Job description:

SOLEIL is the French national synchrotron facility, located on the Saclay Plateau near Paris. It is a multi-disciplinary instrument and research laboratory whose mission is to conduct research using synchrotron radiation, to develop cutting edge instrumentation on the beamlines, and to make these developments available to the scientific community. SOLEIL synchrotron, a unique tool for both academic research and industrial applications across a wide range of disciplines including physics, biology, chemistry etc., opened in 2008. It is used annually by thousands researchers from France and abroad. SOLEIL is based on a synchrotron source that is state-of-the-art both in terms of brilliance and stability. This large scale facility, a partner of the Université Paris Saclay, is a “publically owned” private company, founded by the CNRS and the CEA.

Based on a 2.75 GeV synchrotron source, the SOLEIL facility operates more than 29 beamlines, covering the full range of synchrotron techniques from IR and UV to x-rays.

SOLEIL’s multidisciplinary science program covers life sciences, chemistry, physics, materials science, environmental and earth sciences or cultural heritage. It relies on developments at the forefront of synchrotron radiation instrumentation like long beamlines for nano-imaging or ultrafast photon science. International users make up more than 25% of SOLEIL’s users community.

Detailed mission:

Mission

The Scientific Director is member of the Directorate, currently  composed  of  the  two  Scientific  Directors  (Directeurs  Scientifiques),  the  Director  of  Accelerators and Engineering (Directeur Accélerateurs et Ingénierie), the Administrative and Financial Director (Directeur Administratif et Financier), and the Director of IT Strategy and Quality (Directrice de la Stratégie des Systèmes d’Information et de la Qualité). He is under the direct responsibility of the Director General.

The two Scientific Directors share the responsibility of shaping the scientific program to bring it at the forefront of science in the worldwide competition: In particular, they will

·       Organize the scientific life of SOLEIL.

·       Define and prepare new projects, especially in the context of a major upgrade of the facility, under study.

·       Supervise the experimental division (155 staff members, including 80 beamline scientists; and 79 non-permanent staff).

One of the scientific directors belongs to the scientific community of Life Sciences, the other to the Sciences of Matter. They organize their work according to their respective areas of expertise and may have advisers for the most distant scientific fields.

 

Profile:

Candidates should be internationally recognized experts in the scientific field of Life Sciences with significant experience in the management of a large scientific group or facility. Experience in a scientific field using synchrotron radiation and, more generally, knowledge of associated techniques and instrumentation would be a plus. The ability to manage a large project will also be an asset. A good knowledge of the French language as well as French institutions will be appreciated. SOLEIL grants the possibility of continuing to have a research activity, in line with the needs of the position.