Science Director for Physical Sciences

Science Director for Physical Sciences

SOLEIL Synchrotron

Saint-Aubin, France

Context and Mission

The Scientific Director is a member of SOLEIL's Executive Management Team, currently composed of two Scientific Directors, the Director of Accelerators and Engineering, the Administrative and Finance Director, and the Director of Information Systems and Digital Technologies. The position reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The two Scientific Directors jointly share responsibility for defining and implementing SOLEIL's scientific strategy, with the ambition of maintaining the facility at the highest international level.

Their main responsibilities include:

• Organising and leading SOLEIL's scientific activities;
• Overseeing the Experiments Division, which currently includes approximately 150 permanent staff, including around 80 beamline scientists, as well as approximately 150 non-permanent staff and collaborators;
• Supervising the Beamlines and Laboratories Programme within the framework of the SOLEIL II Upgrade Project, covering scientific strategy, instrumentation projects, as well as the adaptation and reconstruction of beamlines.

One Scientific Director comes from the Life Sciences community, while the other represents the Physical Sciences community. They organize their activities according to their respective scientific expertise and may be supported by scientific advisors in complementary fields.

Profile

The successful candidate should be an internationally recognized expert in the field of Physical Sciences, including physics, chemistry, materials science, Earth and environmental sciences, and heritage science, with substantial experience in leading a research organization or large-scale research infrastructure.

Experience in a scientific discipline making use of synchrotron radiation - and more broadly, knowledge of the associated techniques and instrumentation - would be considered a strong advantage, particularly in the field of soft X-ray science.

Experience in managing large-scale scientific projects will also be highly valued.

A good command of the French language and familiarity with the French research landscape and institutions would be appreciated.