Opportunity to candidate for a Marie-Sklodowska Curie European Postdoctoral Fellowship in Development of a reverse- engineering methodology to formulate concretes in case of extended lifetime infra.

17 Mar 2026
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Université Gustave Eiffel

Research Field

Chemistry » Inorganic chemistry
Engineering » Civil engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)
Recognised Researcher (R2)

Positions

Postdoc Positions

Application Deadline

29 Apr 2026 - 23:59 (Europe/Paris)

Country

France

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Offer Starting Date

30 Apr 2026

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Horizon Europe - MSCA

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Université Gustave Eiffel is looking for a candidate to apply for a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the framework of the Marie-Sklodowska Curie Programme 2026.

The Candidate and Université Gustave Eiffel's supervisor will apply together to develop the following research project : Development of a reverse-engineering methodology to formulate concretes in case of extended lifetime infrastructure

This postdoctoral position is part of a proposal to be submitted for funding under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) European Postdoctoral Fellowship program. The fellowship is contingent upon the selection and approval of the proposal by the European Commission. The successful candidate will work closely with the supervisor to co-develop (from March 30th, 2026 to September 9th, 2026) and submit the funding application, which will include a detailed research plan and a personalized Career Development Plan. 

 If the application is successful, the project will start at the earliest in May 2027. 

1 - Background

Carbon emission reduction is not only a European goal but a necessity worldwide in order to limit the global warming. More and more industries are looking for new ways to decrease their carbon production, through improved production processes, lower waste production or even waste reuse as fuels or raw materials. Specifically, the cement industry represents approximately 8% of the global carbon emission, nearly all due to clinker production. The development of new cements considered as low carbon due to their lower clinker content or calcination temperature due to the use of industrial by-products (slags, silica fumes, fly ashes, mining sludges, …) or new raw materials (recycled aggregates, clays, …) can be a way to decrease this impact. However, the best carbon emission is the one that is not produced. Considering this, extending the lifetime of the infrastructure (dams, bridges, nuclear power plants, …) beyond the initially planned one, is the new goal for the construction industry, but this creates new uncertainties. For example, the concrete bioshield in nuclear power plants (NPPs) is a critical protective layer that absorbs neutron and gamma radiation, which both may alter the crystalline phases in the concrete, possibly causing internal expansion and potential damage. Extending their service life well beyond the 40 years they had been designed for, is a challenge for the future (Khmurovska and Štemberk 2019). Moreover, unconventional materials with as-low-as-possible embodied carbon, in line with the broader process of phasing out cements with high clinker content, have been used sparingly for infrastructure construction and for only a decade, making it difficult to extrapolate how they might degrade in the long-term. All this points to a common barrier: a lack of long-term experimental data to assess whether performance and resistance against degradation (Delayed Ettringite Formation - DEF, Alkali-Silica Reaction - ASR, carbonation or rebar corrosion) will safely be maintained over the decades. As decisions on new concretes and life extension must be made now, we cannot wait decades for data. A possible option would be drilling out cores of concrete infrastructures, but this can be difficult and not always feasible (NPPs). When possible, the initial composition is often unknown, making it more difficult to understand how the current mature materials aged during service life. Moreover, if drilled out, it is probable that very few samples will be available.

2 - Objectives 

To address these fundamental limitations, this project aims to build trust in physical predictions of long-term degradation through an original combination of advanced simulations, experimental characterisation, and degradation tests, all pivoted on a novel methodology to produce aged-equivalent concrete samples. Specific objectives are to: (O1) Define mix designs and curing protocols to rapidly obtain (e.g. in 28 days) concrete samples whose microstructure and properties reflect those of aged samples, in terms of mineral composition, mechanical strength, porosity, permeability, etc.; (O2) Define a simulation methodology to predict the long-term chemo-mechanical degradation of concrete depending on its mix design; (O3) Extrapolate the long-term degradation of concrete samples by alternating short-term model predictions and accelerated aging experiments on reconstructed aged-equivalent samples. The methods to develop and adopt will be: for O1, literature review on reconstruction techniques, thermodynamic modelling for mix-designing equivalent sample, plus dedicated experimental characterisation at the macroscale (density, total porosity by water absorption, unconfined compressive strength, etc.) and at the microscale (phase assemblages of cement paste and aggregates, through SEM-EDS, XRD, XRF, Raman spectroscopy, TGA-MS and ICP-MS); for O2, mesoscale modelling of concrete degradation (LDPM – Lattice Discrete Particle Model) informed by microstructural chemo-mechanical simulations (Kinetic Monte Carlo); for O3, accelerated degradation tests of degradation processes, such as DEF, ASR, carbonation or chloride ingress.

3 - Who are we?
CPDM laboratory (Physico-Chemical Behaviour and Durability of Materials) in MAST department of Université Gustave Eiffel investigates cementitious materials hydration, properties and durability, from atomic to centimetric scale with mineral, chemical and physical characterisations.
EMGCU (Experimentation and Modelling in Civil and Urban Engineering) in MAST department of Université Gustave Eiffel investigates mechanical behaviour and durability of civil engineering materials and structures.
MMS (Mechanics of Materials and Structure) in DICA department of Politecnico di Milano investigates the mechanics of solids and structures at multiple length-scales, through theory and simulation.
SE (Structures and Environment) in DICA department of Politecnico di Milano investigates the mechanics and degradation of infrastructure materials, through laboratory experiments and numerical modelling.

4 - Planned secondments

Milan, Italy, in Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Politecnico di Milano (Italy)

5 - Planned duration of the project

24 months

6 - References
Khmurovska, Y. and P. Štemberk (2019). Mechanisms behind radiation-induced deterioration of concrete. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, IOP Publishing.

Where to apply

E-mail

agathe.bourchy@univ-eiffel.fr

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Civil engineering

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

The postdoctoral candidate should have a PhD diploma in material sciences or civil engineering, with an important knowledge in cementitious materials, formulation and characterisation with regards to its physico-chemical behaviour (mineral analysis or mechanical and durability analysis). Knowledge or appreciation of modelling software is also needed. The candidate should become an independent and ingenious worker after a training period, like to work in a team and be able to publish results in scientific journals. The use of regular office software and being fluent in English (oral and writing) are a necessity

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Languages

FRENCH

Level

Basic

Additional Information
Benefits

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships enhance the creative and innovative potential of researchers holding a PhD and who wish to acquire new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships will be open to excellent researchers of any nationality.

The scheme also encourages researchers to work on research and innovation projects in the non-academic sector and is open to researchers wishing to reintegrate in Europe, to those who are displaced by conflict, as well as to researchers with high potential who are seeking to restart their careers in research.

Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers, undertaking international mobility either to or between EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, as well as to non-associated Third Countries. Applications will be made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

Eligibility criteria

Before applying, please make sure you checked the eligibility criteria to apply to the Post-doctoral Fellowship Call 2026: 

Post-doctoral researcher:

For EUROPEAN Fellowship:
- You must commit to submitting only one proposal to the call 2025 with one institution, université Gustave Eiffel
- You must be postdoctoral researchers / have successfully defended your thesis at the date of the MSCA PF call deadline (September 9th, 2026). The successful defence must be unconditional (no further requirements/corrections that need to be addressed) and take place before the call deadline.
- You must have a maximum of 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research (from date of PhD award). Years of experience outside research and career breaks (e.g. due to parental leave), will not count towards the amount of research experience. 
- You must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in FRANCE for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately before the call deadline.

Selection process

Université Gustave eiffel is looking for a candidate to prepare a joint application to the next Post-doctoral Fellowship call under the MSCA programme (deadline for the MSCA application: September 9th 2026). 

Interested candidate must send their application to université Gustave Eiffel no later than March 27th, 2026. 

The identified candidate will be contacted to prepare the joint application between March 30th until September 9th, 2026. 
Please note that the candidate must secure time to communicate with the supervisor from Université Gustave Eiffel, with partners identified for potential secondment and must secure time to write the project with the support of the supervisor form Université Gustave Eiffel and the European Project Supporting team. 

Please keep in mind that the post-doctoral position is not secured yet. It will be subject to submitting an application to the European Commission. Should it be accepted, the results will be communicated by March 2027, the Grant agreement signature will be secured in April 2027 and the postdoctoral position can start, at the earliest, from May/June 2027. 

To apply :

1 -  Please download the Application form by clicking here

2 - Fill the Application form

3 - Send the Application form AND a Curriculum Vitae to the supervisors of the research project (Mounira Bouarroudj, mounira.bouarroudj@univ-eiffel.fr ) before March 27th, 2026.

4 - The supervisor will reach you and discuss possible joint application for the incoming MSCA-PF 2026 call.

Additional comments

Please keep in mind that the post-doctoral position is not secured yet. It will be subject to submitting an application to the European Commission. Should it be accepted, the results will be communicated by March 2027, the Grant agreement signature will be secured in April 2027 and the postdoctoral position can start, at the earliest, from May/June 2027. 

Website for additional job details

https://cpdm.univ-gustave-eiffel.fr/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Université Gustave Eiffel - MAST Department, CPDM Laboratory

Country

France

City

Marne-la-Vallée

Postal Code

77454

Street

5, Boulevard Descartes

Geofield

Contact

City

Marne-la-Vallée

Website

https://www.univ-gustave-eiffel.fr/

Street

5 Boulevard Descartes, Champs-sur-Marne

Postal Code

77454

STATUS: EXPIRED

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