Internships and work placements

Because developing future talent is important to us, we offer trainees a number of benefits.

Trainee allowance
Its amount depends on the length of your placement and your level of qualification.

Working hours
Monday to Friday, from to 8 am to 4.30 pm (with a lunch break). Under ILL’s 35-hour week agreement, you will be entitled to compensatory leave ("RTT") calculated in proportion to your working hours.

Site restaurant
ILL subsidies midday meals. A three-course meal would typically cost you about €2.50.

Travel costs for your move to Grenoble
If you live and study outside the Grenoble area we will reimburse your travel costs at the start and end of your contract.

Works Council
During your training, you will enjoy the same benefits as the rest of the ILL staff. You will be entitled to borrow from the library for example, and from the DIY section of the Works Council. You will also be entitled to cheaper rates for cultural activities and over 30 different sports clubs.

Leave
After three months of work, you will also be entitled to one day of paid leave per month (in addition to your RTT days).

Accommodation
We can provide you with a list of contacts if you need to find accommodation in the area.

Preparation and Characterisation of Model Lung Surfactant Films at the Air–Water Interface - INTERNSHIP Ref. : LSS_06

Lung surfactant is a lipid/protein complex that coats the respiratory air/liquid interface at the alveoli, minimising the surface tension and thus allowing breathing mechanics. As the alveoli are continuously subjected to area extension and reduction as a consequence of breathing cycles, this material needs to be able not only to adsorb rapidly and efficiently to the air/liquid interface, but to spread when the surface increases (during inspiration) and desorb when surface decreases (during expiration) leaving only a DPPC-rich interfacial monolayer with minimum surface tension. This dynamism of the films is acquired thanks to the hydrophobic surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C that keep the material that has been excluded from the interface connected to the interfacial monolayer in the form of multilayer surfactant reservoirs to be ready for the next cycle.The student assigned to this project will prepare various types of films that mimic lung surfactant at the air/water interface. These systems will range from formulations containing the hydrophobic proteins SP-B and SP-C to lipid monolayers combined with polypeptides, with the aim of exploring the nucleation of reservoirs by molecules other than SP-B, which has been shown to be essential for proper lung surfactant function.A Langmuir trough coupled with ellipsometry will be used to characterise the response of these films during compression/expansion cycles. This approach will allow assessment of whether material is expelled from the monolayer during film collapse or whether three-dimensional structures are formed, the latter being an indicator of proper lung surfactant functionality. When possible, the in-plane organisation of the films will also be examined using Brewster angle microscopy (BAM).

Activities of the trainee:

• Preparation of lipid, proteins and polypeptide solutions
• Preparation of lipid, lipid/protein and lipid/peptide monolayers and characterisation of their surface pressure response during compression/expansion cycles
• Use of ellipsometry to assess changes in the interfacial amount of material
• Participate in neutron reflectometry experiments on FIGARO
• Analysis and interpretation of the results

Level required: 5 year university studies in Physics, Chemistry, Biology

Language skill: As an international research centre, we are particularly keen to ensure that we also attract applicants from outside France. You must be able to communicate in English or in French.

Notes: This post is an internship with a maximum duration of 6 months.

Please send your application directly to the supervisor:J CARRASCOSA TEJEDOR, email : carrascosa-tejedor@ill.fr

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Toward Reproducible Bacterial Membrane Models - INTERNSHIP Ref. : LSS_09

Model lipid bilayers made from bacterial polar lipid extracts are useful systems for studying the physicochemical properties of bacterial membranes and for supporting antibiotic research. In particular, isotopically labeled natural polar lipid mixtures are indispensable for neutron scattering based studies of biological membranes. This project aims to build supported lipid bilayers that mimic the lipid composition of bacterial cytoplasmic membranes and to study them using QCM-D and neutron reflectivity. However, forming supported bilayers that contain negatively charged phospholipids on silicon oxide surfaces remains challenging. Unlike neutral lipid systems, anionic bilayers often fail to form reproducibly. Vesicles may adsorb without rupturing, leading to poor surface coverage, remaining intact vesicles, and unstable films. Although several deposition strategies have been developed, including changes in salt concentration, the use of divalent cations, and surface modification, success rates and reproducibility are still limited.

In this work, we will use QCM-D to systematically identify conditions that allow the reproducible formation of uniform, defect-free supported lipid bilayers. We will first optimize the methods using well-defined synthetic lipids. The optimized protocols will then be applied to natural polar lipid extracts, labeled or unlabeled, from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. These complex bilayer systems will provide biologically relevant models for studying the structure, dynamics, and function of bacterial membranes. The intern will gain experience in bio-physical techniques including QCM-D, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) and have the possibility to engage in neutron reflectivity experiments.

Activities of the trainee: The trainee will perform measurements in the PSCM labs using QCMD, DLS and, dependent on instument installation, infrared spectroscopy. They will optimise formation of solid supported bilayers made from bacterial extracts-a much requested system for scientists at the ILL.

Level required: +4, +5 year university studies in Chemistry

Language skill: as an international research centre, we are particularly keen to ensure that we also attract applicants from outside France. You must be able to communicate in English or in French.

Notes: this post is an internship with a maximum duration of 2 months.

Please send your application directly to the supervisor: S AYSCOUGH, email : ayscough@ill.fr

Creation of the ILL Sustainable Development Roadmap - INTERNSHIP Ref. : SMAE_02

As part of the Institute’s environmental policy, we are seeking an intern to develop the Institute’s sustainable development roadmap. This will be a project-based assignment carried out in collaboration with an internal working group and senior management.

Activities of the trainee

Definition of the objectives of the sustainable development roadmapIdentification of relevant indicatorsDevelopment of targets and objectivesCreation of a presentation documentFacilitation of the working groupCollaboration with the communication department

Level required:+3, +4, +5 year university studies in Sustainable Development – Risk Prevention

Language skill: as an international research centre, we are particularly keen to ensure that we also attract applicants from outside France. You must be able to communicate in English or in French.

Notes: this post is an internship with a maximum duration of 6 months.

Please send your application directly to the supervisor: Christophe MOUNIER, email : mounier@ill.fr

No position available