PhD student

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Laboratoire de Génie Electrique de Grenoble Research Field Engineering Physics Technology Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 19 Oct 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Dec 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The G2elab Electrical Engineering Laboratory in Grenoble is a joint research unit (UMR 5269) of Grenoble INP – UGA, the University of Grenoble Alpes and the CNRS, specialising in electrical engineering research.
It covers a scientific spectrum ranging from materials and components to the design and control of electrical energy systems. Its work can be summarised by the following key terms: electrical energy, materials, innovative processes and systems, modelling and design.
With over a hundred permanent staff, around a hundred PhD students and 70 other contributors such as Master's students, postdocs and visiting professors, G2Elab has established itself as a major player in these fields at both national and international level, at the heart of energy efficiency in components and systems.
The PhD student will also be supervised by a team of researchers from CEA leti, and close collaboration is planned. The student may also work on an ad hoc basis at CEA leti, which is located near G2Elab.
The UTTOP Production Engineering Laboratory is a multidisciplinary laboratory conducting research in materials, mechanics, automation, computer science, electrical engineering, robotics, and production sciences and technologies within the field of Systems Science and Engineering.
The electrical engineering research team, e-ACE2 – Efficiency of Electrical Energy Conversion Systems, carries out research into electrical energy conversion chains, from their design through to their control, diagnostics and implementation. This research aims to improve the efficiency of these systems, with a focus on performance and resilience.

The thesis topic is part of the PEPR GREENPOWER project, which aims to develop more sustainable power modules and explore how to structure a more circular supply chain around these typical energy conversion products. The project consortium includes university researchers (LGP (Tarbes), ICGM (Montpellier), PIM (Lyon) and G2Elab (Grenoble)) and researchers from CEA Leti.

Activities
Identify and improve a circularity/repairability indicator and a remaining lifespan indicator, which are two key indicators. Identify how to collect the necessary data to populate this indicator, based on current best practices. If necessary, the development of diagnostic tools to be used with the indicators will be required. Combined with economic and market parameters, the creation of a price guide for power modules is a major prospect for supporting end-of-life decision-making.
The other research area that should support eco-design and circularity choices concerns the development of scenarios and associated inventories for end-of-life management. This involves identifying relevant options, inventorying and integrating circularity scenarios into the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) tool for environmental impact assessment developed by the G2Elab-CEAleti research unit, and then integrating and utilizing the tool within the methodology (interpreting impact categories, assigning a single score, contextualizing the application, etc.). This could potentially involve contextualizing LCA at the product/application level, rather than just the electronic system level. The collaborative LCA tool, simplifying LCA, and currently more focused on the environmental impact assessment, could thus become the integration of circularity into LCA.
To guide the choices to be made, an survey carried out at international level will be conducted to understand people's perceptions regarding the opportunities offered by the "R principle" (gathering input from key stakeholders, materials experts, their potential, uses, supply chains, recyclers, and, when possible, circularity operators specifically for the module). This will encompass an ecosystemic network, technological opportunities, and a vision/projection of the power module sector. This should lead us to a synthesis of scenarios, immersing us in the project and beyond. For example, 20 surveys will be conducted.

Skills :

Required :

1. 1- Knowledge of electrical engineering, electronics, and power electronics.
2. 2- Knowledge of semiconductor packaging, including design, processes, and materials.
3. 3- Knowledge of conducting Life Cycl