Post-doctoral position at IC2MP, Poitiers (France)

Reactivity of water and radicals at crystalline cellulose surfaces

A 1 year postdoc position in the field of QM/MM simulations of water-cellulose interfaces is available at the Theoretical Chemistry group of Dr. Gilles Frapper at IC2MP (U. Poitiers - CNRS, France). The position is funded by the ANR CelloPlasm.The net salarywill be around 2.3 k€ per month (depending on experiences).Partly health insurance (70% in charge of French Social Security), and a social housing support are a plus.

Project:the postdoc work will consist of applying DFT and/or QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations to the chemical reactivity at water liquid/crystalline cellulose interfaces. Modelling of the solvation effects will be considered as the water-cellulose interactions play a crucial role in the depolymerization process of cellulose. Activation of C-O bonds by water molecules and radicals (ex. OH excited state in plasma) will be studied. Periodic systems are envisaged, ieuse of DFT codes as CP2K, VASP, …

Desired qualifications: solid background in physics and chemistry and understanding of quantum mechanics with experience in computational material modeling at the atomic scale and interfaces; requirements: expertise in the modelling of reaction pathways at surfaces through AIMD simulations, experience in computational tools (elaboration of scripts in bash, python,...). Knowledges in QM/MM approaches to model liquid or gas/solid interfaces will be appreciated (CP2K experiences, …); possess a solid track record of research accomplishments. Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written, are required.   

How to apply: Applications should be sent to [email protected]as early as possible with the mail subject "Post-doc position". The application should include:

• a detailed Curriculum Vitae, including a transcript of PhD diploma,
• a cover letter describing why you should be considered for this position, answering the following questions: What QM/MM modeling technique(s) do you have expertise in? What liquid or gas/solid interfaces did you look at? What is your experience with molecular dynamics, transition state characterization (if any)? When might you start?
• a list of three professors who have supervised you in M.Sc. and PhD research projects or current employers and who are willing to provide a letter of recommendation.

All documents should be in PDF format and written in English. A short-list of candidates will be made, who will be contacted for an interview over Skype (In CV, Skype address must be included).

The selected candidate is expected to start asapand before 31 december 2018.