Research engineer specialized in optical studies and design

Located on the Paris-Saclay plateau, about 20 kilometers from the capital, the SOLEIL synchrotron is one of France's leading research facilities. Since it began operating in 2008, it has served the national and international scientific communities. Research conducted at SOLEIL covers a wide range of scientific and industrial fields — including physics, biology, chemistry, materials science, environmental science, Earth sciences, and cultural and natural heritage — all connected to current societal challenges. Experiments carried out on the beamlines rely on the use of synchrotron light emitted by electrons accelerated to nearly the speed of light within a storage ring. SOLEIL is jointly supervised by the CNRS and the CEA and offers its staff a dynamic, innovative, multidisciplinary, and international working environment.

At the forefront of technology, SOLEIL II is an ambitious project designed to provide new opportunities for scientific and industrial research. SOLEIL II consists of a major upgrade of the existing infrastructure and aims to significantly improve the performance of electron accelerators and beamlines. It is designed to address major current and future societal challenges, particularly in areas such as advanced materials research, energy and sustainable development, health and well-being, and the environment.

Construction work on the SOLEIL II project began in 2024, marking the start of a phase of development and technological innovation. In parallel, the existing facility will remain operational until the fall of 2028. SOLEIL II is scheduled to start operations in 2030, with a gradual ramp-up phase continuing until 2035.

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.

Context and missions

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.

· He.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 

· 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.

Profile

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.

Working conditions

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.

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 €174.15, 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).