(M/F) Postdoctoral Researcher in Multispectral and Synchrotron Imaging for the Study of Fossil Specimens

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Institut Photonique d'Analyse Non-destructive Européen des Matériaux Anciens Research Field Biological sciences Environmental science Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 10 Oct 2026
- 23:59 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Nov 2026

Offer Description

IPANEMA is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher (M/F) to contribute to the PT-Revival project (ANR PRC), coordinated by Arnaud Brayard (Biogeosciences, Dijon). The candidate will join an interdisciplinary team aiming, in particular, to unravel the preservation mechanisms and hidden diversity of the Paris Biota (PB), an exceptional marine ecosystem from the Lower Triassic (~250 Ma), using innovative approaches such as multispectral and hyperspectral UVvisible
imaging and synchrotron X-ray analysis to map photoluminescent signatures, analyze elemental composition (heavy metals, rare earth elements, etc.) and the chemical composition of the fossilized tissues of the specimens studied.
The postdoctoral fellow will collaborate with project partners (BGS Dijon, PPSM Paris-Saclay, the PUMA synchrotron beamline) to integrate these data with sedimentological and geochemical analyses. He or she will disseminate the results by authoring scientific articles in high-impact journals, giving presentations at international conferences, and participating in the project's science outreach activities.

The postdoctoral fellow will be responsible for developing study protocols using advanced imaging techniques. He or she will be involved in sample preparation (fossils and reference materials) in collaboration with the project's paleontologists. He or she will participate in the planning and execution of measurement campaigns on the PUMA beamline SOLEIL) and in the laboratory (microscopy, multispectral imaging). He or she will disseminate the results through scientific publications and presentations at international conferences. In particular, the postdoctoral fellow will work on three complementary areas:

• Development and optimization of imaging analysis protocols
  Improvement of hyperspectral and multispectral photoluminescence (HMSPL) imaging instruments and quantitative calibration protocols. Optimization of μXRF data acquisition protocols to maximize signal complementarity. Participate in the development of algorithms to optimize HMSPL acquisition and accelerate hyperspectral data processing.
• Measurement campaigns
  Selection of samples from various fossil sites studied in the project, in coordination with project partners. Conducting measurement campaigns on the PUMA beamline (SOLEIL synchrotron) and in the laboratory, combining synchrotron X-ray fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy (μXRF and μXAS) with hyper
  - and multi-spectral photoluminescence imaging (HMSPL) to detect and study previously unrecognized anatomical and chemical contrasts that enable better identification of the whole or partial specimens analyzed.
• Data processing and optimization of data collection strategies
  Segmentation and/or factorization of hyperspectral cubes (SR-μXRF, μXAS, and HMSPL). Integration of results with geochemical and sedimentological data to refine paleoenvironmental and taxonomic reconstructions and optimize future collection strategies.

The position is based at IPANEMA, a highly interdisciplinary European research platform exclusively dedicated to the study of ancient materials (archaeology, paleontology, heritage), located at a major research facility (the SOLEIL synchrotron). The project is led by a French consortium (BGS Dijon, LEHNA Lyon, LMV Clermont-Ferrand, PPSM Paris-Saclay) in collaboration with international institutions (China, USA). The postdoctoral fellow will also have access to the University of Dijon's fossil collections and reference samples (through collaborations with the National Museum of Natural History). The postdoctoral fellow will benefit from privileged access to exceptional collections and state-of-the-art instrumentation
(spectral imaging setups, XRF scanners, micro-XRF, and synchrotron XANES), as well as guidance at the intersection of paleontology, biology, and physical chemistry.

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The candidate must hold a Ph.
D. in materials physics or scientific imaging, with proven experience in spectral imaging techniques (e.g., software such as Python, R, HyperSpy) and/or synchrotron techniques (luminescence, UV-VIS-NIR). Experience in hyperspectral data processing (HMSPL, μXRF, μXAS) and statistical analysis (clustering, machine learning) is preferred.
Familiarity with fossilization processes and taphonomic biases is an asset, as is an interest in ancient marine ecosyste