Postdoc position offer:

«Synthesis of optimized magnetic nanobeads and electroactive nanotags embedded in rapid and robust diagnostic tests for malaria point-of-care testing.»

Job location: Montpellier

Duration: 18 months from October 2022

Required skills: Coordination chemistry, nanochemistry. Synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials. Handling experiences of manipulation in biological media desired.

Key words : synthesis of iron oxide and/or Prussian blue nanoparticles, surface chemistry, Sol-gel, thermal flash decomposition methods, coprecipitation methods, magnetic properties studies, electrochemical properties studies.

Required profile: The candidate must have a PhD degree in materials chemistry. He will have transversal skills: presentations, report writing, multi-team project management.

Host structure: The work will take place at the Charles Gerhardt Institute in Montpellier in the Chemistry and Molecular Materials Department (D1).

Candidacy: The application must be made via the CNRS job portal (https://emploi.cnrs.fr/)

Application deadline: May 2, 2022

Contact:  Dr. Yannick Guari (yannick.guari@umontpellier.fr). Mobile: 07 78 44 69 03.

Description of the project

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an ambitious plan to eradicate malaria that will require population screening, which is not feasible with current diagnostic tools. Nowadays, malaria point-of-care (POC) testing relies on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), which are easy to use but display insufficient sensitivity. Other unmet needs are the generation of a quantitative response, a robust and reproducible production path, and long-term stability under a wide range of temperatures and humidity conditions.

Responding to this challenge, the QUPID project funded in the frame of the Euronanomed III JTC 2021 aims to develop a cost-effective analytical system that, by exploiting synthetic receptors and tags, will exhibit long-term storage stability, and fast and quantitative malaria diagnosis with minimal user intervention, facilitating remote interpretation.

The ICGM, a partner in this project, is involved in the design of iron oxide magnetic nanobeads (MNBs) with high Intrinsic Loss Power (ILP) and appropriate coating and surface functionalisation and in the design of electroactive nanotags (ENTs) with defined redox activity based on Prussian blue.

The post-doctoral fellow who will be recruited will carry out the synthesis of these MNBs and ENTs with optimized properties, their functionalization, their fine characterization (including stability studies in different media) and the study of their properties of use (magnetism and redox properties).

Candidacy

The application must be made via the CNRS job portal (https://emploi.cnrs.fr/)

Contact     

Dr. Yannick Guari (yannick.guari@umontpellier.fr). Mobile: 07 78 44 69 03.