3-year contract for a PhD on the observation and modeling of stratospheric aerosols from space activities (M/F)

Job Description

Thesis Subject

The unprecedented expansion of space activities, marked by an exponential increase in rocket launches and satellite deployments, has outpaced our understanding of their atmospheric impacts. Emissions from launches and space debris re-entry threaten the stratospheric ozone layer and climate, but the absence of comprehensive observations of gaseous and particulate pollutants of space origin in the stratosphere forces researchers to rely on unvalidated hypotheses regarding the properties of aerospace particles (morphology, composition, size distribution, global distribution, chemical reactivity, and radiative properties). This gap introduces major uncertainties in environmental assessments, hindering the development of effective mitigation strategies.
The ISAC project (Stratospheric Impacts of Space Activities), funded by the ANR, addresses this challenge by aiming to identify and characterize particles from space activities. Through a combination of in-situ optical measurements, particle collection via stratospheric balloons, and advanced laboratory analyses, ISAC will provide unprecedented data to evaluate, refine, and constrain global stratospheric chemistry-aerosol-climate models, simulating the stratosphere's response to the sustained growth of space activities.
Within the ISAC project (Stratospheric Impacts of Space Activities), the main objectives of the thesis are:
• Develop and implement new parameterizations of particles from space activities in the LMDz-REPROBUS global stratospheric chemistry-aerosol-climate model, and evaluate them through comparisons between sensitivity simulations and observational data.
• Identify the key microphysical, chemical, and radiative processes governing the evolution of particles from space activities and their impacts in the middle atmosphere, through the analysis of in-situ and remote sensing observations.
• Quantify the potential global impacts of particles from space activities on the stratospheric ozone layer and radiative forcing, and provide scientific insights to inform future climate and space policy discussions.

Your Work Environment

• Thesis supervision, training follow-up, and research progress modalities: The doctoral student (M/F) will be supervised by Dr. Slimane Bekki (LATMOS, Paris) and Dr. Sergey Khaykin (LATMOS), with additional support for numerical modeling (provided by Marion Marchand, LATMOS) and technical support (provided by Eric d'Almeida, LATMOS). He/She will be fully integrated into the ISAC project and the LATMOS laboratory. Research progress will be regularly monitored through meetings with thesis supervisors, as well as during periodic meetings with the French and international partners of the ISAC project.
A thesis monitoring committee will be set up from the beginning of the PhD to track the progress of the work and, through annual evaluations, ensure compliance with training requirements and alignment with project objectives. Doctoral training will be administered by the Doctoral School ED127.
The doctoral student (M/F) will also participate in ISAC field campaigns to collaborate with experimental scientists, as well as in international workshops for the dissemination of results. All project-related expenses (fieldwork, travel, conferences) will be covered by the ANR ISAC project.
• Material conditions of the thesis: The doctoral student (M/F) will be based at LATMOS (Guyancourt) and will have an office and a computer. He/She will have support and access to high-performance computing resources for the LMDz-REPROBUS global model and data analysis. The doctoral student (M/F) will also benefit from 90 hours of training as well as logistical and technical support for participation in ISAC stratospheric balloon campaigns.
• Host laboratory: The position is based at LATMOS (Laboratoire Atmosphères, Observations Spatiales, https://latmos.ipsl.fr/fr/), a joint research unit specializing in the study of physico-chemical processes of Earth's and planetary atmospheres, as well as their interactions with the surface, oceans, and interplanetary environment. LATMOS has developed expertise in innovative instrumentation for ground, orbit, or space missions, as well as in numerical modeling of the atmosphere to interpret observational data.

Constraints and risks

No specific professional risks are associated with this project, subject to compliance with regulatory safety protocols for balloon campaigns and laboratory procedures.

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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