Junior Professorship Chair CPJ - Autumn 2025

Molecular modelind for organic electronics
4 / 5 years’ contract
CY Cergy Paris Université – LPPI Laboratory

 

Host laboratory strategy:

The Laboratoire de Physicochimie des polymers et des Interfaces (LPPI) (https://lppi.cyu.fr/english-version) designs, synthesizes and characterizes multi-component polymer materials and p-conjugated (macro)molecules for energy conversion and storage. This research with strong application potential is generally developed via industrial partnerships. At the same time, the laboratory develops international academic collaborations, some of them supported by European projects.
To be part of the university’s research internationalization strategy, the laboratory wishes to strengthen and develop international exchanges in the field of molecular modeling for organic electronics, a field which underlies the operation of most devices that the LPPI develops. This strategy will be supported by this Junior Professor Chair (CPJ) which will be able to rely on our international partners. This Chair will help consolidate LPPI's excellence in this field of research.
 

Summary of the scientific project:

Starting from September or October 2025, the person recruited will be in charge of the "molecular modeling" theme for organic electronics, initially focusing on applications to organic and/or hybrid solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes, developed within the laboratory. The focus will be on interface properties (defects, energy level, disorder/order, etc.) that are critical for the efficiency of organic electronic devices. The presence of chirality in materials will be considered in relation to order/disorder in organic / (in)organic interfaces. Furthermore, the transition magnetic dipole moment linked to the absorption of light will then be considered because of its potential importance in all applications involving the circular dichroism and the circularly polarization luminescence. The next step will be to predict the impact of the solid state (amorphous/semi-crystalline) on the microscopic properties. The introduction of tools related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in these research activities will be fully envisioned.
 

Summary of teaching project:

Starting from September or October 2025, the recruited person will participate in the development of the teaching programs of the new engineering school CY Tech, of the Science and Technics Institute and of the chemistry department. Ultimately, he/she will be responsible for organizing all "Theoretical Chemistry" teaching in the bachelor's, master's and engineering cycles. Depending on the student's background, these courses will cover quantum mechanics at the atomic level, chemical bonding, an introduction to molecular modeling and artificial intelligence. They will be given through lectures and practical work, and the supervision of internships in molecular modeling. The introduction of innovative teaching methods will be considered. The recruited person will eventually be able to also participate in the management of these training courses.

Financial summary (excluding salary):

Total financed by CPJ (including ANR package) 200 000 €
Co-financing 20 000 / 25 000 €
Project total 220 000 / 225 000 €
 

Indicators:

The medium-size of our laboratory (24 permanent staff) enables an informal ongoing monitoring of its members' activities. The laboratory director will ensure annual monitoring of CPJ's research, while a referent will provide support for teaching.
A mid-term assessment will be made in the form of a presentation to the Laboratory Council on the progress of the various activities. It is also expected of the chairholder to defend his/her habilitation to steer research (HDR) before the end of the contract. At the end of the 4-5 contract, he/she will produce a detailed report on the project's achievements, before being evaluated by the Laboratory Council and then by the Tenure Committee for a Full Professor position.
This report will highlight elements of academic scientific excellence: publications, seminars and invited papers, grants (ANR, Horizon Europe, etc.), organization of conferences, supervision of master's, doctoral and post-doctoral students. The report will also take into account informal criteria on the reputation acquired with other specialists in the discipline and with the co-authors of the articles. Finally, it will mention the status of the international network to which the chairholder belongs. In addition, a balance will be sought between personal research (e.g. methodological research in numerical simulation) and collaborations with laboratory members on major simulation applications.

To quantify the assessment, it is expected a minimum of :
- 3 / 4 publications Q1 from research developed at LPPI;
- 2 / 3 communications in international conferences;
- submission of at least one ANR project or European program (Horizon Europe, ERC, …).
- defense of the habilitation to steer research (HDR)
In addition to these priority criteria, the report will present teaching work and student evaluations. Communication with the general public will also be detailed (open days, Fête de la Science, etc.).
 

Applications:

Contact as soon as possible:
Pr. Frédéric Vidal: frederic.vidal@cyu.fr
Pr. Cédric Plesse : cedric.plesse@cyu.fr

Procedure :

Application Form and Interview in front of the Tenure Committee. More information to come