Description of the thesis topic

Although chirality is recognized as a key factor in many areas of chemistry and biology, its role in photoinduced electron transfer (PeT) processes remains to be fully elucidated. While these phenomena have been described for various mono- or multi-component systems, very few reports have been made regarding chirality, and even fewer addressing the impact of polarized light on PeT. Understanding the role of chirality would pave the way for potential applications, including the development of artificial photosynthesis, the chiral recognition of relevant biomolecules, or the stereoselective control of the biological activity of chiral molecules such as proteins. The primary objective of the thesis will be the synthesis and characterization of new large-scale chiral architectures (foldamers) to understand how chirality influences light-induced electron transfer at different time and length scales. The thesis is funded by the ANR (ChiraPET / https://anr.fr/Projet-ANR-24-CE07-1874). The PhD student's work will be carried out in collaboration with Dr. Céline Olivier and Dr. Nathan McClenaghan (ISM- Bordeaux). Activities include:

Multi-step organic synthesis
Solid-phase synthesis
Analysis and purification by HPLC and GPC
Crystallogenesis
NMR structure resolution

Work Context

The selected candidate will carry out their duties at the Institut de Chimie et Biologie des Membranes et Nano-objets (CBMN) at the IECB (https://www.iecb.u-bordeaux.fr/), which is part of the University of Bordeaux. They will join the team of Dr. Yann Ferrand (https://www.bise-group.cnrs.fr).

The position is located in a sector under the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival is authorized by the competent authority of the MESR.

Constraints and risks

none