Description of the thesis topic

We are seeking a motivated and skilled doctoral student to join our team at the Institut de Chimie de Nice as part of the ERC Consolidator Grant ICE-EEVOLVE. This ambitious project aims to investigate the origins and evolution of chiral organic molecules in astrophysical environments—from cold interstellar ices to the early stages of planetary systems.
The successful candidate will perform multidimensional gas chromatographic analyses of astrophysical-relevant samples including interstellar ice analogues, meteorites and asteroid return samples.

Work Context

The emergence of homochirality—particularly the dominance of left-handed (L-) amino acids in terrestrial biology—remains one of the most compelling questions in origins-of-life research. Meteorites provide evidence that this molecular asymmetry predates Earth's formation, possibly originating in cold, water-rich ices irradiated by circularly polarized starlight.
In ICE-EEVOLVE, we seek to unravel how chiral organic molecules, trapped in amorphous ice matrices, evolve from molecular clouds through star-forming regions to planetary systems. Laboratory simulations under astrophysically relevant conditions will provide key insights into asymmetric photochemistry and post-irradiation alteration processes.

Key references: i) Ionizing radiation exposure on Arrokoth shapes a sugar world. PNAS 121, e2320215121 (2024). ii) Resolution and quantification of carbohydrates by enantioselective comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography. Talanta, 271, 125728 (2024). iii) Ribose and related sugars from ultraviolet irradiation of interstellar ice analogues. Science 352, 208–212 (2016).

Constraints and risks

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Additional Information

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