Dear colleagues,

The ERC Impact group in Lyon, France has several PhD and Master openings within the Impact project.

IMPACT aims to retrace the thermodynamic path of the condensation of the protolunar disk, to bring physical and chemical constraints on the impact model, and to characterize the formation of the Moon and of the Earth. The position is to study the supercritical state of major rock-forming minerals. The successful candidates will perform first-principles molecular dynamics simulations to compute the equations of state of the liquid, gas and supercritical states, position the supercritical points and/or surfaces, determine the speciation in the fluids, and predict isotope partitioning factors. They will work on a variety of geological materials, ranging from simple minerals up to the most complex natural melts.

A background in Earth sciences, solid-state physics and/or chemistry or materials science is preferred. Computing skills are highly appreciated. Proficiency in written and spoken English is mandatory.

The applications should be addressed to Dr. Razvan Caracas (razvan.caracas@ens-lyon.fr). The package will include CV, names of references, motivation letter, including specific interests and prior experience in areas related to mineral physics. A competitive package of salary and employee benefits is offered.