The Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT) is a public scientific, cultural and professional establishment (EPSCP) under the supervision of the ministers for industry and digital technology. It is the largest group of engineering schools in France, with 11 public engineering schools throughout the country, training 13,500 engineers and PhDs. The ITM employs 4,500 people and has an annual budget of €400 million, 40% of which comes from its own resources. The ITM has 2 Carnot institutes, 35 industrial chairs, produces 2100 A-rank publications annually, 60 patents and carries out €110M of contract research.

Founded in 1843, IMT Mines Alès currently has 1,400 students (including 250 foreign students) and 380 staff. The school has 3 research and teaching centres of a high scientific and technological level, working in the fields of materials and civil engineering (C2MA), the environment and risks (CREER), artificial intelligence and industrial and digital engineering (CERIS). It has 12 technology platforms and 1,600 partner companies. 

C2MA is a research and teaching centre that addresses the needs of industry and society in the field of materials through its three research teams: 

• Durability of EcoMaterials and Structures (DMS) in Alès
• Polymers, Composites, and Hybrids (PCH) in Alès
• Research on Material Interactions and their Environment (RIME) in Pau

The activities of the research teams (UPR PCH - Polymers, Composites, and Hybrids) & DMS/UMR LMCG - Durability of Eco-Materials and Structures) at the Centre des Matériaux des Mines d’Alès (C2MA) consist of offering a comprehensive vision for the development of eco-materials and their interaction with their service environment. The development of these materials must combine the concepts of mechanical strength, chemical stability, and durability, whether for civil engineering structures or high-performance composites for industry.

The research themes of these teams cover the entire life cycle of materials (bio-based and recycled raw materials, shaping, formulation, and control of performance properties) while integrating end-of-life valorization stages.

The multidisciplinary approach is supported by a diverse range of expertise, spanning engineering sciences (process engineering, materials engineering, civil engineering, mechanics, etc.) as well as chemistry and physico-chemistry (macromolecular and mineral materials, surfaces and interfaces, etc.). This is further backed by technological platforms equipped with advanced tools for processing, shaping, and microstructural, thermal, and mechanical characterization of polymer and composite materials.

The position to be filled is part of the European Best-Crop project, involving 18 partners across Europe: https://www.bestcrop.eu/, which aims to contribute to the development of the circular economy by offering new barley varieties with improved yields. One aspect of the project involves providing barley straws with optimized composition and/or structure for various applications, including, among others, the construction sector (manufacturing of particle boards and biocomposites).

The PCH team will be specifically tasked with studying the thermal and fire behavior of straws from different barley varieties. This will involve assessing the variability of behaviors in relation to the composition of the straws and exploring their processing with binders and/or incorporation into matrices to develop high-performance composites. The work will also contribute to expanding the extensive database on fire behavior of materials available at the laboratory.