General information
Offer title : M/F PhD student,reconstructing past lifestyles from mercury isotopes (H/F)
Reference : UMR7269-CARIKK-012
Number of position : 1
Workplace : AIX EN PROVENCE
Date of publication : 30 June 2025
Type of Contract : FTC PhD student / Offer for thesis
Contract Period : 36 months
Start date of the thesis : 1 October 2025
Proportion of work : Full Time
Remuneration : 2200 gross monthly
Section(s) CN : 31 - Humans and environments: evolution, interactions
Description of the thesis topic
As part of the MIMBA project, at the crossroads of archaeology, anthropology and isotopic biogeochemistry, the PhD student's objective will be to propose protocols for preparing bio-archaeological materials that are best suited to the combined use of traditional and non-traditional isotopic markers.
Work Context
The Laboratoire Méditerranéen de Préhistoire Europe-Afrique (LAMPEA) at Aix-Marseille University in Aix-en-Provence is looking to recruit a motivated PhD student to join the MIMBA project as part of a collaboration with the Geoscience Environment Toulouse (GET) unit at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse. The aim of this 3-year project, funded by the MITI (CNRS), is to explore the bioarchaeological use of mercury isotopes in human collagen to reconstruct past lifestyles, through dietary practices (fish consumption), cultural practices (use of make-up) and professional activities (dyeing, metalworking, tanning). Although mercury has been studied for its toxicity and its current biogeochemical cycle is well understood, its potential as a pre-industrial marker remains to be assessed. Thanks to its dual isotopic fractionation (mass-dependent and mass-independent) and its affinity for proteins, the analysis of mercury in the collagen of bones and teeth could enrich our understanding of the lifestyles of prehistoric and historic populations.
Constraints and risks
This thesis work will be carried out within the framework of Project 80 | PRIME MIMBA funded by the Mission pour l'Interdisciplinarité du CNRS (MITI). The PhD student will be based at the Laboratoire Méditerranéen de Préhistoire Europe-Afrique (LAMPEA) at Aix-Marseille University in Aix-en-Provence, attached to Team 3, see: https://lampea.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article4133. The PhD student will also be regularly hosted at Géoscience Environnement Toulouse (GET) for the acquisition of certain protocols and for isotopic measurements. The doctoral student will be co-supervised by a thesis director and a co-director who respect gender and cultural diversity. A thesis committee will meet at least once a year to ensure that the thesis project runs smoothly.