Postdoctoral Researcher Position Discovering new design principles for dynamic covalent polymer networks

Laboratory description
L’École Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris (ESPCI Paris) is a “Grande École d’ingénieurs” and an internationally renowned research center constituted of 17 laboratories. The ESPCI Paris is proud of its strong research collaborations with industry as well as its research-oriented education program in physics, chemistry, and biology.
The selected candidate will join the Chimie et Design Macromoléculaire (CDM) team within the Chimie Moléculaire, Macromoléculaire, Matériaux (C3M) laboratory. The C3M laboratory broadly focuses on the design, synthesis and study of organic, polymeric, and composite materials organized at different scales. The laboratory is known for conducting fundamental research inspired by and oriented towards industrial applications.

Research aims
The CDM team is deeply intrigued by dynamically crosslinked polymers called vitrimers. These materials offer an unusual yet compelling combination of properties—they behave like thermosets at use temperatures but flow like vitreous glasses at processing temperatures. Although much progress has been made on the synthesis and characterization of these materials, many intriguing fundamental aspects remain unexplored. This research project will aim to probe new structure-property relationships to uncover advanced principles for the design of dynamically crosslinked polymer networks. In addition to the synthesis of new functional polymeric materials, the project will entail creative application of characterization techniques from the molecular scale (e.g., NMR, GC, UV/Vis…) to the polymer scale (e.g., SEC, DSC, creep, stress relaxation, processability…). The knowledge generated from this project will have important implications for recyclable and hierarchically structured materials.
Keywords. Vitrimers, functional materials, dynamic covalent chemistry, rheology

Candidate profile and recruitment terms
Knowledge and skills : The candidate should have a strong background in the synthesis of (functional) organic polymers. An intimate knowledge of the structural, thermal, and/or mechanical characterization of polymeric materials is a major plus. We are particularly interested in candidates who are driven to tackle fundamental research problems.

Required training : The candidate must have a PhD by the start date.
Start date and duration : As soon as possible. The initial contract will be 1 year, and there is the possibility to renew it for a second year.
Supervisors : Prof. Renaud Nicolaÿ and CNRS researcher Nathan Van Zee
Salary : The salary will be adjusted based on the candidate’s background and experience. The base salary is 45K€ gross.

Application details and contacts
Applications must include the following :
• Cover letter
• Curriculum vitae with the complete contact details of the candidate
• Brief summary of scientific research
• Contact details of two references
• Copy of the doctoral degree (if available at the time of application)
The files must be combined into a single document in PDF format only.
To apply, the above document should be sent to Renaud Nicolay () and Nathan Van Zee ().