Une plasturgie éthique et responsable ? C’est notre raison d'être et notre ADN !

IPC est le Centre Technique Industriel français dédié aux plastiques et aux composites, il propose des activités de R&D (projets collaboratifs ou contrats privés), de prestations (services aux entreprises) et de transfert industriel (Actions Collectives). Ce centre technique est accessible à toutes les entreprises, quelles que soient leur taille et leur localisation.

Outil majeur de l’innovation plastique et composite en France, IPC joue un rôle fondamental en matière d’innovation pour améliorer la compétitivité des entreprises de la filière dans les domaines de l’économie circulaire, de l’industrie du futur ou des produits à haute valeur ajoutée.

 Et si vous en deveniez acteur à nos côtés ?

Cette aventure professionnelle à la fois passionnante et riche de sens vous intéresse ? Alors rejoignez-nous !

 

Job Information

Organisation/Company: Centre Technique Industriel de la Plasturgie et des Composites (CT-IPC)

Department: Research

Research Field: Drying of fibre pulps

Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)

Positions: PhD Positions

Country: France

Application Deadline: 1^st June 2026

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?: Horizon Europe

Reference Number: 101227649

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?: No

ENDURE Call for Doctoral Candidate Applicants 

To succeed on the ambitious objectives of the European Growth Model, the European moulded fibre products (MFP) industry must have access to a new generation of innovative, entrepreneurial, highly skilled research-oriented cross-disciplinary engineers with direct research experience in: (i) natural fibre material (NFM) engineering; (ii) product design and production engineering of MFPs; (iii) digital manufacturing technologies and Industry4.0 for MFP industry - the ENDURE Doctoral Network comprising 12 Doctoral Candidates is designed to train this next generation of scientists and engineers.

ENDURE is a new Marie Skłodowska Curie (MSCA) Doctoral Network Programme funded by the European Commission, that brings together 5 universities, 2 RTOs and 8 industry partners for four countries. Find more information at https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101227649

ENDURE seeks to recruit < to be filled > Doctoral Candidates (DCs) on a full-time basis over three years starting in 2026.

The Doctoral Candidatess will be hosted by CT-IPC (https://www.ct-ipc.com/), a beneficiary organisation in the ENDURE network, and will be supported by associated partner organizations INSA Lyon (https://www.insa-lyon.fr/) and LaMCoS laboratory (https://lamcos.insa-lyon.fr/?L=1). ENDURE delivers a unique employability and skills development process for DCs ensuring that they can lead the scientific and technological developments in the European MFP industry.

Host and workplace location – CT-IPC and LaMCoS laboratory on the Oyonnax campus of INSA Lyon

PhD Enrolment: 1^st October 2026

Primary Supervisor: Prof Pierre Dumont (INSA Lyon, LaMCoS)

Co-supervisor/mentors: Dr. Thomas Joffre (CT-IPC) and Dr. Florian Martoïa (INSA Lyon, LaMCoS)

Duration and starting date: 36 months, starting as earliest as possible 

Project Objectives:

PhD thesis title: Experimental study and modelling of drainage phenomena in paper pulps for their application in injection moulding processes

Background and challenges

The evolution of environmental requirements and the reduction in the use of plastics derived from fossil resources are driving the development of bio-based materials. Paper pulps, consisting mainly of cellulosic fibres, represent a promising alternative for the manufacture of complex moulded parts.

Injection moulding processes, widely used in the polymer industry, are currently being adapted for aqueous fibre suspensions. However, controlling drainage phenomena, i.e., the separation and removal of the liquid phase under the influence of pressure gradients, remains a major scientific concern. Drainage directly influences the consolidation kinetics, the microstructure, the density and the final mechanical properties of the fibrous parts.

Research objectives

In a paper pulp injection process, the flow of the fibrous suspension is accompanied by drainage coupled with complex phenomena: the filtration of fibre pulp suspension, its consolidation in an anisotropic fibre mat, coupled with an evolving permeability. The main objective of the thesis is to characterise, understand and model the drainage mechanisms of paper pulps under conditions representative of injection moulding conditions to optimise the forming process and the properties of the resulting sheets. The aim is to correlate the influence of drainage parameters with the final density, microstructural homogeneity, mechanical properties and defects (porosities, density gradients) of the fibrous mats.

The study will adopt an experimental approach alongside numerical modelling.

      1.Rheological and structural characterisation of paper fibre suspensions

• • Study of the rheological behaviour of concentrated fibre suspensions to determine the rheological behaviour laws of concentrated fibre suspensions under representative conditions of injection moulding;
  •  Analysis of the influence of fibre morphology on these phenomena.

        2.Experimental study of the drainage of paper fibre suspensions under controlled conditions

• • Development of an experimental apparatus simulating injection conditions (pressure, velocity, geometry);
  • Measurement of drainage kinetics and pressure profiles;
  • Identification of dominant regimes: filtration, consolidation, compression;
  • Determination of the parameters influencing the permeability and compressibility of the fibre mat;
  • Microstructural characterisation (scanning electron microscopy, original in situ drainage tests using X-ray microtomography).

         3.Multiscale modelling

• • Development of a coupled flow-drainage model;
  • Numerical simulation using finite element methods;
  • Parametric analysis and validation of the model by comparison with experimental data.

Industrial application

The expected results are the identification of key parameters governing drainage during injection moulding, and the proposal of a predictive model that can be used to aid in the design of moulds for manufacturing parts via paper pulp injection moulding. This thesis will also contribute to a better understanding of the consolidation properties of compressible bio-based fibre materials.

 

Required applicant profile: Master degree.

Desired skills:

• Experience in Mechanics,
• Mechanical Engineering,
• Materials Science,
• Papermaking.
• Any peer-reviewed publications will be considered an advantage.

Secondment(s): The applicant will undertake two secondments. The first will be with an industrial partner to be defined, 4 months approx., and will focus on mould drying technology. Secondment 2 will be with Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), 2 months approx., and will focus on fibre pulp characterisation.

Salary and Funding Information: This is a full-time Doctoral Candidate (DC) position with a total duration of 36 months with a salary/stipend in accordance with the conditions of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

For more information contact: 

·        Thomas Joffre (CT-IPC) : thomas.joffre@ct-ipc.com

·        Pierre Dumont (INSA Lyon, LaMCoS) : pierre.dumont@insa-lyon.fr

·        Florian Martoïa (INSA Lyon, LaMCoS) : florian.martoia@insa-lyon.fr

Application Process

 The following is an overview description of the application process for the ENDURE doctoral candidate positions. Before making an application please review the details below.

General and project specific eligibility requirements

All applicants must fulfil the following general eligibility criteria, or otherwise will be rejected:

• must have completed a Master's degree or equivalent at the time of start (after January 2026).
• must not have a doctoral degree at the date of their recruitment;
• should comply with the mobility rules, where they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the recruiting organisation for more than 12 months, at any point during the 36 months immediately before their
• recruitment date (short stays such as holidays or compulsory military service are not taken into account);

Project specific eligibility criteria must also be met. Please see individual job descriptions for these criteria.

Essential language requirements

 The working language of ENDURE is English. Applicants are required to either be:

• A native English speaker;                            

                         Or

• A non-native English speaker who has passed the academic IELTS (minimum score: 7.5) or TOEFL internet-based (minimum score: 113) tests.

                         Or

• A non-native English speaker who has completed a Masters degree through English.

How to apply

In the application form (more information below), we will ask for you to select the positions you wish to be considered for during the process.

 Your application must consist of three documents: 

1. Application form with eligibility declaration (Word file);
2. Supporting materials, which must include: (a) curriculum vitae; (b) motivation letter; (c) evidence of qualifications (e.g. formal transcript and degree certificates)  (d) English language certificate, if applicable; and (e) two references (a single PDF-file);
3. Research proposal (2000 words maximum) based on the applicant’s interpretation of the selected project – please see application checklist at the end of this document for details (Word file).

All applications must be submitted by < to be filled > CET to < to be filled >.

Interviews of shortlisted applicants

All shortlisted applicants will be invited to interview. The interviews will take place online and will be scheduled between May-June 2026.

Requirements

Research Field: Rheology of pulp fibre suspensions, Materials Science, Papermaking, Injection Moulding.

Education Level: Master Degree or equivalent