Research engineer specialized in optical studies and design

SOLEIL is the French national synchrotron source, located on the Saclay plateau near Paris. It is a multidisciplinary instrument and a research laboratory whose goal is to drive research programs using synchrotron light and to develop a state-of-the-art instrumentation on beamlines for the scientific community. The SOLEIL synchrotron, a unique tool both for the academic research and for the industrial applications, has opened in 2008. It is used yearly by thousands of researchers both French and foreign, for a large panel of research fields such as physics, biology, chemistry, astrophysics, environment science, earth science, etc. SOLEIL relies on a light source remarkable both for its brilliance and its stability. This very large research infrastructure (Très Grande Infrastructure de Recherche in French or TGIR), is a partner of Paris-Saclay university, and a private entity (société civile) founded by both the French CNRS and the French CEA.

This position is with the Optics group, within the Science division.

Description of the optics group

Within the Science division, the optics group is tasked with the design and maintenance of the beamlines. The optics group develops or specifies the optical components and is responsible for their metrological control, validation, deployment and maintenance. For these missions, the optics group consists of 5 research engineers and 1 engineer or technician specialized in X-ray optics and thin multilayer coating.

I.Mission

Specialized in optical study and design, the engineer’s mission is to assist the group leader in the definition and the calculation of complex optical systems for a very broad spectrum of wavelength from the infrared to the hard X-ray.

The engineer will work with strong interactions with the other group members in order to check the feasibility of the optics he or she will be led to design and the ability of the group to measure the optics within the specified tolerances. He or she will also check that said optics are mountable in the beamline by interacting with the engineers of the optics group in charge of the integration of the optics on the beamlines.

The engineer will participate in the functional definition of the optical systems with the group leader and the final users. He or she will make the necessary calculations for their optimization. He or she will write the technical specifications for the manufacture of the optics and associated mechanical supports as well as handle the project from manufacturing to installation on the beamlines.

The engineer’s participation to the group’s research focuses on the development of new components, their characterization and use in innovative systems. In this context, the engineer is tasked with developing and maintaining software for the characterization of these components on the associated beamlines.

II. Responsibilities and tasks

· He or she makes the optical simulations using different software available at SOLEIL such as CODE V, Shadow/OASYS, SRW or internally developed software like PyOptiX, Solemio and Carpem.

· When defining an optical system, he or she will assist the scientist in charge of the equipment in choosing the best compromise in order to achieve the expected performances. He or she will provide the necessary quantified elements leading to the final decisions. He or she will optimize the chosen optical solutions and compute the associated tolerances.

Position – Research engineer specialized in optical studies and design Mise à jour : 04/09/2025 Référence : 031 Division : EXP

· The engineer will coordinate with the appointed persons when working in large projects such as the SOLEIL II upgrade and give the necessary interface files to them in order to comply with the current processes within theses projects.

· The engineer will prepare the calls for tender for the optics and follow the manufacturing process.

· When the optics are being installed, he or she will assist the engineer in charge of the mounting of the elements and provide models for identifying misalignement sources.

· He or she will maintain the documentation about the optical systems he or she is in charge of so as they are up to date with their current status using the tools provided by SOLEIL both in the common documentation (CMMS) and in the simulations files for the group.

· He or she will be tasked with at wavelength metrology of optics for tender X ray optics. Thus, he or she defines the necessary measurement protocols and develops the necessary tools on the Metrology beamline available both for internal and external users

· He or she will develop a personal R&D project in a frame defined with the optics group leader so as to fit with the other research programs within the group.

III. Education and experience

This position is for an engineer level graduate specialized in optics with extended knowledge in X-Ray optics. A work experience of several years in the synchrotron community is necessary. A PhD in a related field would be much appreciated.

IV.General conditions

This offer is for a permanent position under French law.

Some availability outside normal hours can be required depending on the group needs. A participation to working outside normal hours can be required from time to time especially while measuring optics on a beamline.

This position in open for CNRS and CEA personnels, academic personnels, and other state personnels in secondment.

This announce is not exhaustive nor definitive. It lists the responsibilities of the employees but is susceptible to change and evolution.

IV.Benefits

• 26 days of paid vacation + up to 2 additional split days + 23 RTT (reduction of working time) days per full year of work, based on a 40-hour work week.
• Mandatory health insurance (basic plan) costs €19.35 per month for the employee (with an employer contribution of €158.92, corresponding to 90% of the premium), covering household members (spouse/partner + children).
• We also offer an optional supplementary health plan for €26.69 per month covering your household (spouse/partner + children).
• Access to a provident scheme that supplements the benefits of the mandatory French Social Security system, which are often insufficient. It compensates for loss of income in case of inability to work, ensuring the standard of living of the insured and their family in difficult circumstances: death, incapacity for work, or disability resulting from illness or accident.
• Possibility to open a Time Savings Account (CET) after one year of seniority.
• On-site corporate catering at SOLEIL, with subsidized meals.
• Family-related benefits depending on individual situations: family allowance supplement, additional days off under certain circumstances, marriage and birth bonuses, etc.
• Social and cultural activities offered by SOLEIL’s Social and Economic Committee (CSE).