Postdoctoral Researcher in Ultrafast Plasmonic-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (M/F)

About this position

The postdoctoral researcher will contribute to the PERSH project (Plasmon-Enhanced Raman spectroscopy to resolve excited-state Structure and energy transfer in light-Harvesting assemblies), funded through the PSiNano interdisciplinary call. The project develops and validates surface-enhanced femtosecond stimulated resonance Raman spectroscopy (SE-FSRRS), combining plasmonic near-field amplification with resonance enhancement, to resolve excited-state vibrational structure and energy-transfer pathways in photosynthetic light-harvesting assemblies (porphyrin aggregates and LH2 complexes from purple bacteria). The position is shared between two partner laboratories: the PPSM team at ENS Paris-Saclay and the LEC team at I2BC.

At PPSM (ENS Paris-Saclay):

• Synthesise and functionalise plasmonic nanoparticles (surface modification, anchoring chemistry) for reference compounds and porphyrin aggregates.
• Prepare porphyrin aggregate model systems spanning distinct coupling regimes and morphologies.
• Contribute to immobilisation strategies (click chemistry, silica encapsulation) for coupling pigments, and later proteins, to plasmonic substrates.

At LEC (I2BC):

• Record SE-FSRRS and transient absorption measurements, first on reference compounds to calibrate the method, then on porphyrin aggregates and LH2 complexes.
• Perform global analysis of the resulting time-resolved Raman and transient absorption datasets to extract excited-state lifetimes and vibrational signatures.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation and to the dissemination of results at conferences.

The position is part of the PERSH project, funded for 15 months (09/2026–12/2027), with a one-year postdoctoral contract. The postdoctoral researcher will share their time between PPSM (Photophysique et Photochimie Supramoléculaires et Macromoléculaires, UMR 8531, ENS Paris-Saclay) and the Light Energy Conversion (LEC) team at the Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC, UMR 9198, CEA/CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette), both sites located on the Paris-Saclay campus. They will have access to the LUMA national femtosecond Raman platform and will work in close coordination with both partner teams, in a strongly interdisciplinary setting (surface chemistry, ultrafast physics, protein biochemistry).