology to produce them accordingly to the citizen question might be developed.
The main domain of the PhD thesis will be Statistics, and work will be organised as follows:
The first step will consist in the realisation of an inventory of the available datasets [8]. Existing information coming from different sources has to be evaluated and analysed in terms of location, frequency, specificities. Such an analysis will allow to focus on spatial, temporal ou matrices lacks
[9,10] and lead to elaborate adapted questions to citizens needs.
The second step will concern a precise and adequate design of experiments. Presence of hotspots will be examined, as well as pollutants tendencies and urban potential concentrations. The focus will be made starting from consortium questions to statistical tractable objectives. Adapted choices of measurement locations and frequencies will be done depending on pollutant type, spatial scale, temporal dynamics, statistical modelling and question of interest. Designs of experiments methodologies will be considered in the meanwhile [11,12,13].
The third step will consist in detecting potential anomalies or threshold exceedances in these complex datasets. Some questions will concern the study of the repartition of pollutants in terms of different matrices (water, ground, air) and potential attributions.
Each of these steps will be investigated jointly under the data, the methodology and the mathematical perspectives, leading to coherent theoretical questions along the PhD thesis.

References :
[1] PFAS workshop: goals and alternatives ; March 2024. Synthesis elaborated by MITI, available
https://miti.cnrs.fr/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Synthese_PFas_web.pdf
[2] ANSES https://www.anses.fr/fr/content/pfas-substances-chimiques-persistantes
[3] https://www.eaudugrandlyon.com/actualites/pfas-tfa-eau-metropole-lyon/
[4] Générations Futures https://victimes-pfas.fr/actions/plainte-metropole-lyon-arkema-daikin/
[5] Générations Futures https://www.generations-futures.fr/actualites/pfas-alimentation/rapport-pfas-alimentation-vf/
[6] France Info alert https://www.franceinfo.fr/sante/polluants-eternels-l-anses-alerte-sur-la-presence-des-pfas-dans-l-environnement-et-livre-ses-pistes-pour-mieux-les-controler_7568077.html
[7] Reporterre, 2 février 2026 https://reporterre.net/Ce-qu-on-a-decouvert-est-siderant-contre-les-geants-de-la-chimie-elles-defendent-200-citoyens-intoxiques-aux-PFAS
[8] BRGM visualisation tool updated in October 2025. https://macarte.ign.fr/carte/HzWzr5/Info-PFAS
[9] Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), multimatrices analysis method, INERIS, 2025 April. https://www.ineris.fr/fr/composes-polyfluoroalkyles-pfas-methode-analyse-multimatrice
[10] Behaviors of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in grounds and groundwater - Bibliographic synthesis, Ineris, 2024. https://www.ineris.fr/fr/comportement-substances-polyfluoroalkylees-pfas-sols-eaux-souterraines-synthese-bibliographique
[11] Montgomery, D. (2013). Design and analysis of experiments (8th ed.). Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 9781118146927.
[12] Box, George E.P. ; Hunter, William G. ; Hunter, J. Stuart (2005). Statistics for Experimenters : Design, Innovation, and Discovery (2 ed.). Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley.
[13] Fang, B.-T., Li, R., Sudjianto, A. (2005). Design and Modeling for Computer Experiments, Chapman and Hall/CRC.

Your Work Environment

This PhD thesis CNRS PRIME 2026 is associated to the French project
"Pollution par les PFAS : de la Nécessité de partir des Observations Urbaines pour une analyse Statistique ». It will take place in the mathematical lab ICJ UMR 5208 (doctoral school ED512), and is a PhD thesis in Statistics. It will benefit from interdisciplinary dynamic including Gwenola Le Naour's work on PFAS-pollutants and french « Institut écocitoyen territoire lyonnais ». This project is built on transversal interactions between several French researchers from Lyon: Gwenola Le Naour (Politic sciences), Anne-Laure Fougères and Cécile Mercadier (Mathematics, both supervisors of the PHD thesis), Emmanuel Martinais (Geography) and Cécile Miège (Chemistry), as well as Métropole Grand Lyon.

Constraints and risks

The subject of this PhD thesis has the particularity to be at the crossroad sbetween several disciplines. Questions considered are concrete and therefore ambitious, in a context of partially reduced bibliography. The hired person will have to deal with the different partners of the project, to present at regular times the milestones reached, to participate to conferences and workshops, as well as to write scientific syntheses in French and English. He/She will not have to handle chemical substances. Their analyses Weill have be done inadavance by specific laboratories.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

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

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