PhD fellowship optical readout of fluorescent polymers (M/F)

Role: PhD fellowship optical readout of fluorescent polymers (M/F)
Organization: CNRS - National Center for Scientific Research, Institut Fresnel
Location: Marseille, France
Contract Type: Temporary, Full-time (35 hours/week)
Start Date: 1 Oct 2026
Application Deadline: 26 Jun 2026

Job Overview:
The Institut Fresnel is a research state laboratory based in Marseille, France, devoted to research and higher education with affiliation to both CNRS and Aix Marseille University. The institute is seeking to recruit talented, enthusiastic young scientists who are highly motivated to boost their research career in the areas of nanosciences, biosensing, and nano/biotechnologies.

Project Description:
Recently, synthetic digital polymers have been introduced for storing molecular data, offering promising prospects compared to DNA due to their greater versatility and variety. However, the spectroscopy of these macromolecules—that is, the reading of the digital information they contain—remains a major challenge. Currently, the main characterization techniques are based on mass spectrometry or electric current detection. Despite their high sensitivity, these methods remain limited to specific polymers and a low level of parallelization.

Our project aims to explore a novel approach involving the development of fluorescence-encoded synthetic polymers combined with an optical reading technique. Our main objective is to establish an innovative platform based on the real-time optical reading of synthetic polymers. Moving away from current approaches based on mass spectrometry and electricity, this project aims to explore the possibilities offered by optical reading, leveraging fluorescence-encoded molecules and single-photon counting detectors. Adapted polymer chains will be synthesized by our partner laboratory, IMP, in Lyon, using fluorescent dyes. Our goal is to build a high-throughput, high-sensitivity device for the real-time detection of information encoded in synthetic polymers by developing a time-resolved fluorescence optical microscope to jointly quantify fluorescence intensity and photoemission lifetime.

Requirements and Qualifications:
- Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent
- Research Fields: Engineering, Physics, Technology
- Languages: French (Basic level)
- Research Experience: None required

Application Details:
Apply via the website: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR7249-JERWEN-010/Default.aspx