Interdisciplinary PhD, Environmental Sciences and Economics:

Innovation and Circular Economy of Mineral Resources

 

Keywords: Circular Economy, Mineral Resource, Innovation adoption, Recycling, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Environmental valuation, Critical metal.

 

Profile and competencies

The candidate will have a strong interest in Economics and Knowledges in the assessment of environmental impacts and on innovations in the field recycling activities. The candidate should have excellent academic qualifications. Interdisciplinary experience or prior experience in mineral resource or recycling economics would be appreciated.

Admission criteria

Candidates should have a master's degree in economics or environmental sciences, with a strong theoretical background and training in quantitative and statistical techniques.  A background in social sciences will be appreciated for candidates coming from environmental sciences.

Proposal’s context

The PhD will take place in the interdisciplinary RECALL (Sustainable RECovery of vALuable metaLs in bauxite residue, https://www.cerege.fr/fr/nos-projets/recall) project, a program funded by the ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) which bring together several academic and non-academic partners: CEREGE[1]  AMSE[2] , ICSM[3], HYMAG'IN[4] and ALTEO[5]. The aim of the RECALL project is to selectively recover critical metals and to valorize the iron in bauxite residues with the overall goal of reducing the pressure on natural mineral resources.  A shortage of these materials could be a potential bottleneck to the deployment of a number of strategic technologies including electronic and renewable energies that contain a large number of critical metals including Rare Earth Elements (REEs).

To reduce the environmental footprint of the extractions, this interdisciplinary project will develop two sustainable processes as an alternative to traditional pyro- and hydrometallurgy processes and will value the economic impact of this technological change in terms of social welfare in which potential environmental and health impacts will be considered.

The PhD student will work in interaction with (and benefit from) another PhD fellow (Amidex - Aix-Marseille University foundation) started in June 2020 and working on the extraction of critical metals from bauxite residue at CEREGE.

PhD Missions

  • Assessing social well-being including environmental and health impacts.
  • Identifying economic conditions that favor the adoption of the new technologies through a prospective analysis
  • Developing a socioeconomic assessment method based on technology readiness assessment (TRA) using the Technology Readiness Levels (TRL).

 How to apply?

The full application package must be sent as PDF files to Clément Levard (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Dominique Ami (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Frédéric Rychen (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

The subject of the mail must be “YOUR_NAME_RECALL_PhD Application”.

The full application package must contain the following documents:

  1. A detailed CV.
  2. A letter of motivation that highlights the adequacy between the applicant’s background and the RECALL project as well as the ability of the applicant to integrate and contribute to the interdisciplinary team.
  3. Detailed bachelor-and master-level grades (including official grades for the ongoing academic year. Detailed transcript are required for student from foreign institution.
  4. The first four items must be included in a single PDF file, following the order given above.

The name of the zip file must beYOUR_NAME_RECALL_application.pdf”.

  1. Master dissertation (or equivalent research work). The name of the master dissertation file must be “YOUR_NAME_RECALL_Master dissertation.pdf”. For students currently enrolled in the second year of the Master's program, send a detailed abstract (from 5 to 10 pages) of the Master's Thesis.
  2. At least two reference letters, which must be sent directly and confidentially to Dominique AMI (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Recruitment calendar:

  • Application deadline: May 31, 2022 (noon, Paris time)
  • Interview for selected candidates by RECALL TEAM: June, 2022
  • Decision: End of June, 2022
  • Contract start date: as close as possible to the final decision.

General information

  • Scholarship value: around 1,770 euros monthly gross salary (1,400 euros net of social contributions). The grant includes social security coverage.
  • Expenses: applicants will pay the annual tuition fee (around 500 €).
  • Tenure of award: 3 years.

 

[1] (https://www.cerege.fr/en)

[2] https://www.amse-aixmarseille.fr/en

[3] https://www.icsm.fr/

[4] https://www.hymagin.com/

[5] https://www.alteo-alumina.com/