Context : Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Water Electrolysis (PEMWE) is widely regarded as the most promising technology for hydrogen production from renewable sources. However, evaluating the durability of PEMWE systems remains a significant challenge, despite being extremely valuable for both developers and operators. Accelerated Stress Tests (ASTs) are considered effective tools to investigate degradation mechanisms, reduce testing time and development cycles, and provide guidance for both electrolyzer design and system operation. That said, designing reliable AST protocols is far from trivial, as performance degradation in PEMWE systems involves multiple components and complex multi-physical and physicochemical processes. The ANR PEPR project “ASTERHYX” brings together the expertise of leading laboratories specialized in PEMWE testing and analysis, with the objective of developing AST protocols through a combination of
targeted multiscale experiments and advanced modelling approaches. The doctoral position will take place within the framework of the ASTERHYX project and contribute to the entire AST development cycle—from initial long-term PEMWE testing, through AST protocol design, to data analysis and degradation modelling.

Host Institute:
The Institute FEMTO-ST which is one of the largest CNRS-labeled lab in engineering in France. European leading experimental facilities are provided partially by CNRS FCLAB (https://www.fclab.fr/). The
supervision of the PhD will be in collaboration with the CEA-LITEN, so periods of exchanges between these two laboratories must be consideredThe Institute FEMTO-ST which is one of the largest CNRS-labeled lab in engineering in France. European leading experimental facilities are provided partially by CNRS FCLAB (https://www.fclab.fr/). The supervision of the PhD will be in collaboration with the CEA-LITEN, so periods of exchanges betweenthese two laboratories must be considered

Profile :
Candidates must own a Master Degree. Candidates should possess expertise in the characterization, modeling, and analysis of physical devices, preferably electrochemical devices (such as fuel cells, batteries, and electrolyzers). Experience in hydrogen fuel cell or electrolyzer system design, automation, and testing will be a significant advantage. A strong background in data analysis and modeling (e.g. numerical analysis, machine learning techniques) would be appreciated. An ability to work collaboratively in a team setting is essential. A very good English level is mandatory.

Contact: 

daniel.hissel@univ-fcomte.fr

gareth.keeley@cea.fr

+ d'infos :

phd_thesis_asterhyx_femto-st.pdf

Context : Unlike for new on-road light-duty vehicles, for which mandatory carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards have been in place in the European Union (EU) for a decade, the CO2 emissions standards for new on-road Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDV) were only adopted in 2019. This delay is particularly due to more stringent requirements, to substitute the diesel engine-based HDV, in terms of lifetime, driving range or refueling time. Today, a fast deployment of new types of on-road HDV to reduce the ecological footprint of transportation is then required. To tackle this, the EU aims to deploy zero- emission vehicles using battery or hydrogen fuel cell

Objectives : The PhD thesis aims to develop a generic method to scale single-stack fuel cell and multi-stack fuel cell system. The scaling laws will be developed for relevant properties, such as losses, as well as component parameters, by taking into account different active surface areas. This will be done by using Energetic Macroscopic Representation (EMR) formalism to develop innovative laws that allow to up- or down-size reference components, making it needless to redo time consuming design step [...]

Environment : The L2EP (Laboratory of Electrical Engineering and Power Electronics, ULR 2697, https://l2ep.univ-lille.fr/en/) has about 100 researchers, including 36 Professors and 42 PhD students, in the field of innovative electrical systems. Its control team is internationally recognized for the energy management of various electrified vehicles. Since 1990, the control team of L2EP has developed various generic method, such as the EMR graphical formalism. EMR is nowadays internationally taught and annual EMR summer school is organized every year (www.emrwebsite.org). A scientific platform of 150 m2 is dedicated to validate new electrified vehicle concepts, from subsystems to vehicles, for more efficient and less pollutant transportation systems (https://ev-platform.univ-lille.fr/). The FEMTO-ST (Franche-Comté Electronics Mechanics Thermal Science and Optics – Sciences and Technologies) institute (CNRS UMR 6174, https://www.femto-st.fr/en) is a joint research laboratory whose competences cover several fields of engineering sciences with 7 departments, including the Energy department. With 130 members, the Energy department is very involved in Hydrogen Energy to design, evaluate, develop and integrate systems based on the use of the hydrogen energy vector for stationary and on-board applications, while taking account human and social sciences

Contact: 

walter.lhomme@univ-lille.fr ; elodie.pahon@utbm.fr; samir.jemei@univ-fcomte.fr

 

+ d'infos :

offre_these_femto-l2ep.pdf

Job description  :
The French Antilles, comprising Martinique and Guadeloupe, face unique challenges in poultry farming, particularly regarding the management of zoonotic diseases such as avian influenza. The tropical climate of these islands, characterized by high humidity, elevated temperatures, and seasonal rainfall, facilitates the survival and rapid transmission of pathogens. This situation is exacerbated by the geographic isolation of the Antilles, limiting the exchange of knowledge and resources with mainland regions and delaying responses to emerging threats. Additionally, the diversity of farming systems, ranging from small family farms to large intensive operations, complicates the implementation of standardized biosecurity measures. The TALEDZ project (Typology of Antilles Livestock and Early Detection of Zoonoses) is designed to strengthen the early detection, surveillance, and management of zoonotic diseases, particularly avian influenza, within the poultry farming systems of the Antilles. Given the increased risks of virus transmission through migratory birds, TALEDZ focuses on developing an integrated and region-specific framework aimed at anticipating and controlling disease outbreaks before they escalate into
widespread crises.
This PhD thesis is part of the TALEDZ project (Typology of Antilles Livestock and Early Detection of Zoonoses), funded by the PEPR PREZODE program. WP5 of the project aims to develop an intelligent real-time surveillance platform for zoonoses, integrating data from genomics, social media, local news, and on-farm sensors.

The PhD student will:
- Develop NLP algorithms (LLM-based) to detect early signals of disease in press, social media and PubMed.
- Automate collection and analysis of genomic data (H5N1) using APIs such as NCBI/GISAID.
- Design a real-time web platform integrating multi-source data to alert health authorities and farmers.
- Participate in field validation with partners in the Antilles

Application deadline : 10 juin 2025
Start of contract : October 2025

Contact: 

David Laiymani, david.laiymani@univ-fcomte.fr
Karine Deschinkel, karine.deschinkel@univ-fcomte.fr
Christophe Guyeux, christophe.guyeux@univ-fcomte.fr

+ d'infos :

disc_phd_position_offer.pdf