AITTC – Postdoctoral in Advancing cadmium isotope analysis and speciation for tracing Cd in a Soil-Plant System

Entity: AITTC/UM6P and CEREGE/France

About UM6P:

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) is an internationally oriented institution of higher learning, that is committed to an educational system based on the highest standards of teaching and research in fields related to the sustainable economic development of Morocco and Africa. UM6P is an institution oriented towards applied research and innovation. On a specific focus on Africa, UM6P aims to position these fields as the forefront and become a university of international standing.

More than just a traditional academic institution, UM6P is a platform for experimentation and a pool of opportunities, for students, professors and staff. It offers a high-quality living and study environment thanks to its state-of-the-art infrastructure. With an innovative approach, UM6P places research and innovation at the heart of its educational project as a driving force of a business model.

About CEREGE:

The CEREGE is an international multidisciplinary research and teaching center, that covers almost all the Environmental Geosciences, from Martian mineralogy to water treatment, tectonics, paleoclimatology, geochemistry, physical chemistry and process analysis. As a center of excellence in terms of human skills and instrumental capabilities, CEREGE's research is based on laboratories and analytical platforms, the inter-team collaborations and an extensive network of national and international collaborations. The thematic teams are supported by state-of-the-art laboratories, multiple areas of expertise and complementary, combining field observation techniques with analytical experimentation and numerical modelling.

Ideally located in the heart of the Technopôle de l'Arbois in Aix-en-Provence, it benefits from optimal conditions for the development of networks and partnerships.

Description of the position:

Trace metals inputs to agricultural soils via fertilizers are of concern due to their potential risk to the environment and human health. The overarching goal of the DUNE project (Cadmium and Trace Elements Bio-Availability and Transfer In Soil-Plant- System) is to enhance our understanding of Cd bioavailability to crops and its bio-accumulation within the soil-plant system. To that end, it is primordial to tackle the Cd biogeochemical cycle and dynamic, and to put effort into characterizing Cd sources (pedogenetic and anthropogenetic) in the environment as well as understanding what controls its bioavailability down to a molecular level. The DUNE project will bring further knowledge on the uptake mechanisms and fate (translocation, accumulation) of Cd and trace elements in crops and their rhizosphere. 

The postdoctoral project will focus on characterizing the source of Cd contaminant (soil, fertilizers, water) into top-soils and understanding what controls the bioavailability of Cd and trace elements. The objective is to investigate the fate of Cd in the biota using an innovative and unique approach combining cutting-edge Cd stable isotope analysis to X-ray spectroscopy measurements of Cd speciation to understand the main processes that control Cd bioavailability.

Cadmium stable isotope analysis in soils, fertilizers and plants will be performed on CEREGE’s multi-collector mass spectrometer MC-ICPMS Thermofischer Neptune+. 

The speciation and location of the elements of interest will be determined by state-of-the-art methodology based on a multiple scale characterization combining techniques at CEREGE and synchrotron radiation facilities including X-ray Absorption Spectroscopies (XAS, XRF) and imaging techniques (Micro-XAS, micro-XRF,…). 

The recruited person will work in France (CEREGE, Aix en Provence) and Morocco (UM6P AITTC-experimental farm).

Education

•  A Ph.D. in environmental science, biogeochemistry, isotope geochemistry or related field.

Requirement

• Experience in isotopic analysis and multi-collector mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS)
• Experience in X-ray absorption spectroscopic analysis is a plus but not mandatory
• Having experience in environment fields related to agriculture and fertilizer management and processing.
• Having the ability to work in a team and possess strong writing skills and excellent communication abilities in French and English.
• Being dynamic, enthusiastic, and demonstrating good autonomy.