Urban Air Quality and Atmospheric Chemistry

About this position

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic postdoctoral researcher to lead experimental work in atmospheric chemistry and physics, within a multidisciplinary project investigating the impacts of urban greening and mobility strategies on air quality. The recruited postdoctoral researcher will be responsible for conducting air quality measurements during field campaigns, with a focus on the organic composition of gas and particle phases, using state-of-the-art online instrumentation from the MASSALYA platform ( https://lce.univ-amu.fr/equipes/massalya ). Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will be measured using PTR-ToF-MS, complemented by offline analyses.

Aerosol physical properties (number and size distributions) and chemical composition will be characterised using a high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-AMS) and the CHARON inlet coupled to PTR-ToF-MS, together with ancillary measurements (black carbon, NOx, ozone).

The candidate will support instrument deployment and operation in close coordination with partner institutes, lead data analysis to quantify the impact of urban design and greening on air pollution and contribute actively to the dissemination of scientific results through publications in international peer-reviewed journals and presentations at international conferences. The candidate must have a PhD in atmospheric chemistry or physics, or engineering.

This position is part of the OASIS-Urbaines project (funded by the ITEM Institute), a companion project of PEPR RESILIENCE ( https://pepr-vdbi.fr/projets/projets-resilience ), which focuses on sustainable and inclusive urban planning to improve well-being and environmental health. Whitin these two projects a transdisciplinary approach—including air quality, urban heat islands, greenhouse gas emissions, mobility, and biodiversity—will be deployed to evaluate urban greening policies under climate change. The final goal is to optimise greening and mobility plans to maximise co-benefits across these areas.

OASIS-Urbaines combines field measurements and modelling at multiple scales to provide recommendations for local authorities and develop tools (maps, models, guides) to support policy and raise public awareness of the impacts of urban planning decisions.